Case Study: From Horizon Workrooms to Real Collaboration — Migrating Away from Closed VR Platforms

Hook: When a core collaboration platform disappears, your org can't wait

Pain point: Your teams depend on a closed VR platform — Horizon Workrooms — for remote workshops, whiteboarding, and spatial meetings. Now Meta has announced it's discontinuing Workrooms and commercial Quest sales in early 2026. The clock is ticking on access, retention, and continuity.

The situation in 2026 (short summary)

In January 2026 Meta announced the end of Horizon Workrooms as a standalone app and stopped selling commercial Quest SKUs and managed services. That public sunsetting leaves enterprises with three pressing risks: loss of historical data and recordings, broken workflows built on proprietary features, and a gap in user productivity while teams re-learn new tools.

"SaaS sunsetting is a business risk — plan for it like you plan for DR and offboarding." — practical advice for platform owners

Why migrate to open / web-native alternatives now

• Reduced vendor lock-in — Open standards and self-hosting give predictable exit paths and control over data. See a playbook on domain portability and planning for future exits.
• Better integration — Web-native stacks (WebXR + WebRTC + WebAuthn + Matrix) integrate with CI/CD, identity providers, and analytics you already own.
• Lower TCO and predictable costs — Cloud-native building blocks reduce per-seat hardware and managed-service premiums; if you’re replacing a paid suite consider when free tools like LibreOffice make sense for backend workflows.
• Future-proof UX — Browsers now support WebGPU and mature WebXR primitives (2025–26) so immersive experiences no longer require closed headsets. When hardware matters, consult a hardware buyers guide for streamers and headsets.

Case in brief: A real-world migration (composite case)

We worked with a 2,000-employee engineering organization that relied on Horizon Workrooms for sprint planning, on-boarding, and design reviews. When Meta announced the sunsetting, the company needed to: preserve 12 months of recordings, extract whiteboard notes and assets, and recreate recurring meeting templates in an open stack — all inside a 10-week window.

The following sections condense the lessons learned across that migration into a repeatable plan you can use.

Step 0 — Governance: Assemble the migration team

Before touching data, define ownership and the decision path.

1. Executive sponsor (sponsor continuity and budget).
2. Product owner (defining expected UX parity and must-have features).
3. Platform engineers (API, infra, security leads).
4. Compliance/legal (data retention, export approvals).
5. Change manager (training, communications).

Step 1 — Inventory everything

Do a rapid audit. Inventory is the most leveraged activity early on — it informs export needs and target stack selection.

• Users and groups tied to the platform (SSO mappings).
• Recurring rooms/meeting templates and usage metrics.
• Whiteboards, sticky notes, collateral (images, PDFs).
• Avatars and 3D assets (models, textures).
• Recordings (audio, video, event logs).
• Integrations (calendar hooks, Slack, CI/CD links).

For each item add: owner, legal retention window, exportability (yes/no/partial), and priority (MUST/PREFERRED/NICE-TO-HAVE).

Step 2 — Data export: what to ask for and how to get it

Discontinued SaaS often provides limited raw-export capabilities. Expect gaps. Use a multi-pronged approach:

1. Official export request

   File a formal data export request with the vendor (Meta help/contact). Record the timelines and the data schema they provide.

2. API-driven bulk export

   Where APIs exist, script bulk downloads. Example generic cURL pattern for paginated APIs (replace with provider endpoints and auth):

   #!/bin/bash
   TOKEN="${API_TOKEN}"
   PAGE=1
   while :; do
     curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
       "https://api.vendor.example/v1/exports?page=$PAGE" \
       -o export_page_$PAGE.json
     count=$(jq '.items | length' export_page_$PAGE.json)
     [[ $count -eq 0 ]] && break
     PAGE=$((PAGE + 1))
   done
   

3. Download recorded streams

   If the platform exposes recording URLs, prefer original files (MP4, WAV). If only a playback UI exists, use server-side capture (headless Chromium + ffmpeg) as last resort. For guidance on capturing and serving recordings reliably, see our notes on low-cost streaming devices and capture workflows.

