ShareGate by Workleap, the leading out-of-box tool trusted globally to assess, migrate and optimize Microsoft 365 migrations has released new data from a survey of 650 IT professionals across North America and Europe, revealing a significant uptick in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity fueling Microsoft 365 (M365) migrations. However, as organizations accelerate their cloud transitions, growing concerns around security, compliance and AI readiness have revealed hesitancy and complexity throughout the process.
According to the report, 80% of IT leaders are currently involved in or planning an M&A event within the next 12 to 24 months, making M&A one of the largest catalysts for IT change in 2025. While migration activity continues to build, the data shows IT departments have been under increased strain to meet changing security requirements and goals for AI integration, often lacking adequate resources and support from executives.
“During mergers and acquisitions, many organizations need to rapidly develop a data integration plan,” said Richard Harbridge, Microsoft MVP and ShareGate Champion. “In the rush, it’s easy to overlook that this migration represents a critical opportunity to securely handle data and build the basis of future readiness for Copilot. These key factors don’t just happen in the background – they need a clear path, particularly when merging technical environments in M&A situations. The right strategy should turn migration into an opportunity.”
Key findings from the survey include:
- M&A activity drives migrations: 80% of IT professionals said their organization is either planning or executing an M&A event, with security and compliance emerging as the top migration concerns.
- Security remains a key trigger for M365 adoption: 64% of IT professionals cited security improvements as the primary driver behind their decision to migrate to Microsoft 365.
- Migration tools are often selected earlier in the process: 55% of respondents said they select their migration solution prior to the M&A event – a critical period when many organizations fail to fully assess integration risks.
- IT has led AI adoption, not executives: When asked who drives the adoption of Microsoft Copilot, 42% of respondents said IT operations and infrastructure teams, while 38% said security and compliance.
- Security and governance are top AI blockers: While 62% of respondents deployed Microsoft Copilot, data quality, retention, and access control were the top barriers to scaling Copilot usage.
While security consistently emerges as a top driver for both migration and AI adoption, the findings reveal that managing security during these transformations is complex and multifaceted. Security concerns push organizations to modernize but also act as barriers when scaling technologies. ShareGate’s findings highlight how IT teams must lead organizational transformation during periods of change, addressing security, governance and compliance at every stage. As businesses prioritize AI adoption, migrations become an opportunity to strengthen foundations for improved governance, automation and secure collaboration at scale.
To learn more about ShareGate’s migration and management solutions, visit www.sharegate.com.
