The article discusses the Exchange 2013 to Office 365 migration process. Here, a direct Exchange Migration Tool steps are provided which could be of big help in migrating unlimited Exchange account mailboxes to Office 365.
Before initiating mailbox migration from Exchange to Office 365, it is better to first go through the best techniques to ensure the accurate output after migration process. The blog will help you in choosing the suitable option for the organization to migrate Exchange user account mailboxes to Office 365. There are two different ways for migration, in case of less number of Exchange mailboxes, you can migrate them to PST first and then import the same to Office 365. But, if you have large amount of mailboxes, then it is better to opt a direct solution to migrate Exchange to Office 365. However, at first, let us discuss the reasons behind migration.
Why Exchange 2013 to Office 365 Migration?
There are numerous reasons due to which organizations chooses Exchange environment. The primary ones have complete control of hardware and capability to control Exchange database. However, each coin carries two sides, thus, complete on-premise setup results in disaster that can later result in data loss or corruption trouble. Moreover, the Exchange maintenance cost is challenging, as well as provides 100% server availability.
- Exchange migration to cloud i.e. Office 365 has several advantages which are quite significant as compared to those that on-premises offers:
- Office 365 delivers more scalability without the need of spending on infrastructure. The only thing you need to do is to purchase email accounts for more new users. The complete process of buying additional storage, configuring everything, additional hardware support etc. is simply eradicated.
- It is reliable and cost-effective as well. Moreover, it automatically manages the entire user database. A user only need to take O365 subscription and get all the features the on-premises setup provides with lot more other facilities.
- There is nothing to worry about data security as Microsoft experts takes care of it. So, leave everything on the Office 365 management team and they will keep your data safe from thefts, technical faults, disaster etc.
- Moreover, Microsoft updates the Office 365 from time to time. Everything will be done automatically and seamlessly, therefore, users do not have to face server downtime or any other similar situations.
Problems Occur in Exchange 2013 to Office 365 Migration
As already discussed, migration from on-premises to cloud is quite risky and it need to be performed under expert’s supervision and caution. Many things can go wrong if steps are not implemented properly. Some of the common issues are listed below:
- Stability and corruption issues in existing Exchange environment.
- Downtime of Exchange Server during migration.
- Consumes time due to slow internet connectivity.
- Wrongly firewall configurations, proxy devices and CAS servers.
- Outlook old versions are still locally running by users.
Besides this, there are other issues too. Successful implementation of Exchange to Office 365 is complicated task. It needs proper knowledge and lot of patience. But, the downtime can be reduced by directly migrating Exchange mailboxes into Office 365 using Exchange Migration Tool.
Step-by-Step Process for Exchange 2013 to Office 365 Migration
There are multiple ways to perform the migration process and some of them listed below:
Method 1. Exchange mailboxes to PST
If you are making use of Exchange 2007 or earlier edition, then you can use export-mailbox command or ExMerge utility of Microsoft. If you are utilizing Exchange 2010 and above editions, then use PowerShell cmdlets i.e. new-mailboxexportrequest. After, this you can easily import resultant PST to Office 365.
Method 2. Mailbox Migration to Office 365
Cutover Migration – To migrate all user mailboxes that are less than 2000, then cutover migration process is suitable. It supports Exchange 2003/2007/2010/2013.
Staged Migration – If mailboxes are more than 2000 and you want to migrate all of them in batches then the process is helpful. It supports Exchange 2003 as well as 2007.
Hybrid Migration – In case mailboxes are 150-2000 and you want to migrate them in batches, then choose hybrid migration process. It supports Exchange 2010 and 2013.
Limitations to Migrate Exchange 2013 to Office 365 Manually
- Time consuming and need large downtime.
- Exchange admins should have proper knowledge of mailbox migration.
- At times, the manual process can result data corruption and data loss.
- Non-technical users will find the process complicated to execute.
Method 3. Exchange Migration Tool, Direct Solution
It is one of the easiest and powerful solution to migrate Exchange 2013 mailboxes into Office 365 directly in an accurate and precise way. However, if you are looking for simplified technique for the migration, then Exchange Migration Tool is for you. You only need to add the account of Exchange and Office 365 and the tool will immediately migrate Exchange 2013 mailboxes, archive mailbox and public folder database to Office 365. There is no mailbox limitation, you are free to migrate unlimited mailboxes in a single time. Moreover, any user and organization can use it for migration without the help of experts. The software helps to migrate Exchange/Hosted Exchange/Office 365 mailboxes to Office 365, Exchange/Hosted Exchange, PST and default Outlook profile account. It is a direct process, you need not required to first migrate Exchange to PST and then PST to Office 365, you can directly perform Exchange 2013 to Office 365 migration with accurate data integrity and folder structure.
Download Exchange Migration Tool freeware edition to know the software features and working of the tool. The FREE DEMO allows to migrate first 25 files per folder to Office 365 free of cost.
Conclusion
The blog provided multiple solutions to migrate Exchange 2013 mailboxes to Office 365. The migration process is not easy as there are lot of risk involved. In case you are using manual process, then make sure to perform the process under expert guidance because if not, then later you could face corruption in files. Therefore, many experts recommend third party solution to carry out migration of essential servers.