collaborationmigrationtooling

Migration Paths Away from Meta Horizon Workrooms: Practical Alternatives for Enterprise Collaboration

UUnknown

2026-02-13

10 min read

Hands-on migration guide: map Workrooms assets to Teams, Zoom, Spatial; export data; and run SAML/OIDC identity mapping with IaC-driven automation.

Facing the Workrooms shutdown: a practical migration playbook for enterprises

If your organization used Meta Horizon Workrooms for meetings, whiteboards, or VR collaboration, the early-2026 shutdown creates an urgent operational gap. You need to know what to move, where to put it, and how to keep identity, compliance, and integrations intact. This guide gives a hands-on, vendor-neutral migration path — from requirements assessment to data export, identity mapping (SAML/OIDC), integration testing, and change management.

Executive summary (most important first)

Meta announced the discontinuation of Horizon Workrooms and commercial Quest SKUs in early 2026, forcing enterprises to migrate collaboration assets and user access. The migration is a multi-disciplinary program: product owners and IT must inventory assets (recordings, whiteboards, 3D files), map collaboration patterns to replacement platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Spatial, Miro, Slack), export and transform data to open formats (glTF, PDF, PNG), and reconcile identities via SAML/OIDC. Use an automated, auditable DevOps workflow for exports, storage, and validation. Prioritize compliance, retention, and a staged pilot-and-rollout to limit disruption.

Why this matters now (2025–2026 context)

In late 2025 and into 2026 enterprises tightened spending on experimental XR initiatives while standardizing on hybrid-first collaboration stacks. Vendors have increased support for open formats like glTF and WebXR, and SSO integrations matured (SAML 2.0 and OIDC with SCIM for provisioning are mainstream). That trend makes migration feasible — but also time-sensitive: vendors are decommissioning device-level support, APIs can be turned off, and retention windows may be limited. Treat the Workrooms shutdown as a risk event and run a controlled migration program.

Step 1 — Assess collaboration requirements

Start by mapping what teams actually used Workrooms for. Replace generalized inventories with requirements that drive tooling choices.

Checklist: interview and telemetry

Catalog use cases: synchronous meetings, async recordings, isolation training, 3D design reviews, whiteboarding, or immersive demos.
Measure frequency: number of weekly sessions, average participants, session durations.
Capture artifact types: meeting recordings, chat logs, exported whiteboards, 3D assets, meeting attachments, participant lists.
Compliance needs: retention policy, legal hold, export format requirements, audit trails.
Integrations: calendar (Exchange/GMail), ticketing (Jira), storage (OneDrive, SharePoint, S3), identity provider (Azure AD, Okta), provisioning (SCIM).
Device dependency: headsets vs. desktop clients — list who needs XR vs. 2D equivalents.

Step 2 — Inventory Workrooms assets

Create a live inventory: table-driven, authoritative, and accessible to stakeholders. The inventory is the source of truth for export priorities and retention decisions.

Common asset categories

Meeting recordings — audio/video files, timestamps, transcripts.
Whiteboards — layered boards, exports (if available) or screenshots.
3D assets — models, textures, scenes (often proprietary but convertible to glTF/USDZ).
Chat logs & metadata — participants, timestamps, shared links.
Access & device logs — device IDs, MACs, IPs, firmware versions (for security reviews).

Step 3 — Map requirements to replacement platforms

Don’t pick a single replacement blindly. Map each requirement to the best-fit platform and plan for hybrid use. Examples below reflect enterprise capabilities in 2026.

Microsoft Teams

Strengths: deep Exchange/SharePoint integration, eDiscovery, compliance, live captions, and growing support for Mesh/3D rooms in enterprise SKUs.
When to choose: if you need capture + legal retention + tight Microsoft ecosystem integration.
Gaps: limited native XR 3D model collaboration compared with Spatial.

Zoom

Strengths: high-quality AV, broad device support, cloud recording, breakout rooms, APIs for export automation.
When to choose: replacing simple meeting and recording workflows quickly.
Gaps: collaboration board parity requires add-ons (e.g., Zoom Whiteboard, third-party integrations).

Spatial and XR-first platforms

Strengths: immersive spatial audio, 3D model handling, spatial audio, better parity for design reviews and XR demos.
When to choose: teams that need true XR continuity—design, simulation, or training that relied on Workrooms' spatial affordances.
Gaps: compliance and enterprise admin features can lag behind Teams/Zoom; integration work usually required.

