Operational context
As part of a broader digital workplace strategy, our client began migrating large volumes of data from on-premises systems to SharePoint Online. SharePoint was intended to become the central collaboration platform, with the expectation that it would scale reliably over time. Early in the migration, it became clear that the amount of data to be moved would significantly exceed the storage included in the Microsoft 365 tenant. Large files such as media and CAD files, and historical project data all needed to remain accessible. Deleting data was not an option, and continuously purchasing additional SharePoint storage was not considered a sustainable long-term approach.
At the same time, the IT team wanted to avoid introducing new manual archiving processes or asking users to actively manage their data during an already complex migration project.
The challenge: managing growth during migration
The company faced a challenge common to many large SharePoint migrations: controlling storage growth while keeping SharePoint usable and familiar for end users. When considering other approaches, limitations arose quickly:
- Manual archiving required ongoing effort and coordination.
- Microsoft’s out-of-the-box archiving options limited end-user access to archived content.
- User-driven cleanup processes depended heavily on individual behavior and therefore did not scale reliablys.
What was needed was an automated approach that worked within SharePoint itself, reduced storage pressure, and did not introduce additional operational risk during the migration.
“We needed an automatic system. Manual archiving or user-driven solutions didn’t work for us. If the file is archived, the user can just click it and it opens. It is restored in the original way."
M. Stephans | IT Solutions Specialist at the European headquarter
The approach
After evaluating different options, our client chose ShArc: Instead of moving files to a separate archive system, rarely used data is identified, and then offloaded to Azure Blob Storage while lightweight stub files remain in SharePoint. From an end-user perspective, files stay where they are expected. When access is required, the file is restored on demand in its original location.
Archiving behavior is defined centrally by IT and runs automatically in the background. This allowed our client to address storage growth systematically without interrupting the migration or changing established user workflows.
Automation and scalability: a policy-based approach
Given the size of the environment and the ongoing migration, more than a one-time cleanup was necessary. Storage management had to work continuously and at scale.
To address different types of data appropriately, the company implemented differentiated archiving policies. Some policies target very old content that has not been modified for more than 19 years. Others focus on unusually large files (for example, files larger than 10 GB) that create disproportionate storage pressure during migrations. In addition, they combined tenant-wide baseline policies with more specific rules for selected SharePoint sites. This layered approach allowed the IT team to apply a consistent storage strategy across the tenant while still respecting the needs of individual departments and sites with different data characteristics.
Once configured, these policies run automatically in the background and require very little ongoing operational effort.
"Once it’s set up, it just runs. You only tweak a few numbers from time to time. We are very happy with the tool. It fits exactly what we had in mind at the beginning."
T. Paul | Expert IT Client Management at the European headquarter
Results
By introducing automated archiving directly within SharePoint, our client was able to reduce SharePoint storage costs by more than 60%.
More importantly for the IT team, storage growth became predictable and manageable throughout the migration. SharePoint libraries remained clean and usable, while archived data stayed accessible when needed. Storage decisions were no longer driven by urgent cleanup actions but by clearly defined policies.
From the end-user’s point of view, nothing changed. From IT’s point of view, storage management became a controlled background process rather than an ongoing operational concern.
End-User adoption: intentionally invisible
Because ShArc operates directly inside SharePoint, user adoption was largely invisible. Most users did not notice when files were archived. When access was required, restoring a file felt natural and did not require training or new processes.
This was a deliberate goal: reducing storage costs without increasing support effort or introducing friction during an already demanding migration phase.
Conclusion
ShArc became a foundational component of its SharePoint migration and long-term storage strategy.
“I think it’s the only solution that can do it like this. Otherwise you would have to build it yourself."
M. Stephans | IT Solutions Specialist at the European headquarter
Our client's experience reflects a situation many organizations face during large SharePoint migrations: data volumes grow faster than tenant storage, while user workflows must remain stable. Addressing storage early through a policy-based, automated approach helped reduce risk and keep the migration on track.
