Office 365 Migration Types: Everything You Need To Know For a Successful Email Migration

With the increasing use of cloud computing, more and more companies are switching to Office 365 to ensure cloud-based communication, collaboration, and productivity.

 

However, system migration can cause headaches and frustration when trying to navigate new and old platforms. Your employees may not feel up-to-date if they are suddenly asked to change the email system, and you must ensure that your information is secure during the move. Migrations can also take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

 

There are several options to consider when migrating to Office 365. This article breaks down the different types of Office 365 migration so you can decide which method is best for your business.

 

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Office 365 Migration Type

 

If you need to choose between Office 365 migration types, you should ask yourself some questions, like: B.:

 

• How long do you need for the migration?
• How big is your migration budget?
• How much data do you need for the migration?
• What existing email system do you use?
• What version of Exchange Server are you using?

 

After answering these questions, you can determine the best type of migration for your business.

 

4 types of Office 365 migration

 

You can consider four types of Office 365 migration.

 

1. Gradual migration

 

In an Office 365 staged migration, everything moves in batches. You move all of your existing Exchange 2003 or 2007 resource mailboxes and users to Exchange Online.

 

This is a great method for midsize businesses (especially those with more than 2,000 mailboxes) currently using Microsoft Exchange 2003 or 2007 locally. Unfortunately, it is not available to companies using Exchange 2010 or 2013.

 

With gradual migration, mailboxes move in batches over a certain period of time. Requires the use of the Directory Synchronization Tool, which is used to replicate your accounts from the local Active Directory database. At the end of the process, all mailboxes are hosted in Office 365.

 

During migration, Office 365 users can still send and receive emails from users who have not yet migrated. The only resources that users cannot access are calendars and delegates.

 

2. Cut migration

 

A transition migration is an immediate transition from an on-premises Exchange system to Office 365. All of your resources, including mailboxes, contacts, and distribution groups, are migrated at the same time. With this migration, you cannot select specific objects to migrate. Once the move is complete, everyone has an Office 365 account.

 

This Office 365 migration method works best if you currently use Exchange 2003, 2007, 2010, or 2013 and have less than 2,000 mailboxes. In fact, Microsoft recommends transition migration for companies with fewer than 150 users in terms of the time it takes to migrate so many accounts.

 

Please note the following: Each user's Outlook profile must be reconfigured to connect to Office 365.

 

3. Hybrid migration

 

With Office 365 hybrid migration, you can integrate Office 365 with your on-premises Exchange servers and your existing directory services. As a result, you can sync and manage user accounts for both environments.

 

Hybrid migration allows you to move mailboxes in Exchange Online and delete them from Exchange Online. You can even choose which mailboxes to keep locally and which ones to migrate to Office 365. You can also sync passwords and add a single sign-on to your computer to facilitate sign-in in both environments.

 

If you want to use hybrid migration, you need more than 2,000 mailboxes. Exchange 2010 or higher is also required. If it does not, you must install at least one local Exchange 2013 or Exchange 2010 Service Pack 3 (SP3) server to enable hybrid deployment connectivity.

 

4. IMAP migration

 

While the other three types of Office 365 migration rely solely on Exchange, an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) migration allows you to switch users from Gmail or any other email system that supports IMAP migration.

 

With an IMAP migration, the information is retrieved from its source mailboxes and transferred to Office 365. However, with the IMAP migration, nothing other than email is transferred. Calendar items, tasks, and contacts remain in the original inbox and must be migrated manually by the user.

 

You must also create a mailbox for each user before beginning the email migration. These other types of migration are automatically created for you.

 

IMAP migrations are limited to a total of 50,000 mailboxes and 5,000,000 items. Once migration is complete, new emails sent to the original mailbox will not be migrated.

 

The Top 10 Benefits of Outsourcing IT through Managed Services

 

Outsourcing of IT services through managed IT services can bring immediate benefits.