   # Example: record a playback URL to MP4 (best effort)
   ffmpeg -y -i "https://playback.vendor.example/recording/abc123/stream.m3u8" \
     -c copy recordings/abc123.mp4
   

4. Whiteboards & canvases

   Export formats vary: SVG/PNG, JSON describing content, or proprietary blobs. Aim to get the JSON model if available — it is easier to rebuild in web-native editors.

5. Avatars & 3D models

   Convert to glTF/GLB for web use. Tools like Blender (command-line) or Autodesk FBX2glTF help here. Example conversion with FBX2glTF:

   fbx2gltf -i avatar.fbx -o avatar.glb
   

Step 3 — Choose your target stack (recommendations for 2026)

By early 2026 the web stack for immersive collaboration is mature. Use modular components so you can swap pieces later.

• 3D spatial layer: Mozilla Hubs (self-host via Hubs Cloud) or a custom A-Frame / Babylon.js app. Hubs provides room templates, avatars, and permissions out of the box.
• Real-time audio/video: WebRTC backed by a scalable SFU (Jitsi, Janus, Mediasoup) or managed SFUs from cloud providers if you need lower ops.
• Whiteboard & persistence: Use a web-native canvas (Excalidraw OSS, Miro for SaaS) and store JSON state in object storage (S3-compatible) + a DB for metadata.
• Messaging & presence: Matrix (Element) or a lightweight WebSocket service; Matrix has federation and good compliance storylines in 2026.
• Authentication: SSO via SAML/OIDC and WebAuthn for passwordless; integrate with your IdP to preserve group mappings.
• Asset hosting: CDN-backed S3 with pre-signed URLs; serve avatars and glTF assets from edge storage for low latency.

Why this architecture? It separates concerns: the spatial UI, real-time media plane, persistence, and identity are decoupled — so future sunsetting of any component is less disruptive.

Step 4 — Transform data into portable formats

Normalizing assets makes it easier to import into web-native tools.

1. 3D models: convert to glTF/GLB, minimize textures, and produce LODs (level-of-detail) for the web.
2. Recordings: Normalize to MP4 (H.264 or AV1 for efficiency) and separate audio tracks (WAV) if possible for better transcription accuracy.
3. Whiteboards: Convert to JSON + SVG exports for archival; map sticky-note positions to coordinates so you can rehydrate them in new canvases.
4. Metadata: Export CSV/JSON for meetings (host, participants, timestamps) — crucial for compliance and e-discovery.

Step 5 — Rebuild essential workflows (prioritize by impact)

Don't aim for feature parity on day one. Recreate core flows that unblock teams.

1. Sprint planning rooms — pre-seed rooms with backlog board, whiteboard templates, and recording enabled.
   • Implementation: Hubs + Excalidraw embedded + SFU for audio.
2. Design reviews — high-fidelity asset preview via Three.js viewer and versioned screenshots for asynchronous review.
3. Onboarding sessions — interactive templates and short guided flows so new hires can get productive quickly.

Step 6 — Secure and comply

Sunsetting a SaaS doesn't remove the need for security controls.

• Encrypt exports at rest and in transit; maintain access logs for the export process.
• Map data to retention policies; delete ephemeral exports when retention lapses.
• Use IAM & least-privilege for transformation tooling (CI pipelines, serverless jobs).
• Keep chain-of-custody documentation — this helps legal/e-discovery teams if needed.

Step 7 — Rollout plan & adoption strategy

User adoption is the main risk after technical migration. Use a staged strategy:

1. Pilot (2–4 teams) — pick high-engagement teams that can provide fast feedback; 1–2 weeks. Treat pilots like micro-event pilots — short, measurable, and iterative.
2. Champions network — train and empower volunteers to lead internal workshops and office hours.
3. Templates and presets — pre-configured rooms for common activities (retro, planning, design) so users don't build from scratch.
4. Automated user provisioning — sync groups from your IdP to minimize friction.
5. Training & docs — short video walkthroughs, one-pagers, and in-app tips for the first 90 days.

Measure adoption with:

• Weekly active rooms and users
• Average session length
• Meeting template reuse rate
• User satisfaction (quick surveys)

Step 8 — Decommission plan & legal checkpoints

When the new stack is stable, follow a formal decommission plan:

1. Confirm backups and export integrity (checksums).
2. Notify teams and stakeholders of final access date.
3. Archive exports in immutable storage if required by compliance.
4. Revoke vendor access and clean up API tokens.
5. Perform lessons-learned and update disaster recovery plans with the migration story.

