Why You Should NEVER Move Straight from HCL Notes to SharePoint – Expert Advice!

Are you thinking about switching from HCL Notes to something new like SharePoint? You’re not alone!

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Many companies feel the same way.

HCL Notes is getting older, and it might seem like a good idea to move on. Before you make that big move, there are a few very important things you should know.

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A lot of businesses feel worried or confused when thinking about switching:

• “Can we keep our important tools and forms?”
• “Will everything work the same in SharePoint?”
• “How much time will it take?”
• “What if we lose data or break something that works?”

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These are all great questions – and you’re smart to ask them!

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Changing to a new platform is a big step, and if you don’t plan it right, it can cause a lot of problems. In this blog post, we’ll learn from André Sander (MEKO-S GmbH), an expert who has helped 50+ companies make this switch the smart way.

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You can find the entire interview with André Sander in this video. You can also see what an HCL Notes solution in SharePoint can look like. We also provide insights into the functions and the backend of skybow Studio.

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What's HCL Notes?

HCL Notes is more than just an email and calendar tool. It’s like a digital toolbox that many companies have used for a long time to build their own apps and forms – without needing to be programmers.

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With HCL Notes, companies could:

• Approve things like loan requests
• Handle orders and requests inside the company
• Create reports for the management
• Organize contacts, places, and customer info
• Automate tasks to happen on their own (like sending emails or setting reminders)

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It was a great system when it started, and it helped many businesses get work done faster and better. But here’s the thing:

HCL Notes is now old. Really old.

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It doesn’t get a lot of updates anymore, and it doesn’t work well with many of the new tools businesses use today – like Microsoft 365 or cloud-based apps. That's why you should take care of replacing HCL Notes now and modernize your processes and tools.

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A simple, quick switch often leads to problems. That’s why it's important to understand how modern platforms (like SharePoint) work differently – and what extra help you might need to make the move smooth and safe. In the next sections, you’ll learn why moving from HCL Notes to SharePoint isn’t so easy – and what smart companies do instead.

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Why SharePoint Isn’t a 1:1 Match

Let’s get one thing straight: SharePoint is a great choice when moving away from HCL Notes.

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In fact, it’s already used in most companies today – because it’s part of the Microsoft 365 Suite.

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That means:

✅ You don’t need a new tool – SharePoint is probably already there

✅ You don’t need a new login – it uses your Microsoft 365 account

✅ You can connect it with other Microsoft tools like Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Word, and Planner

✅ It’s always up to date – Microsoft sends regular updates

✅ It works in the cloud, so you can use it from anywhere

✅ The design feels familiar – so you don’t need lots of training for endusers

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So yes – SharePoint is a smart move. It helps companies build modern, digital workflows that work with tools they already know and trust.

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But here’s the thing: SharePoint "out of the box" has some limits.

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If you just use the basic SharePoint tools (without help), you might run into problems – especially if your HCL Notes apps were complex.

For example:

• Permissions are harder to manage – in Notes, you can choose exactly who sees what. In SharePoint, it’s not that easy.
• Automations (like timed actions or alerts) aren’t built in – Notes had “agents” to do this.
• Custom forms and layouts can be tricky – SharePoint has a more basic design system.

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But don’t worry – there’s a simple solution.

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skybow – The Secret Ingredient

If you want to move away from HCL Notes the smart way, SharePoint alone is not enough. The missing piece is a Low-Code platform called skybow. skybow gives SharePoint the power and flexibility that many companies loved in HCL Notes – but in a modern, cloud-based form.

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“The skybow platform was a compact Low-Code platform for us that made it easy to build business apps quickly, flexibly, and in a way that can actually be maintained later.”, André Sander

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Here’s what makes skybow + SharePoint such a powerful combo – especially for companies switching from Notes:

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🛠️ A Familiar Developer Experience

If your team knows HCL Notes, they’ll feel right at home:

• You get fields, calculated fields, views, and form elements – just like in Notes
• Features like Hide-When and Read-Only are available for fields and sections
• You can build fast prototypes, but now with a modern and responsive UI

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⚡ Quick & Flexible Deployment

Need to update your app later? No problem:

• You can deploy updates like you would with Notes templates
• skybow even supports partial updates – just send out the new features you’ve changed
• And the best part: apps run inside SharePoint, so there’s no extra system to maintain

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🔁 Automation & Permissions – Just Like HCL Notes

skybow brings back all the powerful behavior your apps had:

• Time-triggered actions, like Notes agents
• Item-level permission control, so not everyone sees everything
• Custom buttons and actions that launch workflows in Microsoft 365
• Automatic Word or PDF documents – no coding needed!

