ITS is migrating the current on-premise file storage and sharing system (MESA/M: Drive) to leverage Microsoft 365 (M365) services available through the Microsoft (MS) A5 license agreement. As a result, this project will migrate file storage and sharing away from the current MESA (M: Drive) system and into the M365 platform.
There are a few types of files or uses of the current M: Drive that are not a good fit for the M365 platform. For these cases, a new, on-premise file system is being made available.
An engagement with a Microsoft partner will be used to support the migration of enterprise file storage from MESA to M365 services.
Benefits of M365
- Leverages existing Microsoft environment
- Real-time collaboration on documents
- Increased productivity with industry-standard tools
- Enhanced knowledge-sharing with online sharing
- Work anywhere that has an internet connection
- Improved communications that include chat, video conferencing, and online meetings
Implementation
In-Scope
- Files in the MESA M: Drive (within the MyData (individual) and Shared (department) folders)
- OneDrive, Microsoft (MS) Teams, and SharePoint Document Libraries for file storage
- Sensitive data
- Discovery of use cases for file storage in M365
- Training materials and guides
Out-of-Scope
- Local files on users' computers
- Rebuilding application connections that currently connect to MESA
- Developing training programs/materials
- Conversion of databases or files into new formats
- File folders on MESA other than the "mydata" and "shared" folders
- Data currently stored outside of MESA
Comparison of MESA and Microsoft 365 Features
| MESA | Microsoft 365 | |
| Individual Space | M: Drive (mydata) | OneDrive |
| Departmental Space | Various GB amounts in a shared folder | Space in SharePoint Document Libraries and Teams |
| Accessibility | Need to connect via VPN | Connect from anywhere using Two-Factor Authentication |
| Security | Manage access to shares via the MESA Tools site | Enhanced permissions to sites, folders, and files within M365 (MS Teams, SharePoint Document Libraries, OneDrive) |
| Searchability | Search file name only | Leverage built-in MS 365 search capabilities to do advanced searches by name, content, and more |
| Better Collaboration | Integrates with Microsoft 365 ecosystem | |
| Workflows | Manual process | Automatic tracking of a document's lifecycle |
| Versioning | No versioning | The previous version is not lost once it's been deleted or overwritten Users can restore previous versions of documents |
Project Timeline
Phase 1
Discovery and Design: May - September 2023 (COMPLETE)
Phase 2
Migration and Implementation: September 2023 - August 2024 (COMPLETE)
Decommission MESA System: August 2024 - November 2024
Target Completion
November 2024
| 2024 | |||||||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 2 - Migration & Implementation | |||||||||||
| Migrate 'mydata' to OneDrive | |||||||||||
| New on-prem system available | |||||||||||
| Automated Jobs updated | |||||||||||
| Department Share Planning & Migration (Early Adopters) | |||||||||||
| Department Share Planning & Migration | |||||||||||
| Decommission Current MESA system | |||||||||||
What to Expect
How to prepare
Mydata to OneDrive (COMPLETE)
- Review your individual files on MESA:
- Only the MESA mydata folder is being migrated. If you have files outside of the folder that are not in a shared drive that you wish to be transferred, you must move them into your mydata folder before the migration date.
- OneDrive is not approved to store Highly Sensitive Data (HSD). If there is institutional HSD in a MESA mydata folder, it must be deleted or moved to an approved department MESA shared folder. If you require guidance on approved spaces, please contact your department’s IT Director or Technical Point of Contact (TPOC).
- All data on Mason systems are required to meet retention policy requirements. Assess your data with the retention guides and information provided by the Office of Records Management.
- Familiarize yourself with accessing OneDrive and review the Getting Started with OneDrive Guide.
Automated Jobs Using MESA M: Drive (COMPLETE)
If you have jobs or scripts that transfer files to/from MESA M: Drive, you must assess how to update your job. If you need to maintain the ability to transfer files like you do today, you will be able to use the new on-premises file system.
