How NetSafe Built Its Own AI Tool to Migrate a Client Off Datto Workplace
A manufacturing client needed to leave Datto Workplace for SharePoint Online, with nowhere to stage the data, no room for error, and no off-the-shelf tool that fit. So we engineered our own migration platform, accelerated with AI, and moved every file with proof it arrived intact.
What Was the Problem with Datto Workplace?
Our client had years of work living in Datto Workplace, the file sync and share platform they were retiring. They wanted everything in SharePoint Online, where the rest of their Microsoft 365 environment already lived. Several things made that harder than a simple copy.
- Nowhere to stage it. A file migration usually leans on a large local drive to hold data in transit. The client did not have that space free, and neither did we.
- No margin for error. This was real working data. “Move it and hope” was not acceptable. We had to certify exactly what moved and account for anything that did not.
- No disruption. People had to keep working in Datto Workplace right up to their go-live day on SharePoint. The two systems had to stay in step until then.
- A cost paid twice. Datto Workplace was a separate subscription, about $20 per user each month across roughly 10 users, close to $2,400 a year, for file storage their Microsoft 365 plan already included through SharePoint Online.
Off-the-shelf migration tools either assumed local staging, treated the job as a one-time copy with no proof of completeness, or could not keep the destination current until a planned cutover date. None of them fit.
The Part Most Providers Cannot Do: We Engineered the Tool With AI
Instead of forcing the project into a tool that did not fit, we built one that did. The real story is not only that we built a migration tool. It is how quickly we could build one that was production grade.
Using AI to accelerate the engineering, we developed the full platform in a fraction of the time a project like this normally takes: the Datto Workplace and Microsoft Graph connections, two-pass integrity checking, resumable cloud state, per-client isolation, security hardening, and an automated test suite that guards all of it.
How NetSafe Built and Ran the Migration
The platform moves data in two stages through a durable middle. It pulls files from Datto Workplace, lands them in secure Microsoft Azure cloud storage as a staging point, then loads them into the exact SharePoint location they belong in. Because the staging point lives in the cloud, the client never needed a single gigabyte of local space.
Two principles shaped everything:
- Prove it, do not assume it. Every file is checked twice, once on the way into staging and once on the way into SharePoint, by comparing its size and a content fingerprint against the source. If a transfer is short by even one byte, that file is held back and flagged with a reason, never quietly trusted.
- Survive interruptions. Cloud jobs get restarted and throttled. The platform treats the staged copies as the source of truth, so a restart resumes exactly where it left off instead of starting over. Nothing is moved twice.
From a simple web console, the team can stage the data, see exactly where each folder will land, adjust the routing before anything moves, then push it into SharePoint. While the project runs, the platform keeps SharePoint current automatically, syncing only new and changed files on a schedule, so the client keeps working normally in Datto Workplace. When a person or the whole company is ready to go live, a single switch marks them complete and stops the sync cleanly.
What Were the Results?
- About $2,400 a year removed. Retiring Datto Workplace ended a subscription for storage the client already owned inside Microsoft 365. The migration pays for itself by eliminating a recurring cost, not adding one.
- Every file moves with proof. Files land in SharePoint with zero data loss. Each one is integrity-checked on the way in, and every migration closes with a certification report that reconciles what moved against the source.
- No local storage required. Cloud staging removed the need for the client to find space to hold data in transit.
- No interruption to the business. The client worked in Datto Workplace until their go-live date while the platform kept SharePoint in step behind the scenes.
- Built to be reused, and already in use. Onboarding the next client is a configuration file, not a new project. With this first migration proven, the same platform is carrying seven more client moves off Datto Workplace that are already lined up.
Why This Approach Matters
Three choices made the outcome dependable, and we engineered around all three.
Integrity is verified, not assumed
A fingerprint you never compare is not protection. Every file is checked against the source on both transfer hops, and anything that does not match is held back with a reason rather than trusted.
The cloud is the staging ground
Staging in Microsoft Azure removed any need for local storage and made the whole migration resumable, so a restart never starts over or moves a file twice.
We built the tool, with AI
Because we engineered the platform ourselves, accelerated with AI, we were not limited by what a vendor utility happened to support. The same platform now carries every client who needs the same move.
Most providers treat a file migration as a copy job and a crossed-fingers email at the end. We treated it as something we can certify, on the only day that counts: when the old system is turned off and the client needs to trust that everything is where it should be.
Frequently Asked Questions: Datto Workplace to SharePoint
Should I move from Datto Workplace to SharePoint?
If your business already pays for Microsoft 365, you are likely paying twice for file storage. SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business are included in most Microsoft 365 plans, so a separate Datto Workplace subscription duplicates capacity you already own. Moving to SharePoint eliminates that duplication.
Will I lose any files moving off Datto Workplace?
Not when the migration is verified. Every file is checked twice, on the way into staging and on the way into SharePoint, by comparing its size and content fingerprint to the original. Any file that does not match is held back and flagged, and the project ends with a report certifying exactly what moved.
Do I need local storage for the migration?
No. The data is staged in secure Microsoft Azure cloud storage during the move, so you do not need to provide any local space.
Can my team keep working during the migration?
Yes. You keep using Datto Workplace until your planned go-live date, and the platform keeps SharePoint current automatically until then. The switch happens cleanly, on your schedule.
Why did NetSafe build its own migration tool?
The available utilities did not fit the real constraints: no local staging, provable completeness, and continuous sync until cutover. Building our own, accelerated with AI, let us meet all three to a production standard and reuse the platform for every future migration.
Is my company a good candidate?
Most companies paying separately for both Datto Workplace and Microsoft 365 are good candidates. NetSafe Solutions provides a free assessment for businesses across the Charlotte metro area and both Carolinas.
Still paying for Datto Workplace on top of Microsoft 365?
If you already pay for Microsoft 365, you are likely paying twice for file storage. We will move you to SharePoint Online with every file verified, nothing staged on your own hardware, and no disruption to your team. Free assessment.
Or call us:
(704) 333-0404