When I first got the task to move our entire company from one cloud platform to another, my first thought was, “Wait… me?”
I’m not a tech person. I don’t write code, I’m not IT fluent, and I definitely didn’t train for a server migration. I’m the person who makes sure things run smoothly.
But this wasn’t just a simple switch. It wasn’t just about moving our emails and documents over or finding a new home for the intranet. Rather it was a chance to restructure how we are organized digitally to maximise AI integration with everything we do.
The Migration Tool That Hit a Wall
I started where anyone would: with a plan. This part actually went well. After hours of back-and-forth consulting with ChatGPT and Gemini to build the ultimate playbook, with ChatGPT generally delivering more usable steps- the process looked clean: gather data, run the automated tool, watch it all move.
The first day was a breeze. Emails and calendars sailed right over. The migration tool even successfully moved some primary team folders. But when it hit the complex, cross-departmental shared drives – which is the bulk of our data – it stalled.
Whole folders refused to move. Some files simply vanished somewhere between “processing” and “failed.” There was no clear error message, no simple “fix this” button. Just silence…and a stalled progress bar. I spent days trying everything; re-running the process, checking settings, and even asking Gemini for troubleshooting advice. And frankly, this is where my real headache began. Sometimes it provided brilliant insights; other times, the highly technical answers it generated made me want to close my laptop forever.
I realized I was waiting for the perfect automated solution that wasn’t coming.
The Victory of Determination
Eventually, I accepted the harsh truth: If the system won’t move them, I will. I rolled up my sleeves, fired up the new platform, and started moving the files manually. Sharepoint site by Sharepoint site. (Thanks, Microsoft?) Folder by frustrating folder. It was slow, tedious, and the exact opposite of automated efficiency. But it was progress.
Somewhere between the frustration and the small, personal victories, I started to actually enjoy the process. Every neatly organized folder on the new system felt like a tangible win. I had touched every part of our company’s history and helped build the new structure ……with the help of others 😊
We are finally done. Everything- every document, every project, every shared workspace, is now in its new home. The structure is clean, unified, and ready for our future (I think!)
The True Lesson: Human and AI Must Work Hand-in-Hand
This whole project taught me two critical things.
First, you don’t have to be “technical” to handle a not too technical crisis. You just have to be:
Patient (because things will break).
Resourceful (because the answer is out there, even if it’s buried).
Determined (because a stalled progress bar should never win).
Second, and more importantly, it taught me that automation is not a guarantee of completion. The platform didn’t outright fail; it was just less than 100% successful. It completed the easy 80%, but for the critical 20%, the code hit a wall. In that moment, the human element had to step in and finish the job.
The real strength of our new system is beyond the smart automation; and more in the recognition that human persistence and AI assistance must work hand-in-hand. When the tools like ChatGPT or Gemini can’t quite get you across the finish line -or, in Gemini’s case, when they give you a headache mid-process – the person steps up. That partnership is the actual foundation of our AI-first operation.
I still wonder if there was some simple, genius setting I missed; some technical trick that would have made the entire process instantaneous. Maybe a true expert knows the secret. But until AI is perfect, I’m glad I had the determination to carry the project over the finish line.
The next phase is optimizing everything. But first, I’m taking a very long lunch. 😅