 

1. Control IT costs

 

Outsourcing converts IT fixed costs into variable costs and allows you to have an effective budget. In other words, you only pay for what you use when you need it.

 

2. Reduce labor costs

 

Hiring and training IT staff can be very expensive, and temporary workers don't always meet your expectations. Outsourcing allows you to focus your employees where you need them most.

 

3. Trained, experienced, qualified, certified.

 

How do you ensure that an employee is qualified if they are not IT trained? Certifications like Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) are important, but they are also experienced.

 

4. Qualified has no immediate experience

 

Few problems are new to top IT service companies experiencing multiple related issues. An internal IT employee leads an isolated existence, no matter how much he trains. We would all prefer to be an experienced doctor; The same applies to IT.

 

5. Increase efficiency and competitiveness.

 

Businesses that attempt to do all IT services in-house may have much more time to research, develop, and implement, increasing costs and ultimately passing it on to customers.

 

6. Deploy new technology quickly

 

A high-quality outsourced IT services organization has the resources to start new projects right away. Working internally on the same project can take weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide the necessary support. For most deployments, high-quality IT companies initially have years of experience to save time and money.

7. Focus on your core business

 

Organizations have limited resources and each manager has limited time and attention. Outsourcing can help your company focus on its core business and not be distracted by complex IT decisions.

 

8. Reduce risk

 

Every business investment carries a certain risk. Markets, competition, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies are changing very rapidly. Outsourcing providers assume and control a large portion of this risk for you with industry-specific knowledge, in particular security and compliance issues. In general, they can make much better decisions about how to avoid risks in their areas of expertise.

 

9. Level the playing field

 

Most small companies cannot afford to use the internal support services of large companies. Outsourcing can help small companies act "big" by giving them access to similar technologies and expertise that large companies have. An independent cost structure and economies of scale managed by third parties can give your business a competitive advantage.

 

10. Compliance and security

 

Is your firewall up to date? Do you have a DMZ installed? Check your workstations and servers? Has your company implemented PCI security standards and is working to maintain them? For example, companies have more options than ever to be successful with many payment methods, such as credit and debit cards, gift vouchers, electronic checks, and bank transfers, to name just a few. However, these forms of transaction also require due diligence. By outsourcing a qualified Managed Services company that is familiar with PCI compliance standards, you can be assured that your company will minimize the risks associated with maintaining customer information, credit card numbers, confidential competitive information, and more.

 

Discover the Many Benefits of Partnering Up With an IT Managed Service Provider

Today, many companies work with IT-managed service providers. 60 percent of companies use managed IT services, and this number is expected to continue to grow. And that is due to the many benefits of the services offered by these professionals. Here is a list of the benefits you should consider.

 

Control IT costs

 

Paying internal IT staff is an expensive task. With managed IT service providers, you get fixed IT costs at variable costs, allowing you to budget efficiently. Companies only pay for what they use and can use it when they need it. Outsourcing IT tasks only saves companies money.

 

Reduces labor costs

 

Not only does it cost money to have internal IT staff, it also costs money to hire and train them. And temporary workers don't always meet expectations. Outsourcing enables companies to focus on the human resources that are most needed in other areas.

 

Certified, trained, qualified and experienced

 

How can you be sure that the IT employee is truly qualified for the position? With an IT managed service provider, you get a certified, trained, qualified and experienced specialist. If you want to train an IT employee, keep in mind that certifications like Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) are very expensive.

 

Qualified does not mean experience

 

Regardless of how much you train an IT professional, this training is isolated and the employee may not have the proper experience. A managed IT service provider sends an experienced IT expert. When you see a doctor, you want an experienced one, right? The same applies to IT.

 

Increase efficiency and competitiveness.

 

When companies try to do all the IT themselves, it is inefficient and costly in the long run. Much more time was spent on implementation, research and development. And all these costs only go to customers. Save operating costs and keep your product and service costs more affordable for customers and more competitive for your competition.