Complementary tools: Miro, Figma, Slack

Miro/Figma for shared whiteboards and design files; export/import flows exist for raster/vector data.
Slack for threaded async collaboration and lightweight notifications from migration pipelines.

Step 4 — Data export and transformation strategy

Workrooms exports (if available) vary by tenant and API access. Expect partial exports and plan to capture residual data via device backups, user downloads, and API scraping where permitted.

Prioritize by risk & value

Legal/regulated archives (handle first).
High-value IP (design artifacts, models).
Recurring meeting recordings used for training.
Ad-hoc session data (low priority).

Export mechanics — practical steps

Request official exports from Meta support. Document the export SLA and expected formats.
If official exports are limited, instruct users to download recordings/whiteboards locally and upload to a managed archive.
- Provision secure storage (S3, Azure Blob, or SharePoint) with lifecycle policies.
For 3D assets, convert to open formats — prefer glTF (glb) or USDZ. Use automated conversion (Blender CLI, FBX2glTF, or vendor SDKs).
Export chat logs and meeting metadata as JSON/CSV for ingestion into SIEM/eDiscovery systems.

Example: automated export pipeline (high-level)

API / manual export -> raw files (local or temp bucket)
Transform: convert models to glTF, transcode video to H.264/MP4, export whiteboards to PNG/PDF
Store: move transformed artifacts into long-term storage with metadata tags
Record: append rows to migration inventory (CSV/DB) with object ID, owner, retention policy

Sample Python snippet: upload exported file to S3

import boto3
from pathlib import Path

s3 = boto3.client('s3')

def upload_export(file_path, bucket, key_prefix='workrooms-exports/'):
    p = Path(file_path)
    key = f"{key_prefix}{p.name}"
    s3.upload_file(str(p), bucket, key)
    return key

# usage
# upload_export('/tmp/session123.mp4', 'enterprise-archive', 'qc=legal')

Step 5 — Identity mapping, SSO, and provisioning

Identity continuity is the hardest part: Workrooms accounts may have device-bound identities or platform-specific UIDs. Map those to corporate identities and automate provisioning with SAML/OIDC and SCIM where possible.

Goals for identity migration

Map Workrooms accounts to authoritative corporate identities (Azure AD, Okta, Google Workspace).
Replace platform logins with SAML 2.0 or OIDC-based SSO and automate group membership with SCIM.
Preserve historical audit trails by linking old platform UIDs to new IDs in migration logs.

Identity mapping process (practical)

Export a CSV of Workrooms users (UID, email, display name, last login, device ID).
Normalize emails: strip aliases, canonicalize domains.
Match by email to corporate directory; flag mismatches for manual review.
Create a mapping table: workrooms_uid -> corporate_uid -> SSO subject (nameID) -> groups.
For unlinked accounts, follow a validation workflow: owner confirmation, admin reconciliation.

SAML & Azure AD example (attribute mapping)

When configuring a SAML application in Azure AD for a replacement XR or collaboration platform, map attributes as follows:

Attribute | SAML name     | Value
----------+---------------+-------------------
NameID    | urn:oasis:names:tc:SAML:1.1:nameid-format:emailAddress | user.mail
email     | email         | user.mail
givenName | firstName     | user.givenName
surname   | lastName      | user.surname
groups    | groups        | user.assignedroles (or custom group claim)

Use group claims to manage role-based access in the replacement platform. If the vendor supports SCIM, enable provisioning to sync group memberships automatically.

Step 6 — Integration and DevOps workflows

Treat migration as infrastructure. Automate exports, transformations, storage provisioning, and validation with an auditable pipeline. Use IaC (Terraform), CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI), and observability (Prometheus, cloud monitoring) to run and monitor the migration.

Suggested pipeline components

IaC: Terraform modules to provision buckets, IAM roles, and lifecycle rules.
CI: a job per tenant that triggers export->transform->upload, with retries and artifact signing.
Logging: Ship logs to central ELK/Splunk for audit and troubleshooting.
Validation: smoke tests verify file integrity, metadata completeness, and identity mapping consistency.

Example Terraform fragment (S3 + lifecycle)

resource "aws_s3_bucket" "workrooms_exports" {
  bucket = "enterprise-workrooms-exports"
  acl    = "private"

  lifecycle_rule {
    id      = "move-to-archive"
    enabled = true
    transition {
      days          = 30
      storage_class = "STANDARD_IA"
    }
    expiration {
      days = 3650
    }
  }
}

Step 7 — Pilot, rollout, and change management

Run a tiered rollout: pilot -> early adopters -> full migration. Pair each wave with training, runbooks, and rollback plans.