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📦 Works with SharePoint – Not Instead of It

skybow doesn’t lock you in:

• It uses SharePoint lists and libraries to store data
• You can access your data even without skybow
• It integrates fully with Microsoft 365 tools – Outlook, Teams, Power Automate, Planner, and more

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With skybow, you can rebuild your HCL Notes apps in SharePoint without losing the power, control, or speed you’re used to – and in a way that’s easier to manage and nicer to use.

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"We were able to design interfaces freely without breaking our fingers. Sure, you can do all that in SharePoint, but with skybow, it’s just easier.", André Sander

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Common Mistakes When Switching from HCL Notes to SharePoint

Switching away from HCL Notes to SharePoint can make your company faster and more modern – but only if you do it right. Many businesses make the same mistakes when they try to move too quickly or without enough planning. Let’s look at the most common mistakes – and how you can avoid them.

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❌ Mistake #1: Thinking It’s “Just Email”

Many companies are convinced that they only use HCL Notes for e-mail and calendar functions. But when they start the migration, they discover something surprising: They were also using Notes for business apps, like approval flows, order forms, reports, or data tracking – sometimes without even realizing it.

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✅ Tip:
Before you do anything, take time for a full app analysis. This helps you know what really needs to be moved – and what can be left behind. Find out:

• What apps are used?
• Who uses them?
• How often?
• What do they actually do?

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❌ Mistake #2: Not Understanding the Complexity

Some HCL Notes apps are small. Others are very complex. Trying to copy them straight into SharePoint can lead to problems – because not everything works the same way. They might include things like:

• Special permission settings
• Timed actions or automatic tasks
• Custom forms and logic

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✅ Tip:
Look closely at how each app works. Ask:

• Does this app use timers or automated actions?
• Does it show or hide information based on roles?
• Can users change the layout?

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If the answer is yes, tools like skybow Studio can help you rebuild these features without starting from scratch.

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❌ Mistake #3: Not Giving Enough Time

Once you have decided on a replacement, it is best to do it as quickly as possible. Some apps only run at the end of the month or once a year – if you miss that, you might not know something is broken until it’s too late. That's why a rushed migration can cause:

• Lost data
• Broken processes
• Unhappy users

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✅ Tip:
Plan for at least 3 to 6 months – and observe how apps are used over time. Look at:

• What happens during month-end?
• Are there yearly workflows?
• Do some apps only run during special times?

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❌ Mistake #4: Ignoring Users and Teams

Sometimes IT plans the whole migration – but forgets to talk to the people who actually use the apps every day. This leads to confusion, frustration, and lower productivity.

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✅ Tip:
When users feel involved, they’ll accept the new system faster – and help make it even better:

• Ask them what they need
• Let them test new tools
• Get feedback and improve

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By avoiding these mistakes, you’ll make your move from HCL Notes to SharePoint smoother, safer, and more successful. And remember: It’s okay to ask for help. Experts like André Sander and his team at MEKO-S and tools like skybow Studio are here to support you every step of the way.

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Your Big Takeaways

We’ve learned a lot – so let’s take a quick look at the most important points from this post. If you're planning to move from HCL Notes to SharePoint, here’s what you really need to remember:

• Don’t move from HCL Notes to SharePoint too fast
• Use skybow with SharePoint to make the change easier
• Take time to analyze your apps
• Give yourself plenty of time
• Get you users involved
• Ask experts if you need help

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We know it’s a big step – but you don’t have to do it alone.
Book a free consultation call with one of our experts and find out how you can safely and successfully replace HCL Notes with SharePoint + skybow.

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Let’s talk about your current setup, your apps, and what a smart and smooth migration could look like – completely free and without any obligation.

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