 

Deploy the latest technology quickly

 

Technology is changing as fast as lightning today. Few companies have the resources and the ability to use the latest technology and quickly implement it. Working on a project internally with the latest technology can take months to train IT staff. IT professionals at a managed provider have the skills and knowledge to quickly implement the latest technology. That saves time and money.

 

Focus on business

 

It is important for companies to take care of business every day and not be distracted by complex IT decisions or problems. Trying to fix a security breach or hardware crash means that managers no longer have to focus on their core business. Valuable time and money are also lost here.

 

Lower business risk

 

Regardless of what business it is, there is always some risk. State regulations, technologies, market conditions, and competition are changing rapidly. IT vendor outsourcing reduces and controls risk through industry-specific insight, including compliance and security issues. Correcting these types of problems can cost a lot of money, not only for fines but also for downtime. IT-managed vendors can use their expertise to help avoid risk.

 

The same competitive conditions

 

Many small businesses simply do not have the funds to match the internal IT services of large companies. IT outsourcing helps smaller companies improve the competitive environment with Mr. Big. The economies of scale and affordable cost structure of IT-managed service providers offer smaller companies that need competitive advantages.

 

Security and compliance

 

Businesses can get the security they need with bank transfers, electronic checks, credit cards, and gift certificates. Fraud is common today, and companies can lose a lot of money and reputation through fraud. IT-managed service providers are very familiar with PCI compliance standards. Businesses can minimize risk by managing confidential information along with credit card information and customer information. They also make sure that your firewall is up to date and that a DMZ has been installed. "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Family Education Protection and Rights Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have strict regulations for retail, health and healthcare and the financial industry. "

 

24/7/365 support

 

Today many companies work 24 hours. And their networks too. Help is always available from managed service providers, regardless of whether it is day, weekend, or holiday. Companies can always provide support. All in all, there are simply too many advantages to partnering with a managed IT service provider for companies to ignore today. New technologies offer companies great opportunities, but also present daily challenges. Professional companies managed by IT services can help your business overcome these challenges.

 

Network Deployment

Network infrastructure change programs should always be associated with an improvement in users' perception of the quality of the service received. Before starting such a project, there are technical and commercial bid phases and evaluations that must be approved.

 

Once this is accomplished, the main phases are:

 

• Commitment.
• Operation and administration.
• The breakdown or transition of the network to a new project.

 

In the Network Deployment Services, operations are performed in which devices are started / installed. The end result is the contracted service. In this phase of the project there are:

 

1. The agreed service periods and delivery times must be respected.

 

2. Tools that simplify predictable bulk configuration tasks must be available.

 

3. A team of specialists must supervise the installation of the devices in a previously agreed location.

 

4. Validation of the entire start-up process so that the project location can go to the operational phase.

 

While this list contains the obvious, it makes the network implementation phase one of the most intense and troublesome parts of a new scheme. This implies the not insignificant additional costs for the commissioning of external services.

 

In general, the service provider or freight forwarder offers its clients an all-inclusive package with the best possible service / price ratio. They are expected to select device manufacturers that not only meet the technology and economics side, but also help keep network deployment costs low.

 

One of the most important components for network provisioning is a zero-touch installation service for participating devices. This means that starting the service on the site must include:

 

• Customers should receive a device with basic on-site connection instructions (similar to automatic installation of home services like ADSL / FTTH). The customer can simply connect and turn on their device according to the basic instructions.
• The automatic configuration process begins: the device downloads its individual configurations from a control center and then activates them to provide the contractually agreed service.
• The status and availability of these services are determined from the central office (validation of the entire process).

The availability of automatic configuration during deployment and the use of pre-validated templates reduce installation costs by optimizing lead times and minimizing configuration error rates.

 

In this phase, there are not only advantages: maintenance procedures are significantly optimized, but an office with a device that is out of service only has to send a new router to start the business again. The rest of the configuration, the restoration of saved data, etc., is carried out almost automatically through administration tools. This facility optimizes SLAs and punishment.

