Valo to SharePoint OOTB Migration for Large Public University

03 November 2023

The Client

The client is a large public university in the USA.

The Need

With Valo’s end-of-life announcement, the client wanted to explore options to transit from Valo and mitigate risks associated with productivity, compliance, and data loss.

The Challenge

The client had been on Valo for several years and was using several components available within Valo, including the People Directory, Universal Webpart for streaming RSS feeds, Custom Events, knowledge base management, and notifications. This extensive usage across over 150+ sites in medical, engineering, and dentistry departments posed a significant challenge in terms of analysis and planning.

Furthermore, the university had accumulated a substantial amount of data, with 18 large sites containing over 1,000 pages of updates and blogs, for a total of 1.8 TB of data. This vast data volume necessitated a meticulous migration approach to prevent data loss.

The Solution

Star Knowledge, a leading SharePoint consultancy, conducted a comprehensive assessment of the university’s Valo environment and identified opportunities for a smooth transition from Valo to SharePoint OOTB. Given the minimal visual customization employed in the Valo setup, Star Knowledge proposed leveraging SharePoint’s out-of-the-box functionalities to minimize customization requirements.

Star Knowledge utilized its Valo Adoption and Migration Assessment tool to analyze the university’s current dependencies and map them to equivalent OOTB SharePoint features. For functionalities not readily available in OOTB SharePoint, Star Knowledge recommended customized solutions using Power Apps and SPFX.

A comprehensive roadmap was developed to guide the implementation process, including wireframing, identifying OOTB SharePoint components, and defining customized components to be developed. The branding and design of the communication sites were aligned with the client’s design guidelines and SharePoint lookbook templates.

Star Knowledge employed ShareGate Desktop to seamlessly migrate all data and components to the new SharePoint sites. The landing pages were redesigned to adhere to the agreed-upon design and branding guidelines. Upon validation, Valo was uninstalled from the client’s environment, and all dependencies were removed.

To ensure a smooth transition and minimize productivity loss, we provided post-transition support to the university’s communication teams. Train-the-trainer sessions were conducted to equip the team with the necessary knowledge and skills to operate the new SharePoint environment effectively.

The Benefits

The university achieved the following benefits through the successful migration from Valo to SharePoint OOTB:

• • Mitigated compliance and productivity risks without disruptions or data loss.
  • Reduced dependency on third-party solutions, ensuring code ownership and control.
  • Saved annual licensing costs and eliminated renewal fees.
  • Gained enhanced capabilities through customized solutions and Power Apps, including forms, approval flows, calendars, event management, RSS feeders, a people directory web part, and a notification center app built with Power Apps.

Technology Used

• • SharePoint Communication Site
  • ShareGate Desktop
  • Microsoft Power Apps
  • Power Automate
  • ReactJS and TypeScript
  • SharePoint SPFX

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates the successful migration of a large public university from Valo to SharePoint OOTB, effectively mitigating risks and enhancing capabilities. Star Knowledge’s expertise in SharePoint and its commitment to providing comprehensive support ensured a smooth transition and maximized the benefits for the university.

Are you looking to migrate from Valo to SharePoint OOTB? Contact us today to discuss your specific requirements and explore how we can help you achieve a seamless and successful migration.