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Lotus Notes Migration: 15 x Client Applications to SharePoint Archives

Client: World leader in sustainable technology solutions

Domino / Lotus Notes migration Microsoft 365 / SharePoint

Migr8IT delivered a strategic content migration programme that converted 15 Lotus Notes 8.x client applications into structured, fully searchable SharePoint archives, allowing the client to securely retire their legacy Domino environment. The archived applications contained decades of critical operational data across functions such as R&D, Sales, Quality Assurance and Manufacturing. These datasets were essential for audit, compliance, and knowledge retention, even after the live systems were retired.


Using Migr8IT’s proprietary high-fidelity conversion tooling, all Notes documents were converted to searchable PDF, preserving metadata, attachments, relationships, and layout ('look and feel'). The resulting SharePoint archives provided a single, searchable repository within the client's existing Microsoft 365 tenant where users could easily locate historical information without needing the original Notes applications or client software, with the added benefits of Microsoft's search and collaboration features.


This project enabled the full decommissioning of 15 legacy applications, significantly reducing infrastructure and licensing costs while ensuring long-term accessibility, security, and regulatory compliance.

182,000

Lotus Notes records migrated and converted to searchable PDF format

187,000

Lotus Notes file attachments migrated

100%

Of data and attachments archived securely in Microsoft 365

Strategic Benefits


ALIGNMENT WITH ENTERPRISE STRATEGY

The project directly supported the organisation’s wider goal to retire the Lotus Notes platform entirely, accelerating the transition to a modern, cloud-based Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

REDUCED IT COMPLEXITY

Retiring 15 legacy Lotus Notes applications eliminated dependence on the Domino infrastructure, simplifying the client’s technology stack and reducing long-term maintenance effort.

ENHANCED SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE

By moving to Microsoft 365, all archived data now benefits from enterprise-grade encryption, role-based access control via Azure Active Directory, and automated retention policies, ensuring compliance with strict regulatory standards.

CENTRALISED INFORMATION ACCESS

Consolidating data into a unified SharePoint environment created a single source of truth, improving visibility and making historical information instantly searchable and auditable.

FUTURE-PROOF PLATFORM

The SharePoint architecture supports scalability, integration with Teams, Power BI, and Power Automate, and cloud-based resilience, positioning the business for future digital transformation initiatives.

COST EFFICIENCY

Measurable cost savings while reducing the operational risk of running legacy systems.

Business Impact


SUPPORTED STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION

The project was a key milestone in the organisation’s plan to fully retire the Lotus Notes platform and consolidate operations within Microsoft 365.

REDUCED OPERATIONAL RISK

All historical data is now securely preserved in SharePoint with enterprise-grade encryption, retention policies, and access control, eliminating reliance on unsupported systems.

IMPROVED DATA ACCESS 

Users can now quickly locate and view archived information through intuitive search and metadata filters, across multiple devices.

IT EFFICIENCY

Decommissioning 15 legacy applications freed IT resources from maintenance and support overheads, allowing teams to focus on modern business initiatives.

INCREASED COMPLIANCE CONFIDENCE

The structured SharePoint archives provide full audit traceability and ensure compliance with industry regulations.

LOWER COST OF OWNERSHIP

Retiring the Domino infrastructure reduced licensing, server, and administrative costs while simplifying long-term data governance.

STRENGTHENED BUSINESS RESILIENCE

The new cloud-based archive provides durable, tamper-resistant access to critical records, ensuring continuity and regulatory assurance for years to come.

Measurable Outcomes


15 NOTES CLIENT APPLICATIONS RETIRED, with 100% of data retained.


182,000 RECORDS SECURELY CONVERTED AND MIGRATED from Lotus Notes to SharePoint with zero data loss.


187,000 FILE ATTACHMENTS MIGRATED with metadata.


100% COMPLIANCE continuity maintained throughout migration, meeting all audit and regulatory requirements.


ZERO DOWNTIME during transition, users retained access to operational data throughout the project.


100% DOCUMENT FIDELITY, original metadata, formatting, and structure preserved in conversion.


FASTER DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL thanks to SharePoint search indexing and PDF conversion.


