Google Workspace
Move to Google Workspace with your mail, calendars and drive intact, and your shared drives organised from the start rather than after the fact.
This is usually when we get the call
- Files live in personal drives and leave when the person does
- Nobody can find the current version of an important document
- Shared mailbox permissions were set up ad hoc and never reviewed
- There is no retention policy, so nothing is ever properly deleted or preserved
From first call to steady state
- 01
Planning
We inventory mail, calendars, and files, and agree the shared drive structure first.
Structure decided before data lands, not reorganised afterwards. - 02
Pilot
A small group migrates first to prove the process end to end.
Catches the edge cases while the blast radius is small. - 03
Migration
Bulk migration in batches, with reconciliation and a rollback path.
Scheduled to minimise disruption to mail flow. - 04
Governance and handover
Vault, retention, SSO, and device policy configured, then admin training.
Your team can manage day-to-day changes without us.
Structure decided before the data lands
Migrating first and reorganising later means living with years of inherited folder chaos. Shared drives and permissions are planned against how your teams actually collaborate, so the structure helps from day one instead of being rebuilt six months in.
- Shared drives structured around how teams work
- Mail, calendar and contact migration from any source
- Tenant setup and licence management
What moves, in what order
New mail flows into Workspace while the old mailbox keeps its history visible. Nobody loses a message, nobody misses a reply.
Synchronised across, then verified with your team – the recurring meetings and shared contacts are where migrations usually bite.
Permissions rebuilt deliberately: who may see what is a decision, not a default. The old share drive stays readable until everyone agrees it is retired.
Two short sessions and a cheat-sheet: how meeting rooms, sharing and chat now work. Adoption, not access, is what makes the move stick.
Every stage has a checkpoint and a rollback. You move when each part is proven, not when a project plan says so.
Scope, spelled out
- Workspace tenant setup and licence management
- Mail, calendar, and contact migration from any source
- Shared drives structured around how your teams work
- Google Vault, DLP, and retention policies
- SSO and directory sync with your identity provider
- Endpoint management and mobile device policy
Governance and sign-in sorted from the outset
A workspace rolled out without identity and retention settings is a compliance problem waiting to surface. We wire single sign-on, directory sync and retention policies in at the start, when they are straightforward to configure.
- SSO and directory sync with your identity provider
- Google Vault, DLP and retention policies
- Endpoint management and mobile device policy
Straight answers
Will we lose any email during the move?
The migration is staged and reconciled: mail is copied, verified, then cut over, with a rollback path if verification fails. Small timing gaps are normal in any migration and are planned for, not discovered.
What happens to our old mailboxes afterwards?
They are kept read-only for an agreed period before decommissioning, so nothing disappears the week after cutover. Deletion happens on a scheduled date you approve.
Can we keep Outlook if staff prefer it?
Yes. Workspace supports desktop and mobile clients, so the change is mostly in the background for staff. Training focuses on what is genuinely different rather than a full retraining programme nobody needs.
How is our data protected?
Retention, eDiscovery, and data-loss policies are configured as part of the setup, not left at defaults. Single sign-on and device policy are wired in so access control is centralised rather than per-user guesswork.
Will we lose old email?
No. History is migrated and remains searchable, and the old mailbox stays available through coexistence until everyone confirms nothing is missing. Cutover is a decision you make with evidence, not a leap of faith.
How long will we be offline during the move?
You are not, if it is staged properly. Old and new mail run side by side during migration, and the actual switch is minutes, done after hours. Calendars and shared contacts – where migrations usually bite – are verified with your team before anyone’s Monday is affected.
Before the first call
- A decision on shared drive structure before migration starts
- Admin access to the current mail and file systems
- A pilot group willing to test before the full move
- Your retention and compliance requirements in writing
Most delays in any engagement trace back to access, decisions, or content. Naming these up front is what keeps a project on schedule.
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Who this is for
Teams outgrowing consumer email or an aging on-premise server nobody loves.
Businesses wanting shared calendars, drive and video calls without a hardware refresh.
Anyone whose industry requires on-premise mail by contract or regulation – we will tell you that plainly during scoping.
Ready to start?
Tell us what you are working with and we will tell you plainly what it takes. No obligation, no pressure.