The Challenge of Legacy Systems

Facing the end of support for SharePoint 2013 and a recently discovered security vulnerability, The Water Utility needed to migrate its critical information assets to a secure, modern platform. The challenge was to ensure business continuity, maintain data integrity, and minimise disruption during the transition. The migration also presented an opportunity to streamline content, improve usability, and leverage the latest Microsoft 365 features.

Why Informotion Was Chosen

The Water Utility selected Informotion for its proven expertise in complex SharePoint migrations and its collaborative approach to project delivery. Informotion’s track record in the utilities sector, combined with its ability to provide tailored migration strategies and hands-on support, made it the partner of choice for this critical initiative.

Informotion’s Role

Informotion led the migration project from initial assessment through to post-migration validation.

Key activities included:

Pre-migration analysis: Comprehensive assessment of the existing SharePoint 2013 environment, identification of potential migration risks, and detailed planning using Sharegate custom reports.

Migration execution: Batch migration of lists and libraries, configuration of the SharePoint Online environment, and implementation of automation and
forms using Microsoft Power Automate.

Post-migration validation: Rigorous verification of migrated content, troubleshooting, and user feedback collection to ensure a seamless transition.

Collaboration: Close engagement with the Water Utility’s project stakeholders, enabling knowledge transfer and empowering the internal team to manage future migrations.

The Problem

The bank had no centralised way to control or enforce data policy across its primary and secondary systems. This lack of oversight made it impossible to manage the full customer record lifecycle without imposing operational disruption or risking system outages. Despite significant investment, the bank struggled to delete data in a legally defensible manner across all systems, leaving it exposed to compliance risks and inefficiencies.

The Solution

Informotion was appointed as the strategic advisor for the bank’s global GDPR Records and Information Retention Management programme, chosen for its reputation and domain expertise. Acting as the senior supplier, Informotion led the design, development, and implementation of a comprehensive solution, collaborating with incumbent service providers and engaging stakeholders from Policy, Legal, and Business units.

Key elements of the solution included:

• Mapping data assets, systems, and business processes to understand information flow and dependencies.
• Orchestrating and automating the deletion of records in both primary and secondary systems, according to authorised disposal schedules.
• Employing a blend of waterfall methodology for the overall programme and agile approaches for platform and “end of business relationship” workstreams.
• Ensuring all actions were centrally managed, with full audit logging and reporting for system data destruction.

The Customer’s Story

The Department operates within the state government sector, managing large volumes of sensitive information. With increasing regulatory requirements and public expectations around privacy, the Department has prioritised data protection and compliance. Recent milestones include the adoption of modern data governance frameworks and investment in AI-driven solutions to automate risk detection and reporting.

The Challenge of PII Discovery

Before engaging Informotion, the Department faced significant challenges in locating and classifying PII within its vast repositories. Manual processes were time-consuming and prone to error, leaving gaps in compliance and increasing the risk of data breaches. The organisation sought a scalable, automated solution to discover PII, apply consistent criteria, and present findings in an accessible format for stakeholders.

Why Informotion Was Chosen

The Department selected Informotion for its expertise in information governance and proven track record with government clients. The decision was influenced by Informotion’s partnership with EncompaaS, whose platform offered advanced discovery capabilities and intuitive dashboards. After evaluating several vendors, the Department recognised Informotion’s ability to tailor solutions to complex regulatory environments and deliver measurable outcomes.

Informotion’s Role

Leading phase one of the project, Informotion collaborated with the Department to define PII criteria and configure EncompaaS for targeted discovery. The team prioritised transparency, accuracy, and user experience, ensuring dashboards provided clear visibility into data locations, types, and risk levels. Informotion facilitated workshops, supported technical integration, and provided ongoing guidance throughout the project.