Exchange to Office 365 Migration Checklist: Seamless Transition

Summary: In many situations, users have to migrate from Exchange to Office 365, but they can’t execute it efficiently. So, to bypass all the complications, users need an Exchange to Office 365 migration checklist for a smoother transition. 

In addition, if you are searching for the same. Then, don’t worry, you will get all the best practices within this blog, you just need to read this article completely. What is the efficient solution for the migration process? On top of that, there is highly advised software that can help with it which is also covered in this blog.

We start the walkthrough by knowing the need for the Exchange to Office 365 Migration Checklist.

Need of The Exchange to Office 365 Migration Checklist

Having a checklist for switching from Exchange to Office 365 is a good idea for many important reasons. Some of them are listed below:

1. During the relocation cycle, it guarantees that the significant advances are not disregarded.
2. It assists with smoothing out the procedure by saving time and resources.
3. If you follow the best practices, there can be a minimum chance of having issues or errors.
4. Checklists can minimize the risk of data loss during the migration.
5. Guarantees that all consistency and security necessities are met during the progress.

Additional resource: Migrate Exchange 2019 to Office 365

Prerequisites of Exchange to Office 365 Migration Checklist

To ensure an efficient transition, you should look out for these prerequisites migration checklist:

1. Get ready end-users ahead of time

Within the organization, there is a need to manage meetings and communicate about the process with their users. Before beginning the relocation project, it is significant that each user is informed clearly about the plan, and its execution interaction, inside the firm. Moreover, it is better to choose a specific time, to execute the task.

2. Get ready for On-premises inventory

• Identification of shared resource user mailboxes with their sizes and associated email addresses.
• Storage destinations, client software (web browsers, operating systems, Office app versions), and their settings.
• Network settings.
• Online meetings, texting, incorporated application frameworks, arranged DNS records, and so forth.

3. Evaluate the Existing Environment

• Guarantee you have a functioning Office 365 membership with the proper licenses for your association’s requirements.
• Ensure whether your M365 tenant is properly configured or not. 
• Ensures that your DNS records are properly set up.
• Verify your network connectivity, as it is necessary throughout the process.
• During data loss situations, backups act as a safety net.
• Organizations need to conduct training for their end-users.
• Need to use the updated version of Active Directory.

4. Create an Office 365 Account

• Acquire Office 365 subscription and licenses. 
• Validate domain names. 
• Configure security settings, set up applications, establish directory synchronization for Office 365 (if desired), and implement single sign-on (if desired). 
• Conduct a trial migration.

Post Exchange to Office 365 migration checklist

After completing the migration task user needs to perform these below mentioned checklist:

• Verify that your all data will be migrated properly.
• Ensure your migrated folder hierarchy.
• Coordinate with the users and confirm that the tasks, contacts, and calendars working properly. As well as check your distribution lists and groups.
• Conduct training for the new O365 environment for the users.
• Confirm that your settings and security policies are properly configured to the new platform.
• Set up data backup solutions for Office 365, if not already in place.
• Assure your data where you backup it and if you have not done the backup process. Then you may have to face data loss. So you have to perform this task to secure your data as soon as possible.

Streamline the Exchange to Office 365 Migration

As we learned above about the Exchange to Office 365 migration checklist, even now, if users perform this process with the help of conventional method. Then, they will face some complexities and limitations. Now, the question arises of how can we perform the procedure easily. 

So, there is a most consistent software which is SysTools’ Credible Exchange to Office 365 Migration Tool. This can make the transition as smooth as expected. Moreover, with its “Delta Migration” option, you can easily migrate newly arrived data. The tool provides the functionality to Export Exchange On-Premise 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 user mailboxes efficiently.

Below are the outlined procedures for the mentioned software:

Step 1. Download and Launch the tool.

Step 2. Opt for “Exchange” as the source platform and “Office 365” as the destination platform. Then, pick the categories for migration from Exchange to Office 365 within the Workload Selection.

Step 3. Now, you can use the date filter option for selective data migration.

Step 4. After that. enter all the required Exchange Server details and validate them.

Step 5. Once validation is complete, permissions will be assigned to the source user. Proceed by clicking the ‘Next’ button.

Step 6. In the Destination window, provide Admin Email and Application ID. Click the ‘Validate’ button to confirm permissions.

Step 7. For mapping, the tool provides various options such as Fetch Users, Import Users, and Download Template.

Step 8. Lastly, Click on Start Migration to initiate the procedure.

Final Words

In this detailed blog, we learned about the Exchange to Office 365 migration checklist for a smooth transition and the reasons behind it. In addition, we discussed all reliable steps including pre and post-migration for the process. After that, we found a trustworthy tool to execute the migration from Exchange to Office 365 efficiently.

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