GCdocs to SharePoint Online Migration

Migrate from GCdocs to SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365, maintaining Government of Canada security and bilingual requirements while gaining modern collaboration, accessibility features, and reduced infrastructure costs.

Source

  • GCdocs (OpenText Content Server)
  • GCdocs Enterprise Edition for Government of Canada
  • Department-specific GCdocs instances

Target

  • SharePoint Online (GC-approved configuration)
  • Microsoft Teams (for collaboration)
  • OneDrive for Business
  • Microsoft 365 GCC (Government Cloud) where required
Export-only option: Archive GCdocs content for records retention per Library and Archives Canada requirements 

Common challenges

  • Preserving security classifications (PROTECTED A/B, UNCLASSIFIED) with appropriate SharePoint labels 

  • Maintaining bilingual content relationships and metadata in English and French 

  • Ensuring compliance with Treasury Board policies and ITSG-33 security controls 

  • Meeting accessibility requirements under Accessible Canada Act 

Canadian federal government
Public sector IT specialists configuring SharePoint Online for Government of Canada compliance

  • Migrating GCconnex-integrated content and maintaining cross-platform links 

  • Implementing retention schedules aligned with Library and Archives Canada authorities 

  • Configuring SharePoint for GC security and compliance requirements 

  • Managing change management across large federal departments with diverse users 

  • Redirecting links that point to archived content

How Xillio Addresses This 

Government-focused analysis with Xillio Insights

Government-focused analysis with Xillio Insights

We analyze your GCdocs environment to inventory security classifications, assess bilingual content patterns, evaluate metadata schemas, and identify accessibility issues. This analysis ensures SharePoint architecture design maintains Government of Canada compliance and security requirements. 

Security classification preservation

We map GCdocs security classifications to Microsoft 365 sensitivity labels configured for Government of Canada requirements (PROTECTED A, PROTECTED B, UNCLASSIFIED), ensuring appropriate labeling and access controls in SharePoint aligned with departmental security plans. 

Bilingual content handling

We preserve relationships between English and French document pairs, migrate bilingual metadata correctly, and support bilingual site structure design meeting Official Languages Act requirements. 

Compliance configuration

SharePoint sites designed with Treasury Board policy compliance, ITSG-33 security controls, and Library and Archives Canada retention requirements—not generic commercial configurations but government-appropriate architectures. 

Deployment within Security Settings

 GCdocs-to-SharePoint deployments can be tailored to your existing security settings, including bilingual content handling and security classification workflows aligned with government requirements. 

Government Sector Specialists

With 20+ years serving government organizations globally, including federal, provincial, and municipal agencies, Xillio understands the security, compliance, accessibility, and bilingual requirements of public sector migrations. Our proven methodologies help Canadian federal departments modernize while maintaining Treasury Board compliance. 

Xillio is trusted by companies worldwide:

What can make these migrations complex?

GCdocs: purpose-built for Canadian government, limited by legacy 

GCdocs Platform Limitations

GCdocs (OpenText Content Server) serves Canadian federal departments with collaboration features tailored to government requirements—bilingual interface, security classification handling, and integration with GC-wide services. However, the platform's aging architecture limits modern collaboration capabilities, mobile access, and integration with cloud-based productivity tools that remote and hybrid work demands.

Cloud-First & Accessibility Pressures

Departments face rising infrastructure costs for on-premises GCdocs hosting, limited innovation from the platform, and challenges meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessible Canada Act. Meanwhile, Government of Canada's cloud-first strategy and Microsoft 365 adoption create pressure to consolidate collaboration platforms.

Why SharePoint Online for Government of Canada

Microsoft 365 GCC Collaboration

SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365 GCC (Government Community Cloud) provides modern collaboration while meeting Treasury Board security requirements, hosting data in Canadian data centers. Integration with Teams enables modern collaboration patterns, while Power Automate and Power Apps support digital service delivery aligned with GC digital standards. 

Accessibility & Continuous Innovation

Built-in accessibility features help departments meet Accessible Canada Act requirements more easily than legacy platforms. Microsoft's ongoing innovation delivers new capabilities without infrastructure upgrade projects. 

Government-Specific Migration Constraints

GCdocs migrations require government-specific considerations beyond typical content migrations. Canadian federal departments must maintain security classifications (PROTECTED A, PROTECTED B, UNCLASSIFIED) throughout and after migration, with appropriate labeling and access controls in SharePoint. 

Bilingual Content Preservation

Bilingual content requirements mean both English and French documents, metadata, navigation, and site structures must migrate correctly. GCdocs often stores bilingual pairs of documents with relationships that need preservation in SharePoint. 

Security & Policy Compliance

Security and policy compliance includes alignment with Treasury Board policies, ITSG-33 security controls, and departmental security plans. Migration cannot compromise security posture or create compliance gaps during transition. 

Accessibility Compliance Assurance

Accessibility requirements under the Accessible Canada Act and Treasury Board Standard on Web Accessibility demand content remains accessible post-migration. Documents with poor accessibility in GCdocs need assessment and potential remediation. 

GC-Wide Service Integration

Integration with GC-wide services like GCconnex, GCpedia, and single sign-on through Azure AD (aligned with GC implementation) requires planning to maintain seamless user authentication and collaboration across platforms. 

Federal Records Management Alignment

Records management alignment with Library and Archives Canada requirements means retention schedules, disposition authorities, and transitory records handling must continue meeting federal recordkeeping standards in SharePoint. 

FAQ

Can you preserve PROTECTED A/B security classifications in SharePoint? 
Yes. We map GCdocs security classifications to Microsoft 365 sensitivity labels configured for Government of Canada requirements, ensuring appropriate labeling, access controls, and handling aligned with departmental security plans. 
How do you handle bilingual English-French content relationships? 
We preserve relationships between English and French document pairs, migrate bilingual metadata correctly, and support bilingual site structure design meeting Official Languages Act and departmental language requirements. 
Does SharePoint Online meet Treasury Board security requirements? 
Yes. Microsoft 365 GCC (Government Community Cloud) hosts data in Canadian data centers and supports ITSG-33 security controls. We configure SharePoint with Treasury Board policy compliance and departmental security requirements. 
Can you ensure migrated content meets accessibility requirements? 
Yes. We can assess GCdocs content for accessibility issues and provide recommendations for remediation. SharePoint Online includes built-in accessibility features that help departments meet Accessible Canada Act requirements more easily than legacy platforms. 
Can this migration be executed in phases? 
Yes. We support phased migrations by branch, directorate, or business function, allowing departments to transition gradually while maintaining GCdocs access during the process—critical for large federal organizations. 
Do you support export-only migrations for records archival? 
Yes. If you're decommissioning GCdocs but need to retain records per Library and Archives Canada requirements, we can export content with complete metadata, security classifications, and audit trails to approved archival repositories. 

Ready to modernize collaboration while maintaining Government of Canada compliance?

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