migrating to office 365: the good, the bad, and the ugly
TRANSCRIPT
Migrating to Office 365:The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
What are my options?
The Good:
The Bad: IMAP
The Ugly: PST Import
Cons: - Migration can be user driven- No central control / management- PST files must be discovered- Corrupted PST files need to be managed / repaired- Manual effort, not feasible for large migrations
The Ugly: PST migration to Office 365
Pros: - Migration can be user driven- Users can migrate content on demand- Migrates mail, calendar, contacts, and
tasks
PST Migration: PST Capture Tool
- Console needs to be installed on premise (can be a workstation).
- Requires Outlook 2010 (64 bit).
- Agents need to be installed on all workstations to discover PST files.
- Slow, prone to errors.
Prepare CSV file
& launch Import Service
Job
Mark migratio
n as complet
e
Monitor import
& Remediate as
necessary
Change MX
record
Provision
users+
mailboxes
in O365
(license assigne
d)
Create new
Outlook profiles
& Inventor
y PST files
Upload PSTs into
Azure storage
PST Migration: PST Import Service
- Requires the AZ Copy tool to be installed (command line tool).
- Need to know where all the PST files are, or copy to a central location.
- Upload is much faster than PST Capture Tool.
- More automation: PST upload is scripted, CSV file launches a batch process to import emails.
- Email can be imported into main mailbox or archive
- Still need to deal with PST corruption.
Third Party Tools:- Provide automation options.- Can streamline the
migration or import process.
- Can be used to reconfigure Outlook profiles & disconnect PST files.
- Can be agentless.- Provide a console for
migration management.- Can be pricey, needs to be
evaluated against business needs.
The Bad: IMAP Migration to Office 365
Cons: - Only migrates mail, no calendars, tasks, or contacts- Won’t migrate folders with a “/” in the name- Won’t migrate email larger that 35MB- More effort required to create the migration batches- Less controls and lacks good migration reporting- SLOOW
Pros: - Works with a large number of source systems- Users can be migrated in batches- Works with on premise or hosted email systems- On premise migration tools are not required- PowerShell can be used to help automate the
process
Deltasync every
24 hours
Mark migratio
n as complet
e
Change MX
record
Gather IMAP
credentials and prepare
CSV
Provision
users+
mailboxes
in O365
(license assigne
d)
Wizard:Enter server
settings and
upload CSV
Initial sync
Final sync and
cleanup
IMAP Migration Flow
- Manually create distribution groups.
- Provision mailboxes in Office 365 prior to migrating email.
- Requires administrative access to all mailboxes, or each user’s credentials.
Third Party Tools: Use them!
- Better automation options.- Better control over the process.- More options for reporting and
remediation.- Better support (usually).- Greater flexibility and
migration options.- Can be used to reconfigure
Outlook profiles - Provide a console for migration
management.- Almost always worth the cost!
The Good: Exchange to Office 365
Cons: - Requires more effort to set up and configure
Pros: - Greatest amount of control and flexibility- Allows for cutover or staged migrations- Allows for hybrid coexistence and
management- Enables additional identity scenarios
Simple Migrations: Cutover Exchange Migration
- Used to migrate all users at once (Big Bang).
- Migrates all mailbox data.
- Works with Exchange 2003 or newer.
- No coexistence / DirSync – cloud identities only.
- New passwords created for all users
- Doesn’t migrate messages over 35MB.
- Outlook profile is recreated.
Simple Migrations: Staged Exchange Migration
- Migrate users in batches over a period of time.
- Cannot be used with Exchange 2010 or newer.
- Requires DirSync to provision and maintain identities.
- Doesn’t migrate messages over 35MB.
- Outlook profile is recreated.
- Requires mail forwarding once migration is complete.
Deltasync every
24 hours
Mark migratio
n as complet
e
Change MX
record
Configure Hybrid
Pre-Reqs
Configure
Directory Sync
(install ADFS & SSO if
required)
Run Hybrid ConfigWizard
Initial sync
Final sync and
cleanup
Hybrid Deployment: Exchange Integration
- Manage users on-premises and online.
- Enables cross-premises calendaring, smooth migration, and easy off-boarding
- Unified Global Address List (GAL)
- Free/busy and calendar sharing between on premise and Exchange Online.
- Maintain access to on premise Public Folders
- Control mail routing (on premise or Exchange Online)
- Requires DirSync
https://technet.microsoft.com/exdeploy2013
Deployment Tools: Planning
The Exchange Server Deployment Assistant helps you plan your deployment and migration end to end.
A great starting point, whether you’re deploying / upgrading Exchange on premise, or migrating to Office 365.
Deployment Tools: Troubleshooting
The Remote Connectivity Analyzer includes a number of tools to test configuration settings and to troubleshoot issues.
Included on that site now is the Office 365 Support and Recovery Assistant, which is geared more around troubleshooting and resolving common Outlook problems.
https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com