If you have not already been contacted by the project team, please email mesa2m365@gmu.edu for more information.
Department Shared Drives to Microsoft 365 (COMPLETE)
- Shared drive migration surveys were sent to all share administrators and collected throughout the spring with a deadline of Friday, June 14. If a share administrator did not complete the survey, their department's data will be force migrated to a new MS Team.
- ITS will contact all share administrators directly with information on what to expect for their M365 migrations. Share administrators should notify their members about these changes.
- Share administrators who selected in the survey that their share was no longer needed, had already been migrated, or planned to self-migrate, received notice to take action before Sunday, June 30. Original MESA data will be turned read only in July for these chosen migration plans.
- Users should evaluate any MESA data outside shared drive folders and self-migrate any essential files immediately to avoid data loss. For details on storage options, see File Storage Services.
- All data on Mason systems are required to meet retention policy requirements. Assess your data with the retention guides and information provided by the Office of Records Management.
Highly Sensitive Data (HSD)
Work with ITSO if you have HSD
Access and use of HSD are restricted to those needing access for required business purposes. You must request approval if you believe you have a legitimate reason to use or store HSD on university-approved applications. Review the information on Highly Sensitive Data to learn more.
What is HSD?
- Data that could lead to identity theft or exposure of personal health information if exposed
- Data that has been identified by a researcher, funding agency, or research partner as requiring a high level of security protection.
The requirements for storage differ depending on the type of data you have. Review Policy 1114: Protected Data Types to determine if you work with HSD. For more information on HSD locations and justification, see Data Classification and Storage Requirements.
Training
Several virtual training sessions are being held to ensure our community has the needed knowledge and skills to use M365 successfully. To register for an upcoming session, submit the following form: https://forms.office.com/r/5qZWh6c7K1
- MESA Migration Office Hours: File migration project update and provide an open forum for attendees to ask questions
- OneDrive Basics: OneDrive use cases, access, sharing features, co-authoring, permissions management, and collaboration
- Microsoft Teams Basics: Team structure, channels, roles, file/folder access, and document collaboration
- SharePoint Document Library Basics: Document library access, roles, permissions, and file collaboration
- Comparison Teams verses SharePoint Document Library User Experience: Teams and SharePoint user experience comparison, permissions and file collaboration
- Sharing files, permissions and roles in OneDrive, Teams and SharePoint: OneDrive file sharing, Team roles and SharePoint permissions
All session information and recordings can be found in the Collaboration Collective MS Team – MESA Migration Project channel.
In addition to the above sessions, the following resources are available:
- Accessing Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint Files from Your Computer
- OneDrive Training
- Microsoft Teams: Working with Files Share and manage files in Microsoft Teams (login to LinkedInLearning required)
- Learning SharePoint Online: Store documents (login to LinkedInLearning required)
Questions
If you have questions about this project, please email mesa2m365@gmu.edu.
In an effort to provide further support, the Collaboration Collective MS Team – MESA Migration Project channel is available as a forum for M365 collaboration with peers and hosts all MESA to M365 office hours and training recordings.
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MESA M: Drive and MESA Migration questions
What happens to share data that isn't migrated or removed from a MESA share?
The legacy MESA M: (mesa2) home directory and department share data will be securely erased before the mesa2 hardware being retired.
Will all of the shares in a department migrate to a single SharePoint site or does each share get a different SharePoint site?
Mapping your current data to Microsoft 365 is part of the planning process. There are options for how you want to set up your shared documents in Teams or SharePoint Document Libraries.
I have jobs or scripts that utilize MESA M: Drive. What is my option for maintaining a place to put these files?
The new on-premises file system is an option for jobs or scripts that currently use the mesa2 SMB service. If you have not already been contacted by the project team, email mesa2m365@gmu.edu for more information.
What is the difference between “mydata” and “shared folders” on MESA M: drive?
