Whether You’re Merging, Growing, or Going Cloud (Here’s How to Keep Everyone Connected)
When businesses go through big changes, like mergers, restructures, or cloud upgrades, one of the most overlooked challenges is making sure every employee’s device keeps working without disruption.
Laptops, desktops, and tablets aren’t just hardware. They’re how people access sensitive data, collaborate with teams, and stay productive. If device migration isn’t handled well, it can lead to login issues, downtime, and security risks that ripple across the business.
What’s Really Going on Behind the Scenes?
In most organisations, identity and access are managed through something called Active Directory (AD) - think of it as the digital gatekeeper. When two companies merge or restructure, they often have separate AD environments (called “forests”), each with its own rules.
A cross-forest migration is the process of moving devices and users into a single, unified environment. It’s not just a technical task, it’s a business-critical move that affects how quickly teams can collaborate, how secure your systems are, and how smooth the transition feels for employees.
What Leaders Need to Consider
While IT teams can handle the technical execution, the real decision for leadership is:
- Which migration approach best fits our goals, risk appetite, and digital future
Here’s what’s at stake:
- User Experience: If employees lose access to tools like email or Teams, productivity drops fast.
- Security Risk: Devices caught between systems can become vulnerable entry points.
- Operational Continuity: Finance systems, customer data, and file access must stay uninterrupted.
- Cost & Complexity: Each migration path has different implications for time, licensing, and support.
The Three Migration Paths
Most organisations choose one of these three approaches:
1. The Trust Bridge
Create a trust relationship between the two environments so devices can access both.
- Fast setup, minimal disruption
- Higher complexity and long-term security risks
- Best for quick Day 1 continuity while planning a longer-term strategy
2. Device Re-Join
Remove each device from its old environment and rejoin it to the new one.
- Clean, unified setup with consistent user experience
- Requires hands-on coordination and may cause short-term downtime
- Best for organisations prioritising long-term simplicity and control
3. Cloud-First Reset (Autopilot)
Use modern tools like Microsoft Intune Autopilot to reset devices into the new environment.
- Future-ready, cloud-aligned, less reliance on legacy infrastructure
- Requires licensing uplift and user training
- Best for organisations already embracing cloud transformation
Choosing the Right Path
Ask yourself:
- Do we need speed or long-term simplicity?
- Are we ready for cloud-first management?
- What’s our risk tolerance during the transition?
Why This Isn’t Just an IT Problem
Device migration impacts the entire business:
- Employee Morale: Frustrating login issues can erode trust during sensitive transitions.
- Customer Experience: Delays in frontline access can affect service delivery.
- Financial Performance: Every hour of downtime adds up.
- Culture: A smooth migration shows leadership cares about employee experience.
Turning a Risk Into an Advantage
The best leaders treat device migration as a chance to modernise. It’s one of the few moments when large-scale change is expected and accepted.
By choosing the right path, you can:
- Accelerate collaboration across teams
- Reduce long-term IT costs
- Strengthen your security posture
- Future-proof your workplace with cloud identity and device management
Device migration may seem like a technical detail, but it’s one of the most visible moments for employees during change. Done well, it’s invisible. Done poorly, it’s disruptive.
Whether you’re merging, growing, or going cloud—this is your chance to keep everyone connected, productive, and confident in the future.
👉 At Generation-e, we help organisations design and deliver migration strategies that keep people working, data secure, and leadership in control. If you’re facing a forest-to-forest challenge, now’s the time to set your course for a successful digital future.
Interested in learning more about how Generation-e can transform your business?
Generation-e, a leading digital partner for advanced intelligent workplace solutions, boosting team productivity in Australia and New Zealand