User migration to azure

d.cunnings

@lilyleiden I spent weeks researching this a couple years back and I agree MS totally neglects that migrating PPLs desktop is a thing.

Simple is best and we did research ways to just copy over what was needed but that’s not as simple as it seems.
For instance lots of things should NOT be moved over

The solution we ended up using at my previous job, was USMTGUI from EhlerTech

Basically:

Join the PC to Azure, using the user account supposed to use the PC afterwards, thereby making the user, at least temporarily, local admin, which is needed.
Then start USMTGUI from a thumbdrive, select the old user profile and press “Run”.

Dashrender

@Obsolesce said in User migration to azure:

@Dashrender said in User migration to azure:

@Obsolesce said in User migration to azure:

@pmoncho said in User migration to azure:

@Dashrender said in User migration to azure:

@Pete-S said in User migration to azure:

@Dashrender said in User migration to azure:

@Pete-S said in User migration to azure:

@lilyleiden said in User migration to azure:

We just tested migrating a small batch of test users to our new Azure tenant.

While migrating the PC/user account was no problem, the fact that people get a completely blank user profile, certainly was a showstopper!!

Many of our users has had their AD profile for years, even a decade and has a lot of individual settings, ways to work, shortcuts, quick links, favorites/browser cached passwords etc. and they loose all that.
Management has currently halted the process due to the protests.

So I am on the lookout for a way to link/migrate the old profile/profile settings, when Azure joining the PC?

I would use this as an opportunity to remove unneeded customizations and old ways of doing things and introduce new ways of working instead.

For instance is it really wise to rely on browser cached passwords? To me that's a signal that you need to look over you password management policy. Maybe your users need a real password manager or setup SSO to apps they're using.

I'm really on board with this! We don't migrate when people get new machines, that said - we have few users that do much customization to their setup...

Yes and it's also question of setting the right expectations. For instance saying: IT allows users to customize their desktops but will not provide support for it. New machines, reimaged desktops etc will be reset to company default.

I do this - I don't support end user shortcuts to their desktop. If you figure out how to get it - or get others around you to do it for you, fine... but IT does not support your shortcuts.

Wondering what others do for users bookmarks? Do you just have them create and use their own Google/Firefox/Microsoft account so they follow the user?

They can sign in and use their corporate email to sync in the web browser.

huh - a PITA making users make three separate accounts (one for each browser) based on their corporate account... but doable.

Three separate accounts for what? I only use one web browser for work, and only one work account, and have all my work bookmarks on that, and synced. Why would someone do all that on multiple browsers?

because = users.

Dashrender

@Obsolesce said in User migration to azure:

The alternative to signing into the web browser to sync is so much worse, even in the off chance you chose to use 4 web browsers at the same time, and sign into them all with your work account to sync. Any other method is going to end up costing way more effort in the end anyways.

No real arguement from me there. But it's still 3 (IE is dead and as far as I know never had sync) accounts, one for each browser.

I use three browsers - I personally use FF, I have to use Chrome/Edge for our EMR - it refuses FF, and I use Chrome and Edge because I have need for multiple sessions in the EMR as different users... now I could do profiles in Chrome for that - but that's like making multiple accounts in Chrome.. so - meh.

lilyleiden

Thanks @d-cunnings

USMTGUI works great and is immensely simple to use.

We did have a small snag as we did not want Onedrive and Sharepoint (neither the local users folders or OneDrive settings) migrated as the users log in to the same OneDrive account after being migrated to AAD.

But the developer fixed that in just a few days. The latest USMTGUI 11.25.22H2.4 version (May 23) now handles this correctly and bring over all the browser favorites, Desktop, links to recently opened files etc.

The users we tested on are now much more confident being moved over.

xavierdelaraunt

@lilyleiden said in User migration to azure:

We just tested migrating a small batch of test users to our new Azure tenant.

While migrating the PC/user account was no problem, the fact that people get a completely blank user profile, certainly was a showstopper!!

Many of our users has had their AD profile for years, even a decade and has a lot of individual settings, ways to work, shortcuts, quick links, favorites/browser cached passwords etc. and they loose all that.
Management has currently halted the process due to the protests.

So I am on the lookout for a way to link/migrate the old profile/profile settings, when Azure joining the PC?

As far as I know, the only option is using third party software. There are several options.

We have for many years used USMTGUI from Ehlertech for domain profiles (USMTGUI use USMT for local and Domain profiles) but USMTGUI (corporate edition) also has a really simple to use function for migrating a profiles content to an AAD user, after the PC has been joined to Azure.

As said there are several third party options but as we already knew USMTGUI prior to switching to Azure, and USMTGUI makes it possible to handle all scenarios with one program, we have not really tried any of them.