Choosing the right method for migrating from Exchange to Office 365
Businesses today have found it highly profitable and easy to migrate their on-premises mailbox, data, communications, and email management solutions in exchange for a cloud-based platform like Office 365. Research shows that nearly 80% of businesses have moved some of their IT and data to cloud platforms and most cloud users are now using Office 365 as they get the freedom of accessibility of their organization’s data from anywhere with the help of Desktop in the cloud with top security.
Pre-migration concerns about the security and reliability of Office 365 are natural when considering moving all or part of your business to a cloud solution. You might even wonder if you should move to Office 365. Office 365 stands out among the world’s most secure platforms. Microsoft also offers a variety of tools to help you avoid cyber threats and data breaches.
Choosing the Right Migration Method
The first step to migrate exchange to Office 365 is choosing the right Office 365 migration method. There are multiple ways to migrate, and you should choose the one that best suits your needs.
Cutover Migration:
A cutover migration is the most common method of migrating data from on-premises systems to the cloud. This involves making a complete copy of the system’s data, transferring the functionality of the old system to the new system, and then bringing the old system back online. This approach is the most cost-effective method of data migration but requires extensive up-front planning and can be difficult to manage for small businesses and start-ups. Instead of creating a complete copy of your system’s data, you can also use the cutover migration method to move data between cloud instances. This method is designed for companies with less than 1000 of their user data/mailboxes.
Staged Migration:
A staged migration is a process of moving all applications on a given computer system to new locations within a controlled environment. Staging migrations can reduce application downtime by allowing a computer system to be moved to a safe, controlled area while the application is still running and the data on the system is still available. A staged migration also helps reduce the risk of data corruption by protecting the data on the old system and moving it to the new location while the old system is still online and accessible.
IMAP Migration:
This migration method is used when non-Exchange mail systems are involved. IMAP migration can only move email messages, but contacts, calendars, and tasks are lost in the process. This method is sometimes used as a shortcut for moving from older versions of Exchange Server (Exchange 2000 and later are supported) to the cloud.
Hybrid Migration:
Exchange hybrid migration is the most flexible method, but it is also complex. This method is most used in large organizations. In this method, an Exchange administrator creates a hybrid Exchange Server deployment by establishing coexistence between an on-premises Exchange Server and Office 365. Using this method, you can integrate Office 365 with your Exchange server and your existing Active Directory.
Conclusion:
Most of the hosting providers offer cloud solutions. But due to difficulty in migration services, you need the best provider to handle the entire migration process. Hosting solution providers like Apps4Rent take full responsibility for choosing the right method of your migration and ensuring the optimum uptime of the Office 365 platform. These providers also help with various migration and hosting services such as QuickBooks Hosting solutions. Moreover, this provider provides excellent customer support for their clients which makes them a perfect partner for your service.
