6 Steps to Migrate from HipChat to Microsoft Teams

Are you an IT admin ready to migrate from HipChat to Microsoft Teams?  

Good. This is the post for you.

As HipChat users have passed the deadline provided by Atlassian to migrate away from their app, enterprises still using the app are searching for a new app.

Even more so, they are searching for a way to migrate from HipChat to the app of their choosing.

Let’s get straight into the detail.

1 - Migrate HipChat to Microsoft Teams - exporting

While Microsoft offers integrations with multiple Atlassian tools, it doesn't mean that a complete migration is easy.

Although projects are underway to make the Hipchat to Teams migration easier, you currently have to handle a lot of the importing and exporting work manually.

To export team data from your HipChatCloud, you'll need to:

• Access the admin account for your HipChat Team.
• Visit the HipChat data export service
• Select which rooms you want to export (private, public, and 1-1 chats)
• Select date ranges for the conversations you want to export
• Enter a password
• Click Start

The export process can take a while, so you'll usually receive an email when it's complete. You'll have to make surethat your browser doesn't close or automatically decompress the file after downloading.

If you're migrating from an Atlassian HipChat server, you'll need to visit the Hipchat Server URL you're using and click Export there.

Remember to select the checkboxes for all the files you want to collect and create a password to protect your data. This will give you an encrypted .zip file with all of your team's data.

2 - Migrate HipChat to Microsoft Teams - switching

Once you've exported all of your Atlassian HipChat data, this just means that you'll have a record of all the conversations you had in HipChat.

Currently, there's no official import option that allows you to place all of your exported data into Microsoft Teams at once.

The documents your teams have shared are easy enough to transfer.

Simply upload them into SharePoint. You can also get a list of your team members and invite them to join Teams individually.

Migrating messages is a different matter.

Microsoft is working on an API for importing messages into Teams. Currently, this service is not available. Taking information from different platforms and translating it into Microsoft Teams is difficult. There are date formats to think about and identification, so you know who is talking in any discussion and more.

To migrate messages manually, you'd need to match user names against Azure Active Directory profiles and update your conversations one by one.

3 - APIs to Migrate from HipChat to Microsoft Teams

If the idea of manually migrating your HipChat conversations into Microsoft Teams fills you with dread, you're not alone. A GitHub project called Channel Surf is underway to assist companies in moving from different channels into Microsoft Teams.

The leader of the project is Microsoft employee, Tam Huynh, but the project is a community effort. The aim is to help businesses recreate other channels in Microsoft Teams.

A similar tool is called Lombiq is available. This migrates the contents of your HipChat export files into Teams.

The rooms you had in HipChat are re-created as channels, and messages are imported. However, as the developers say, the "app is not too easy to use," and it has a "lot of features missing."

4 - Atlassian's Relationship with Microsoft

If you're concerned that Atlassian's relationship with Slack will work against your decision to migrate from HipChat to MicrosoftTeams, don’t be.

Atlassian, known throughout the world for tools ranging from Trello to Jira, haven't lost their connection to Microsoft after last year's merger with Slack.

The Microsoft Teams environment offers native integrations with Jira Cloud, Confluence Cloud and Bitbucket Cloud, as standard. Jira Server integrations are also available for those considering a HipChat to Microsoft migration.

If your team has been used to using Atlassian tools up until now, the knowledge they can continue to use many of their preferred programs is helpful. A migration is never easy, but many employees will find it reassuring that they won't have to learn how to use new applications.

The Atlassian Confluence integration even allows Teams users to pin Confluence pages in Teams channels. This will help with meeting documentation and collaboration among groups of workers with a history in Atlassian tools.

5 - What about Slack Groups and Webex endpoints?

Just as you may be concerned about combining HipChat and Microsoft Teams, it is likely you have concerns over existing Slack users and teams using Cisco devices.

How can your users chat seamlessly?

When you migrate from HipChat to Microsoft Teams, there are a few challenges to address.

An increasing number of teams in enterprises use multiple messaging platforms. If you also have people using Slack groups – sanctioned or otherwise, or Webex solutions like telepresence or conferencing devices, these need to be factored into your strategy.

From migrating messages to making sure that all your company's information ends up in the same secure place - migrating toa new tool isn't easy.

Good news. There is a solution.

6 - Keep your teams in sync after you’ve migrated HipChat to Microsoft Teams

Mio allows companies to avoid the stress of choosing between Google Chat, Slack, Webex Teams, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom when building a comprehensive collaboration system.

Mio collects messages from each application as API events and translates them into Microsoft Teams messages, Slack groups, and Webex channels. The result? You keep your teams in sync.

If you've used Slack's simple migration strategy to move part of your HipChat team into Slack, then you can still access Microsoft Teams, without building silos in your workforce.

If you choose to migrate HipChat to Microsoft Teams, you can keep your Slack and Webex Teams users connected without having to constantly switch apps.

All you need to do is sign up to Mio to link your employees on the platforms that they prefer.

Check out this video of Google Chat users and Microsoft Teams users working in sync...

Is it time you avoided the stress of migration and made your communication strategy simpler?

Visit Mio to learn how we connect your favorite chat apps together here.