1. Why Information Architecture Matters in a Migration

A common mistake when moving from any file-centric platform is to recreate the existing folder tree inside SharePoint libraries. That approach preserves familiarity in the short term but carries forward deep nesting, inconsistent naming, permission sprawl, and poor search performance.

Modern SharePoint is designed around a flat architecture of independent sites connected by hubs, not deep hierarchies of folders and subsites. The migration is the single best opportunity to redesign how content is organized around the way people actually work—by team, by project, by function—rather than by historical folder paths.

A well-designed information architecture (IA) improves findability, simplifies permissions, enables better governance and compliance, and prepares content to be useful for Microsoft Search and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

2. Core Design Principles

• Flat over hierarchical — Prefer many peer site collections over deep subsite trees. Hubs provide the navigational relationships.
• One purpose per site — Create a site for each discrete team, project, or content domain. This supports clear ownership and easier movement later.
• Design around people and work, not folders — Structure sites and libraries based on collaboration patterns and content lifecycle, not the old Box folder paths.
• Metadata over deep folders — Use columns, content types, and filtered views instead of multi-level folder nesting for classification and discovery.
• Permissions at the site or library level — Prefer Microsoft 365 Groups / Teams-based ownership. Avoid recreating folder-level unique permissions wherever possible.
• Govern from the start — Define naming, ownership, retention, and site-request processes before mass provisioning.

3. Modern SharePoint Building Blocks

Home Site

The organizational landing experience. Usually, a communication site designated as the home site. Enables the SharePoint app bar global navigation and acts as the primary entry point for the intranet.

Hub Sites

Hubs are the connective tissue of modern SharePoint IA. They group related sites under shared navigation, branding, and a common search scope. They do not contain content themselves in the hierarchical sense; they associate peer sites.

• Typical number for mid-size organizations: 3–8 hubs.
• Organize by department, region, function, or major program—not by every individual team.
• A site should associate to exactly one hub.
• Hubs can be associated in limited multi-level relationships (parent/child hubs), but keep depth shallow (practically 1–2 levels).

Team Sites

Collaboration workspaces for groups of people working together. Almost always connected to a Microsoft 365 Group (and often to a Microsoft Team). Best for shared working files, conversations, and ongoing team activity.

• Ideal for department workspaces, project teams, and standing committees.
• Permissions are managed primarily through the Microsoft 365 Group membership.

Communication Sites

Used to broadcast information to a broad audience. Ideal for intranet portals, news, knowledge bases, and published policies. They do not create a Microsoft 365 Group by default.

• Examples: HR portal, company news, policy center, product knowledge base.
• Typically, more curated and less free-form than team sites.

4. Mapping Box Content to SharePoint Structure

Do not perform a 1:1 folder-to-folder or folder-to-library mapping. Use the migration as a redesign opportunity.

Box Content Type

Recommended SharePoint Target

Notes

Personal / My Box content

OneDrive for Business

Pre-provision OneDrive accounts

Department / team shared folders

Team site + document library (or Teams channel library)

Associate site to the relevant hub

Project / program folders

Dedicated team site or Teams-connected site

Consider project lifecycle and ownership

Published / reference content (policies, knowledge)

Communication site libraries

Curated, broader audience

Cold / archival content

Archive site, records center, or lower-cost storage

Avoid consuming primary SharePoint quota

External partner collaboration

Dedicated team site with guest access or specific external sharing model

Prefer controlled guest access over open links

 

5. Designing the Hub Structure

Recommended approach for most organizations:

1. Identify 3–8 major organizational groupings (e.g., Corporate, Operations, Sales & Marketing, People, Technology, Projects/Programs).
2. Create one hub site for each major grouping (usually a communication site registered as a hub).
3. Associate every team and communication site to exactly one hub.
4. Curate hub navigation carefully—do not automatically list every associated site if the number becomes large.
5. Apply consistent branding and theme at the hub level so associated sites inherit a coherent look.

Example high-level model:

• Home Site (company intranet landing)
• Corporate Hub → Leadership, Strategy, Communications sites
• People Hub → HR portal, Benefits, Learning, Policies
• Operations Hub → Department team sites + process libraries
• Projects Hub → Active project team sites
• Knowledge / Resources Hub → Shared reference libraries, templates, standards

6. Libraries, Folders, and Metadata

Within each site, structure document libraries thoughtfully:

• Prefer fewer, broader libraries with strong metadata over many tiny libraries or deep folder trees.
• Limit folder depth (ideally ≤ 2–3 levels). Use folders for simple human organization only when metadata alone is insufficient.
• Define useful site columns and content types for high-value content (contracts, policies, project deliverables).
• Use filtered views, grouping, and Microsoft Search rather than relying on users remembering folder paths.
• Where Box used metadata templates or tags, map those to SharePoint columns/content types before migration so values can be preserved.

7. Permissions Model

Box permissions are typically folder-centric and explicit. SharePoint works best with inheritance and group-based access.

• Default to Microsoft 365 Group membership for team sites (Owners / Members / Visitors).
• Break inheritance only when there is a clear, documented business need.
• Avoid unique permissions on individual files or deep folders—these become unmanageable at scale.
• For external collaboration, prefer controlled guest access (Microsoft Entra B2B) over anonymous or widely shared links.
• Design the target permission model before migration; do not migrate Box ACLs and “fix later.”

8. Governance Foundations

IA without governance degrades over time. Establish at least the following before broad provisioning:

• Site request and approval process (who can create what, and under which hub).
• Naming conventions for sites, libraries, and key content.
• Ownership and lifecycle expectations (who is responsible for each site; when projects close).
• Retention and sensitivity label strategy (Microsoft Purview).
• Training and support model for site owners.

9. Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Lift-and-shift of deep Box folder structures into SharePoint libraries.
• Creating a hub for every department or team (creates navigation noise).
• Leaving many sites unassociated with any hub (orphans).
• Recreating unique folder-level permissions from Box.
• Over-engineering metadata that users will not consistently apply.
• Ignoring storage capacity planning (especially for large Box tenants).
• Treating IA as a one-time design exercise instead of something that evolves with analytics and user feedback.

10. Recommended Next Steps for the Migration Program

1. Run a short IA workshop with business and IT stakeholders to identify candidate hubs and major content domains.
2. Produce a one-page target architecture diagram (Home site → Hubs → associated sites).
3. Define the mapping rules from Box content categories to the target sites/libraries.
4. Draft the permission and ownership model for each site type.
5. Identify any high-value metadata or content types worth establishing before content lands.
6. Validate the proposed IA with a pilot group before mass migration waves begin.