Pilot scope and metrics

Start with one team that used Workrooms heavily but is tolerant of disruption (e.g., design or training).
Success metrics: time-to-schedule, meeting quality (AV metrics), artifact integrity, user satisfaction (NPS), and ticket volume.
Collect baseline metrics from Workrooms telemetry and compare post-migration.

Communication and training

Communicate timeline: what will be migrated, who is impacted, deadlines for manual downloads.
Deliver hands-on migration guides and short videos addressing common tasks (join new rooms, access archives).
Set up an internal support channel and migration office hours for the first 60–90 days.

Step 8 — Validation, compliance, and FinOps

After migration, validate that artifacts are accessible and compliant. Perform eDiscovery tests, audit trail validations, and cost analysis of storage and compute.

Validation checklist

Randomly sample migrated recordings and compare checksums against exports.
Confirm transcript accuracy and searchability in the target platform.
Verify SSO login, group-based access control, and SCIM provisioning for a sample of users.
Ensure retention policies are applied and legal holds reproduce in the new archive.

FinOps considerations

Estimate storage cost: hot vs. cool vs. archive tiers and retrieval costs.
Plan lifecycle policies to balance cost and retrieval SLAs.
Track migration compute costs (transcoding, conversion) and attribute them to projects for chargeback.

Step 9 — Decommissioning and lessons learned

Once validated and in production, retire the Workrooms-dependent devices and subscriptions. Keep an immutable snapshot of the exported archive for statutory requirements.

Decommission checklist

Revoke API credentials and service accounts used for Workrooms.
Factory-reset and retire physical headsets according to asset policies.
Update inventory and notify security teams to close incident monitoring windows.
Store a signed manifest of migrated artifacts and mappings for audits.

Practical migration templates

Sample identity mapping CSV (columns)

workrooms_uid,workrooms_email,corporate_uid,corporate_email,group,owner,notes
12345,user@example.com,ad-6789,user@example.com,design-team,alice@example.com,matched by email
67890,legacy@external.com,,legacy@external.com,contractors,bob@example.com,manual review

Sample export inventory row

artifact_id,artifact_type,owner,exported_at,storage_path,checksum,retention_days,legal_hold
sess-20260110,recording,jane.doe@example.com,2026-01-12, s3://enterprise-workrooms-exports/sess-20260110.mp4,sha256:abcd...,365,Yes

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Assume full exports exist: Vendors sometimes provide limited exports — plan for partial/manual capture.
Ignore device telemetry: Device logs may be required for security incident reviews. Consider low-cost device options for replacement hardware (bargain tech).
Underestimate identity drift: Mismatched emails or personal accounts are common; build a human review step.
Neglect integration testing: Calendar invites, notifications, and ticketing hooks often break; test end-to-end.

Looking ahead — 2026 and beyond

The exit of Workrooms reflects a broader market shift: enterprise collaboration will remain hybrid and multimodal. Expect vendors to converge around open asset formats (glTF, USD), stronger SSO/SCIM support, and richer APIs for audit & export. Architect migrations with flexibility — prefer open formats and modular automations so future vendor changes are lower-cost.

"Plan for change: build exports, map identity, automate validation — then treat collaboration assets like any other critical enterprise data." — Migration playbook principle

Actionable takeaways (quick reference)

Inventory first: Capture use cases, artifacts, and compliance needs in a single spreadsheet or database.
Prioritize exports: Legal and high-value IP first; automate conversion to open formats.
Map identities: Build a CSV mapping Workrooms UIDs to corporate IDs; use SAML/OIDC + SCIM to provision target platforms.
Automate: Use IaC and CI pipelines to run, monitor, and audit migration steps.
Pilot: Validate with a tolerant team, measure outcomes, and iterate before wide rollout.

Next steps / Call to action

If your team needs a migration playbook tailored to your estate — with Terraform modules, CI pipelines, sample scripts, and an audit-ready identity mapping process — start with a 2-week assessment. We can help build the export pipelines, convert 3D assets to glTF, and implement SAML/SCIM provisioning for your replacement collaboration stack.

Contact your internal migration sponsor and schedule a kickoff: inventory export, identify legal-critical artifacts, and select a pilot team. If you want a starter template, download the migration checklist and CSV templates to begin mapping users and artifacts immediately.

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