Overview
North Wales Water Authority faced a serious SharePoint failure when its on-premises SharePoint server was no longer operational. The original server was not recoverable in a normal way, and the client only had access to the SharePoint database files. There was no functioning SharePoint farm connected to those databases, which made the recovery significantly more complex.
Challenge
- The SharePoint environment was effectively offline with no functioning farm.
- Only raw SharePoint content databases were available — no healthy server to attach them to.
- Content had to be recovered, restored, and then migrated to SharePoint Online without data loss.
Solution
MSPowerhouse first attempted to evaluate whether the original environment could be restored directly. When that was not possible, MSPowerhouse took a deeper recovery approach. The team built a new SharePoint server, created a new SharePoint farm, configured the required databases and services, and restored the available SharePoint content databases into a functioning on-premises SharePoint environment.
Once the content was accessible again in SharePoint on-premises, MSPowerhouse planned and executed the migration from SharePoint on-premises to SharePoint Online. After the migration, MSPowerhouse also built a modern intranet for the client. The intranet included dynamic functionality that allowed the client to manage and govern its own forms, links, and internal resources without needing constant technical support for routine content changes.
Technical Execution
- Built a new SharePoint server, configured a new farm and required services.
- Restored the available SharePoint content databases into a functioning on-prem environment.
- Planned and executed the migration from SharePoint on-prem to SharePoint Online.
- Delivered a modern intranet with dynamic functionality so the client can govern forms, links, and internal resources without constant technical support.
Outcome
MSPowerhouse successfully recovered the client's SharePoint content, rebuilt a working SharePoint on-premises environment, migrated the content to SharePoint Online, and completed the project with no data loss. The client moved from a failed on-premises SharePoint environment to a modern, cloud-based SharePoint Online platform with a functional intranet that supported day-to-day operations.
Impact
This project required more than migration experience. It required SharePoint recovery, infrastructure rebuilding, database handling, migration planning, and intranet design. MSPowerhouse helped the client move from a failed legacy system to a stable Microsoft 365 environment while preserving critical content and improving how the organization manages internal information.
