Executive Summary 

The National Center for Meteorology (NCM) faced significant challenges with their outdated SharePoint platform, impacting data management, collaboration, and information dissemination. Alnafitha IT partnered with NCM to upgrade their SharePoint version in a phased approach: migrating from SharePoint 2013 to 2019. This upgrade involved enhancing security, ensuring data integrity, and implementing advanced features. The successful upgrade resulted in improved system performance, streamlined collaboration, and efficient data management, enabling NCM to better serve its stakeholders. 

The Challenge(s)

One of the major obstacles encountered by the NCM was weak performance in their SharePoint platform. These issues affected their ability to effectively manage data, collaborate, and disseminate critical information. The outdated SharePoint version posed limitations on scalability and hindered the NCM’s ability to meet evolving business requirements. To address these challenges, NCM partnered with Alnafitha IT to implement a comprehensive solution that involved upgrading their SharePoint version and making necessary developments and changes to meet their specific needs.

Alnafitha IT & NCM

Alnafitha IT played a vital role in upgrading the NCM’s SharePoint platform. The following steps were taken to achieve the desired outcomes:

1. SharePoint 2013 (Current Farm)

• Converted web application(s) from classic mode to claims-based authentication mode for improved security.
• Upgraded all site collections from Mode 15 to Mode 14 to leverage the latest features and enhancements.
• Created backups for all service applications and content databases to ensure data integrity.
• Downloaded all custom solutions for further deployment.

2. SharePoint 2016 (Staging Farm)

• Installed SQL Server to support the SharePoint 2016 environment.
• Installed SharePoint 2016 and created the staging farm for testing and validation purposes.
• Created SharePoint web and service applications to facilitate smooth operations.
• Dismounted SharePoint databases and restored them to the SQL Server of the new SharePoint Server 2016 farm.
• Mounted restored SharePoint databases to ensure data accessibility.
• Installed all custom solutions to maintain the desired functionalities.
• Created backups for all service applications and content databases for added security.

3. SharePoint 2019 (Upgraded Farm)

• Installed SharePoint 2019 and created the upgraded farm using the four new servers for enhanced performance.
• Created SharePoint web and service applications in the upgraded environment.
• Dismounted SharePoint databases and restored them to the SQL Server of the new SharePoint Server 2019 farm.
• Mounted restored SharePoint databases to enable seamless data retrieval.
• Installed all custom solutions to preserve the desired features and functionalities.
• Created backups for all service applications and content databases to ensure data protection.

Through the collaborative efforts of Alnafitha IT and the NCM, these steps were meticulously executed, resulting in a successful SharePoint platform upgrade. The NCM can now benefit from improved performance, advanced features, and enhanced data management capabilities.

The Results 

Through the collaborative efforts of Alnafitha IT and the NCM, the SharePoint platform was successfully upgraded, and the new business requirements were implemented. The stability and reliability of the system significantly improved, enhancing the NCM’s ability to serve other entities and organizations more effectively.

The upgraded SharePoint environment enabled smoother data management, streamlined collaboration, and efficient dissemination of critical meteorological information.

Conclusion

The partnership between Alnafitha IT and the National Center for Meteorology (NCM) resulted in a successful upgrade of their MS SharePoint platform. By overcoming the challenges of weak performance through meticulous planning and execution, Alnafitha IT enhanced the stability and reliability of the system.

The NCM can now leverage the upgraded SharePoint environment to fulfill their mission of delivering accurate and timely meteorological services. This case study exemplifies the positive impact of effective collaboration and advanced technological solutions in overcoming obstacles and optimizing organizational performance.