REDUCED IT OVERHEAD, with the Domino environment fully decommissioned post-migration.


LONG-TERM COST SAVINGS through simplified infrastructure and no need for Notes client licensing or maintenance.


Frequently Asked Questions


  • What does a Lotus Notes to SharePoint migration involve?

    We extract the data, attachments and metadata from your Lotus Notes applications and deliver them into structured SharePoint lists, libraries or archive sites. Depending on your needs, we can produce high-fidelity document renditions in PDF/HTML/Word (DOC, DOCX) that mirror the original Notes documents exactly, or simply migrate the raw content and metadata.

  • Can you create a compliant archive in SharePoint that preserves the 'look and feel' of the Lotus Notes documents?

    Yes,  and this is one of our strengths. Our tooling can generate high-fidelity PDF, HTML or Word renditions that retain the original Domino layout, rich text, tables, embedded images, links and formatting. This ensures your archive provides an accurate, like-for-like representation of the original documents, which is crucial for regulatory, audit and legal compliance.

  • How quickly can you migrate large volumes of data to SharePoint?

    Very quickly. Our framework handles high volumes efficiently, including hundreds of thousands of documents and large attachment sets. We regularly complete full archive migrations in short timeframes, even when the source applications contain complex structures or custom logic. Speed does not come at the expense of accuracy,  every item is validated and audited.

  • Do users have downtime during the migration?

    Minimal to none. Because archive migrations are often read-only after cut-over, we can extract and convert data while the Notes applications remain online. A final delta pass captures any last-minute updates, ensuring everything lands in SharePoint up to date.

  • What if we don’t need full document renditions, can you migrate only metadata or attachments?

    Absolutely. Not every organisation requires a high-fidelity representation. We can migrate just metadata and attachments into SharePoint libraries or lists, creating a lightweight archive. This is often suitable when the visual layout of the original Notes document isn’t required for compliance.

  • How secure is the migration process?

    Our tooling operate entirely within Domino’s native security model with Microsoft 365 authentication (SSO & MFA). Your Domino Access Control Lists, Reader/Author fields and role-based permissions remain in control throughout extraction. Once the archive is in SharePoint, modern cloud security,  encryption, access control, audit logs and SSO/MFA takes over. Every migration step is fully logged to maintain compliance and traceability.

  • Will the SharePoint archive be fully searchable?

    Yes. We structure the archive to support full-text search, metadata filtering, tagging and indexing. High-fidelity renditions (PDF/HTML/Word) remain searchable, making it easy for users to find historical records without relying on the Notes client.

  • Do you help with designing the SharePoint archive structure?

    Yes. We help you choose an archive structure that suits your business,  whether that’s libraries, lists, metadata-driven folders, retention labels or compliance policies. Our goal is to make the archive both compliant and easy to navigate.

  • What are the benefits of archiving to SharePoint rather than keeping Domino running?

    You reduce infrastructure and Domino  licensing costs, retire a legacy platform, eliminate specialist dependency, and make your historical data accessible to your Microsoft 365 users. SharePoint also provides modern compliance controls, retention policies and eDiscovery features organisations increasingly rely on.

  • Do you use third-party migration tools such as Quest?

    Yes. While we have our own specialised Domino migration tooling, we also make use of market-leading third-party migration tools when they add value to a project. Tools like Quest, Binary Tree, Transend, and Quest Migrator for Notes are well-established in the industry and provide robust capabilities for specific parts of the migration process.


    These tools can help with areas such as:

    • mail and calendar migration,
    • directory synchronisation,
    • high-volume data extraction,
    • coexistence between Domino and cloud platforms,
    • specialised file-format conversion.

    We combine these proven tools with our own custom processes to handle the complex, custom Domino applications that generic tooling often struggles with. This hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds, the reliability of enterprise-grade software and the flexibility of deep Domino expertise.

  • What’s the first step?

    Get in touch. We’ll run a brief discovery session to assess your Lotus Notes / Domino estate, identify the applications and data to archive, recommend the right SharePoint structure, and produce a timeline. We specialise in fast, accurate, low-risk migrations,  whether for compliance, decommissioning or long-term retention.

Talk to Us Today about Lotus Notes Migration To Microsoft 365