Migration of data is a challenging task for any organization. It that looks to migrate source mailbox data to another environment. Many organizations look to change Exchange on-premises or Office 365. Now the question comes which way to go for migration of mailboxes data. The complete migration of email data takes no less than a couple of months or maybe a year. And when the scheduled time comes for migration, a question may arise. Whether to choose a manual method or migration tool to migrate mailboxes data?
In this guide, we’ll highlight different ways for Exchange to Office 365 Migration and help to choose the best way for your organization to migrate mailbox data from on-premises Exchange to Office 365.
Why do we need to migrate Exchange to Office 365?
Office 365 Migration is no cake walk as it requires multiple allocations of sources for a successful migration. Organizations need to assign a technical person to take care of Exchange to Office 365 migration process that can also take certain months. Let’s talk about the purpose behind Office 365 Migration.
- Office 365 is a cloud-based and cost-effective subscription service that provides various utilities such as Share Point, PowerPoint, Skype (Business), and many more.
- Office 365 offers a User-friendly environment that focuses on saving additional investment. One can receive the same benefit as on-premises Exchange is offering while only purchasing its subscription plan.
- Office 365 gives you more extensibility as compares to the hosted Exchange.
- Need not worry about regular updates as everything is taken care of by Office 365 itself automatically.
- Office 365 offers a better data management facility as compares to Hosted Exchange.
What are the available options for Exchange to Office 365 Migration?
Before heading towards choosing the best path to migrate Exchange to Office 365, you need to think about the time allocated for the migration process and the amount of data migrated. There are two ways for Exchange to Office 365 Migration: Using Manual methods or through professional third-party migration tool.
Manual-Approach to migrate Exchange to Office 365
Migrating Exchange to Office 365 data would be performed through methods given below:
- Cutover Migration
This method is useful for small and mid-sized organizations where the number of mailboxes for migration should not exceed more than 2000. This method allows migrating data in one go.
- Staged Migration
It is useful for large scale enterprises to migrate more than 2000 mailboxes in two or more batches.
- Hybrid Migration
It facilitates enterprises to migrate the number of mailboxes that ranges somewhere between 150 – 2000 in a small batch. It is suitable with the latest Exchange versions.
The Exchange to Office 365 migration will be possible through manual migration but have certain limitations over a third-party tool listed below:
Limitation: –
- While performing Exchange to Office 365 migration through manual methods includes a risk of data loss.
- It consumes more time and can also result in downtime.
- For migrating multiple mailboxes data, then you need to perform the same process again and again.
- Organization administration should be well-versed with the manual process of mailboxes migration, as novice users cannot migrate Exchange to Office 365 mailboxes.
There would be some limitations while using a manual migration approach to ease the work of Exchange to Office 365 migration, and it’s better to look for a third-party tool.
Professional approach for Exchange to Office 365 migration
If you are looking for a reliable tool to migrate Exchange data to Office 365, use the Shoviv Exchange Migration Tool. It allows migrating mailbox data items such as emails, attachments, contacts, and others without thinking about the risk of data interrupting integrity. It also allows adding multiple source mailboxes like EDB files, Live Exchange mailboxes, Outlook PST, Office 365 mailboxes and to migrate to the desired environment easily.
Some Prominent Features of Shoviv Exchange Migration Tool
Addition Large Mailboxes
Exchange to Office 365 migration tool works efficiently and capable of adding large size mailboxes. This tool also allows adding multiple source mailboxes such as Office 365, Live Exchange, and EDB files.
Maintain Folder Structure
It doesn’t make any changes in the folder hierarchy and maintains data integrity during Exchange to Office 365 mailboxes migration.
Source Mailboxes to Live Exchange Migration
The user of this tool can migrate source large-size mailboxes to all versions of Live Exchange and with the feature of automated and manual mapping of folders.
Migrate Archive and Public Mailboxes
Archive and Public folder also store crucial data, so this tool allows to migrate them while migrating source mailboxes to another environment.
Search Option
It offers a great working environment offering the user an option to search out required mailboxes items bases upon Message Date, Message Class, BCC, CC, Attachment.
Preview Added Mailboxes
Through this utility, the user facilitates with the option to preview added source mailboxes items. The user can view the list of folder items, along with the choice to preview item property, item body, attachments, and recipient.
Save File in Multiple File Format
This tool will also enable to Save File in Multiple File Format .
Great GUI
This tool has been built with a motive that even a non-technical user can also manage; to migrate Exchange to Office 365Migration without facing many difficulties.
Free Trial Version
It comes up with the free demo version to check the efficiency of the tool. In the trial version, you can migrate/recover the first 50 items/folder.
Summing-up
There could be many obstacles in Exchange to Office 365 Migration but could be over-achieved while using Shoviv Exchange Migration Tool. This tool builds up with the algorithm that focuses to carries out Office 365 migration tasks in a much faster time without interrupting data integrity. It is advisable to use its free version of the software to ensure the efficiency of this tool. Through the demo version, the user will have an option to migrate and recover the first 50 items per folder.
Punit 
Krishan Jangir