The mydata folder is individual storage for Mason employees. Only you can access your mydata folder. Shared folders show under folder name “shared” on the M: Drive. These folders are shared amongst your department staff.
How do I access the mydata folder after it is moved to M365 OneDrive?
If you had files in your mydata folder at the time of migration, the files are migrated to M365 OneDrive, the copies of files left in your mydata folder become ‘read only’. You can view the data within the mydata folder, but you will not be able to edit or add new files to the folder. Your files from mydata will show up in a new folder within your OneDrive called “MESA-mydata”.
Why do I not see MESA-mydata folder in my OneDrive?
If your mydata folder was empty at the time of migration, then the new folder MESA-mydata would not be created in OneDrive. If you believe you had data to be migrated, but do not see the new folder or data in OneDrive, contact ITS Support at support@gmu.edu.
What if the data I have on MESA M: Drive is sensitive?
For your mydata folder, OneDrive is not approved for storing Highly Sensitive Data (HSD). If you have institutional HSD in your MESA mydata folder, you must delete or transfer it to your current MESA departmental shared drive before the mydata migration. If your department-shared folders contain sensitive data, refer to the Highly Sensitive Data. You should request a consultation with the IT Security Office if you are unsure.
What if I have linked Excel files on M: Drive? Will they stay connected during the migration?
No. If you have one file with a link to another file on MESA M: Drive, the link will break upon migration. You will need to recreate the link after the files are moved.
Will the modified date of my files carry over to M365 upon migration?
Yes. The modified date and modified by (name) attributes will be copied into MS365. However, the modified date on folders may change to the date the folders/files are migrated.
File storage questions
Where are documents shared in Teams one-on-one and group chats stored?
Files that you upload to or send via one-on-one or group chats are stored in the Microsoft Teams Chat Files in your OneDrive for Business and are shared only with the people in that conversation. These are available in the Files tab at the top of a chat. For more information visit File Storage in Microsoft Teams.
Where are documents shared in Teams posts and channels stored?
Files you upload to a channel are stored in your team's SharePoint folder. For more information, visit File Storage in Microsoft Teams.
How can I access back-ups of my documents in Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 utilizes versioning for data loss prevention. It does not create backups, rather, versioning is creating and managing multiple versions of a document or file. Versioning helps track changes made to a document over time, enabling users to revert to previous versions when needed. For more information, visit Versioning in SharePoint. If a file is inadvertently deleted from a Team or Document Library, it may be recovered from the Recycle Bin in SharePoint. If a file is inadvertently deleted from a person’s OneDrive, it may be recovered from the Recycle Bin in OneDrive.
Teams/SharePoint questions
What is the difference between a Microsoft Team and SharePoint Document Library?
Microsoft Teams is the hub for teamwork. It allows for collaboration, chat, calls, meetings, and more. SharePoint Online is primarily a document management and intranet platform where you store, collaborate, and share information seamlessly across the organization, and it is also part of Microsoft 365. When you create a new Team a SharePoint Document Library (and other Microsoft 365 objects) is created. For more information, please see Should I store my files in Microsoft Teams or in SharePoint? An understanding of behind-the-scenes.
How can I see who has access to the files I have shared?
Visit See who a file is shared within OneDrive or SharePoint for more information.
Can I add people external to George Mason to my Team?
Yes, view the Adding Guests to MS Teams knowledge article for more information.
Can I add people external to George Mason to my SharePoint Document Library (SPDL)?
SharePoint Document Libraries created before May 13, 2024, do not allow external guests. After May 13, 2024, MyHub offers the provisioning of a second type of SPDL that allows external guests. Created as a SharePoint Teams Site with no Microsoft 365 Group, it lacks a Planner and other group-specific objects. Both SPDL options allow for conversion later to an MS Team. If you created an SPDL before or after May 13, 2024, with or without external guests, it is impossible to change the external option after creation. You will need to create a new SPDL and copy or move the files from the existing workspace to the new workspace.
Last modified: October 21, 2024