Microland Leverages its M&A Framework to Execute a Seamless Cross-Tenant Migration for a Leading Manufacturer of Optical Materials and Semiconductors

About the Customer

The client, following its acquisition by a leading manufacturer of engineered materials and optoelectronic components, became a global leader in materials, networking, and lasers for the industrial, communications, electronics, and instrumentation markets. The client, headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, operates in more than 20 countries around the world.

Faced with disparate collaboration systems, the merged entity needed to swiftly unify its infrastructure to reduce costs. The client sought a technology partner to migrate two separate domains into a single Active Directory and M365 tenant. The goal was to enhance collaboration through a unified identity and enable the client to consistently deliver value to its customers.

Business Challenges

Following the acquisition, the client maintained separate Active Directory domain & M365 tenants for their daily operations, each hosting Mail, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, PowerApps, and Stream data. However, this approach led to a diluted brand identity and confusion among both their employees and customers.  Furthermore, the local IT teams had difficulty managing both tenants and were unable to handle collaboration workloads seamlessly. In addition, the legal framework in the countries where they operated mandated the consolidation of the entity and technology into a unified structure. The primary objective was to rebrand the combined entity.

In Microland’s extensive experience with M&A scenarios, operating with separate M365 tenants post-acquisition presents significant collaboration challenges. These include difficulties with shared document access and communication, which increase complexity in managing user identities and security. Such issues impact overall efficiency and cohesion within the merged entities

Microland Solution

Considering the scale of the operation to consolidate the infrastructure of the merged entities, Microland set about rationalizing, consolidating and implementing Active Directory and M365 policies across the entities' tenants to achieve a unified user experience by adopting the following approaches:

Proof of Concept

We established a Proof of Concept (PoC) environment designed to closely replicate the production environment. This setup included Active Directory and M365 tenant simulations and served several key purposes:

• Validate Migration Approach and Process: Assessed and refined the migration strategy and methodology for transitioning the M365 tenant.
• Facilitate Co-existence of Active Directory Domains: Ensured smooth operation and interoperability between two distinct Active Directory domains.
• Test MFA and SSO Capabilities: Evaluated Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign-On (SSO) functionality using OKTA and Azure AD, simulating both pre-migration and post-migration scenarios.
• Migrate M365 Workloads: Executed cross-tenant transfer of M365 workloads, ensuring minimal disruption and data integrity.
• Synchronize On-Premises AD Objects: Synchronized Active Directory objects between both entities' on-premises domains and their Azure AD.
• Transition AD Objects: Migrated Active Directory objects from the AD domain of one entity to the AD domain of the other entity, ensuring proper mapping and functionality.
• Define Interim JML Process: Established and documented the interim state of the Joiners, Movers, and Leavers (JML) process to manage transitions effectively during the migration.

Big Bang Tenant to Tenant Migration

The migration strategy involved migrating M365 workloads—including Mailbox, OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint Online—from one entity to the other entity to Coherent Inc. Following this migration, we proceeded with the steps as outlined in the next approach.

Phase-wise Migration of Active Directory

The Active Directory migration strategy involved a seamless transition of on-premises Active Directory and associated services from one entity to another's domain. This process was carried out in a phased approach, ensuring a meticulous and efficient migration of all domain objects.

Both migration approaches follow industry-standard phases, which encompass the following stages:

Stage 1: Validation & Environment Assessment

Microland adopted a business consulting-led approach to meticulously assess and evaluate the Active Directory and M365 tenant configurations and policies across both entities. During this process, our consultants uncovered significant policy discrepancies between the two tenants. Leveraging these insights and the thorough assessment of the Active Directory and M365 environments, our services team worked closely with the client to develop a strategic business integration plan.

Stage 2: Consolidation Design / Approach

Based on the PoC and environment assessment, our team developed a comprehensive design for the M365 tenant and Active Directory integration. This design detailed each component, including policies, migration tool requirements, and synchronization components such as Azure AD Connect and Hybrid Azure/Exchange.

Microland’s services team worked closely with business units from both entities, carefully evaluating technical, business, and legal considerations to determine the most effective migration strategy. We also standardized policies across Mail, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive to ensure a cohesive and seamless user experience. These unified policies were subsequently reviewed and approved by the IT leadership of both entities.

During this phase, the team carried out the following high-level activities.

Value Delivered

• Optimized Resource Utilization: By consolidating OneDrive storage resources, we eliminated redundancies and achieved more efficient use of cloud storage. Centralized resource management facilitated improved monitoring and optimization of storage allocations, resulting in cost savings and enhanced performance.
• Unified Teams Experience: A consolidated Teams environment delivered a consistent and seamless experience for all users, promoting efficient communication and collaboration. Centralized administration of Teams settings and policies ensured standardized configurations, minimizing the risk of inconsistencies.
• Improved Data Governance and Compliance: Consolidating tenants strengthened our ability to enforce consistent data governance policies, ensuring adherence to industry regulations and internal data management standards. Unified reporting and auditing capabilities simplified tracking of data access and usage, thereby enhancing our ability to meet regulatory requirements effectively