 

In summary, automatic configuration throughout the network deployment becomes a very relevant aspect and should always be included in the commercial offer of the manufacturers. Not only because this represents a great improvement in their products, but also because they can offer tools through their sales network to reduce overall project costs and improve the perception of service quality for their clients.

 

Understands this concept and integrates its software tool, the Net Manager Colibrí, to manage networks. In addition to other standardized tools and together with its WLAN and access routers, this offers optimal solutions for schemes where your clients need them.

 

Discover the Many Benefits of Partnering Up With an IT Managed Service Provider

Today, many companies work with IT-managed service providers. 60 percent of companies use managed IT services, and this number is expected to continue to grow. And that is due to the many benefits of the services offered by these professionals. Here is a list of the benefits you should consider.

 

Control IT costs

 

Paying internal IT staff is an expensive task. With managed IT service providers, you get fixed IT costs at variable costs, allowing you to budget efficiently. Companies only pay for what they use and can use it when they need it. Outsourcing IT tasks only saves companies money.

 

Reduces labor costs

 

Not only does it cost money to have internal IT staff, it also costs money to hire and train them. And temporary workers don't always meet expectations. Outsourcing enables companies to focus on the human resources that are most needed in other areas.

 

Certified, trained, qualified and experienced

 

How can you be sure that the IT employee is truly qualified for the position? With an IT managed service provider, you get a certified, trained, qualified and experienced specialist. If you want to train an IT employee, keep in mind that certifications like Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) are very expensive.

 

Qualified does not mean experience

 

Regardless of how much you train an IT professional, this training is isolated and the employee may not have the proper experience. A managed IT service provider sends an experienced IT expert. When you see a doctor, you want an experienced one, right? The same applies to IT.

 

Increase efficiency and competitiveness.

 

When companies try to do all the IT themselves, it is inefficient and costly in the long run. Much more time was spent on implementation, research and development. And all these costs only go to customers. Save operating costs and keep your product and service costs more affordable for customers and more competitive for your competition.

 

Deploy the latest technology quickly

 

Technology is changing as fast as lightning today. Few companies have the resources and the ability to use the latest technology and quickly implement it. Working on a project internally with the latest technology can take months to train IT staff. IT professionals at a managed provider have the skills and knowledge to quickly implement the latest technology. That saves time and money.

 

Focus on business

 

It is important for companies to take care of business every day and not be distracted by complex IT decisions or problems. Trying to fix a security breach or hardware crash means that managers no longer have to focus on their core business. Valuable time and money are also lost here.

 

Lower business risk

 

Regardless of what business it is, there is always some risk. State regulations, technologies, market conditions, and competition are changing rapidly. IT vendor outsourcing reduces and controls risk through industry-specific insight, including compliance and security issues. Correcting these types of problems can cost a lot of money, not only for fines but also for downtime. IT-managed vendors can use their expertise to help avoid risk.

 

The same competitive conditions

 

Many small businesses simply do not have the funds to match the internal IT services of large companies. IT outsourcing helps smaller companies improve the competitive environment with Mr. Big. The economies of scale and affordable cost structure of IT-managed service providers offer smaller companies that need competitive advantages.

 

Security and compliance

 

Businesses can get the security they need with bank transfers, electronic checks, credit cards, and gift certificates. Fraud is common today, and companies can lose a lot of money and reputation through fraud. IT-managed service providers are very familiar with PCI compliance standards. Businesses can minimize risk by managing confidential information along with credit card information and customer information. They also make sure that your firewall is up to date and that a DMZ has been installed. "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Family Education Protection and Rights Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have strict regulations for retail, health and healthcare and the financial industry. "

 

24/7/365 support

 

Today many companies work 24 hours. And their networks too. Help is always available from managed service providers, regardless of whether it is day, weekend, or holiday. Companies can always provide support. All in all, there are simply too many advantages to partnering with a managed IT service provider for companies to ignore today. New technologies offer companies great opportunities, but also present daily challenges. Professional companies managed by IT services can help your business overcome these challenges.