Cost & operational considerations

Open stacks reduce license costs but add operational overhead. Options in 2026 include:

• Self-hosted Hubs + Mediasoup on k8s: lower per-user cost at scale, higher ops effort.
• Managed WebRTC SFU + hosted Hubs: faster time-to-value, predictable monthly cost.
• Edge CDN for assets: trade storage cost vs latency. Use lifecycle rules to move old recordings to deep archive.

Technical recipes — small, practical examples

1) Batch download exported JSON files and upload to S3

# Download pages and upload to S3 (AWS CLI)
TOKEN="${API_TOKEN}"
PAGE=1
BUCKET="s3://company-vr-exports"
while :; do
  out="export_page_$PAGE.json"
  curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
    "https://api.vendor.example/v1/exports?page=$PAGE" \
    -o "$out"
  count=$(jq '.items | length' "$out")
  [[ $count -eq 0 ]] && break
  aws s3 cp "$out" "$BUCKET/$out"
  PAGE=$((PAGE + 1))
done

2) Convert a legacy model to glTF with Blender headless (example)

# Blender script invocation (Linux)
blender --background --python convert_to_gltf.py -- input.fbx output.glb
# convert_to_gltf.py will import and export via Blender's API

See our asset and media notes for media pipeline tips in the hybrid media workflows guide.

3) Capture playback HLS to MP4 reliably

ffmpeg -i "https://example.com/recordings/abc.m3u8" -c:v libx264 -preset fast -crf 23 \
  -c:a aac output_abc.mp4

Lessons learned — pragmatic takeaways

• Act fast, but audit first: Export everything you can, even if you don’t yet know how you’ll use it.
• Normalize early: Converting to portable formats (glTF, MP4, JSON) reduces friction in import steps.
• Design for replaceability: Build services with clear interfaces so individual components can be swapped later.
• Prioritize workflows, not features: Recreate the 20% of features that cover 80% of usage first.
• Invest in change management: Technical migration without adoption planning fails to deliver value.

2026 trends that shape this guidance

Several market and technical developments in late 2025 and early 2026 make web-native migrations both timely and compelling:

• WebGPU & WebXR maturity: By 2025–26 browsers shipped stable WebGPU implementations, enabling higher-fidelity web-native 3D without bespoke runtime dependencies.
• SaaS churn & consolidation: Multiple niche collaboration services were sunset in 2025–26; enterprises are treating SaaS exits as a regular operational risk and formalizing migration playbooks.
• Open standards uptake: Matrix and open WebRTC tooling gained enterprise traction for compliance and federation requirements.
• Rise of edge & CDNs: Serving 3D assets from edge locations reduced latency and improved UX for global teams.

Checklist: 10 things to finish before the final cutoff

1. Export all recordings and verify checksums.
2. Export whiteboard JSON and visuals for the last 12 months.
3. Convert avatars/3D models to glTF/GLB.
4. Extract meeting metadata (host, times, participants) to CSV.
5. Document integrations and disable proprietary webhooks when safe.
6. Provision the new stack and validate SSO/group sync.
7. Run pilot migrations and collect feedback.
8. Publish training materials and templates for common meetings.
9. Archive exports to immutable storage if required by policy.
10. Schedule the official cutover and communicate it to all stakeholders.

Final thoughts

Migrating off a closed VR platform like Horizon Workrooms is a complex program — but it’s tractable when you break it into discrete technical and adoption steps. In 2026 the web ecosystem gives you practical building blocks for immersive, compliant, and replaceable collaboration experiences. The key is to prioritize what your people need most, secure and normalize your data, and decouple services so future migrations are routine instead of urgent.

Call to action

If you're facing a Workrooms cutoff or planning a future-proof migration, start with our ready-to-run migration checklist and export scripts. Reach out to dev-tools.cloud for a migration workshop — we’ll review your inventory, map required exports, and build a 10-week plan that preserves productivity and compliance. For quick hardware and capture notes, check our streaming devices review and the streamer hardware guide.

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