Case study
Southwark Council: Migrating to SharePoint Online with a New Information Architecture
Konsolute migrated Southwark Council's content from its legacy system to SharePoint Online and implemented a new information architecture. Council information now sits in a structure designed around services and teams, making it easier to find, manage and protect.
Overview
A structured home for council information
Southwark Council is a London local authority serving a large and diverse borough in south London, with services spanning housing, social care, education, environment and regeneration.
The council's documents and records had been held in a legacy system for many years. As the system aged, it became harder to maintain and less suited to modern, collaborative ways of working.
Konsolute migrated Southwark's content to SharePoint Online. Before moving it, we designed and implemented an information architecture so that content arrived in a structure built around how the council is organised and how its teams work.
The challenge
Moving content without carrying over old problems
Legacy systems often reflect how an organisation was structured when they were first set up. Over time, reorganisations and new services leave that structure out of step with reality, making information hard to find.
Southwark wanted more than a like-for-like move. The migration was an opportunity to organise information properly, with consistent structure, metadata and access across the council.
The council needed to:
- Migrate content from its legacy system to SharePoint Online
- Design an information architecture aligned with council services and teams
- Apply consistent structure and metadata to make content easier to find
- Map access so that sensitive information remains protected
- Keep services running with minimal disruption during the move
- Local Government
- Public Sector
- Enterprise Content Management
- Information Architecture
- Cloud Migration & Modernisation
- Microsoft 365
- SharePoint Online
- Microsoft Teams
Our approach
Architecture first, then migration
We designed where content should live before moving any of it, so the migration delivered a better-organised environment rather than a copy of the old one.
Content assessment. Konsolute analysed the legacy system to understand its content, structure, metadata, permissions and owners, and worked with service teams to understand how information was used.
Information architecture. We designed a SharePoint Online information architecture of hub sites, sites, libraries and metadata, organised around council services and teams. Navigation and naming conventions were agreed so that colleagues could find information consistently.
Mapping and migration. Legacy content was mapped to its new location in the architecture, carrying across relevant metadata. Content was migrated in planned phases, each validated before the next.
Access and governance. Permissions were designed to fit the new architecture, reflecting council roles and protecting sensitive information. Ownership was assigned so that each area of content has someone accountable for it.
Staff support. Communications and guidance helped staff understand the new structure and how to work with their content in SharePoint Online.
Result
Information organised around the council
Southwark's content now sits in SharePoint Online within an information architecture designed around council services and teams. Consistent structure, metadata and navigation make information easier to find.
Access reflects current roles, and each area of content has a clear owner, supporting the council's information governance responsibilities.
With its legacy system no longer the home for this content, Southwark has a modern platform for collaboration and a structure that can grow with the council.
Your questions
SharePoint migration and information architecture FAQs
Designing first means content lands in a structure that suits how the organisation works today. For Southwark, Konsolute designed the architecture before migration so that information was organised around current services and teams.
It typically covers hub sites, sites, libraries, metadata, navigation, naming and permissions. Southwark’s architecture was organised around council services, with consistent conventions across the council.
Often, yes. In Southwark’s migration, relevant metadata was mapped and carried across to SharePoint Online. What can be preserved depends on the source system and how its metadata maps to the new architecture.
Talk to Konsolute
Ready to reorganise your information?
Tell us about your legacy system and how your teams use information. We can help you design an information architecture and migrate to SharePoint Online.