With the Introduction of Office 365 by Microsoft, most of the enterprises want to shift to this platform. The cloud-based application makes it easier to access the applications anytime, anywhere on any device. The Office 365 is integrated with MS Office applications like Outlook, Word, OneNote, that makes them easily available.
Seeing, the features of Office 365 most of the users are shifting to it, Well if you are migrating from Exchange to Office 365 then you should follow the below-given tips to avoid any error. It makes the migration process easier and prevent any error messages that might occur while Exchange to Office 365 migration.
Important Points for Office 365 Migration
To have an error-free, smooth migration of Exchange to Office 365 follow the below-given tips
Check Exchange Server Version
Before starting the migration process check the version of the Exchange server. If you have Exchange server 2007 and 2010 then it might pose challenges during migration, prepare the Exchange Server in advanced to meet with the Office 365 requirements
Choose the Migration Method
This is the most important decision to be taken while migrating from Exchange to Office 365. Deciding the Exchange Migration method forms the basis of the overall process
Hybrid Migration: The Hybrid migration method is suitable for both the Exchange server and Exchange online on-premises migration. This method can be used with Exchange Server 2013 and 2010. In Exchange server 2010 the Hybrid migration supports the transfer of 150- 2000 mailboxes in multiple batches.
Cutover Migration: If you are on-premises Exchange server then this is the easiest migration method. It supports exchange server 2003 to 2016 and all the mailboxes can be transferred at once, however, the mailboxes should be less than 2000.
Staged Migration: This type of migration is suitable if the number of mailboxes is more than 2000 but it is compatible with older version of Exchange Server (2003 and 2007) only.
Try Demo Migration
Before going for actual migration process, try transferring few mailboxes to Office 365 to check all the settings are correct and meet the exchange server migration guidelines.
Check the Outlook Version
Outlook 2007 and 2003 are not compatible with Office 365 and does not fulfil the requirements. Ensure you have MS Outlook 2007 above version.
Expected Time
The time to migrate files from Exchange server to Office 365 mostly depends upon the size of the mailbox. But, you should always transfer the mailboxes in multiple batches and not as a whole. If you select all the files then it will take a large amount of time.
Prepare for Downtime
When migrating the mailboxes to Office 365 takes time and they will not be available. So, users should keep patience and wait for the process to complete.
These are some tips that one can follow while moving from Exchange to Office 365. If there is any loss of file while moving Office 365 then you can try Exchange Recovery software.