Instead of considering the speed of a migration or backup operation in GB/hour, because of the nature of SharePoint content, it is better to consider a migration or backup in terms of read/write operations because much of the content of SharePoint has no actual file size.
Below are some of the recommendations on how to improve the performance of Essentials:
- Increase RAM allocated to the tool in Help > Profile Manager > Advanced > Memory Settings
- Increase the number of Copy Threads of the tool in Help > Profile Manager > Advanced > Global Variables Settings > Max. Threads for Copy
- Deselect items that can cause performance issues, certain types of content will increase the duration of a backup or migration:
- Any list or library that does not have inherited permissions, including folders within that list or library, will cause the tool to have to read all the permissions of all content within that list or library. To prevent this, deselect "Include Permissions".
- Any list or library that has many versions will also prolong a backup or migration. To prevent this, de-select “Include Versions” or, if versions are required, limit the number of versions.
- Any list or library that has many metadata columns or a moderate amount of lookup type columns will also prolong a backup or migration operation. Lookup type columns can include choice columns, lookup columns, and people picker columns.
- Use Azure Turbo Mode for migrations to SharePoint Online
- Break up migration or backup operations into smaller, more manageable projects
For complete guidance on improving performance, please refer to Essentials' Performance Optimization Guide.