Many organizations are moving to Microsoft 365 due to the benefits of leveraging an integrated platform of email and applications increasing productivity for their business. It is very common to start a small business using consumer-friendly products such as Yahoo or Gmail and then later realize that a more robust solution is required.
You may find that the larger your organization gets, the more likely you will run into issues sharing files with other organizations if you aren’t using the Microsoft ecosystem. You may also decide that you are already using Microsoft applications and you want to streamline license costs instead of working with multiple IT providers.
In this article, you’ll get to see a few things you must know as you prepare for your move to Microsoft 365.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Moving to Microsoft 365
Once you decide to move to Microsoft 365, you will need to consider certain things to make sure that your migration goes smoothly.
1. Determine which Data to Move
Email, Calendar, and Contacts are the most common data to be moved. If you already use the Outlook client application on your computers, there is a way to manually move this data by exporting and importing. PST files but be aware that it is a cumbersome process that can take a long time depending on the size of the mailboxes that you are moving.
If you are needing to move files and other documents you will first need to understand if the documents are meant for individual use (one staff member) or if the documents need to be shared with multiple staff members. You will need to identify the current location of each of the files and plan a destination for these files within the Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft has two applications for storing files – One Drive and SharePoint. One Drive is intended for individual use. Each staff member is provided with an individual One Drive to use for storing their files. SharePoint is intended for files that need to be shared between multiple staff members. Download and upload the data using File Explorer or Finder.
2. Impact on Passwords
You will need to determine the appropriate password policies including password expiration and complexity rules before beginning the move. Because passwords are never enough to protect your business, you will need to enable MFA for each of your staff members to ensure that your new cloud Microsoft 365 environment is secured. You will need to provide each staff member with their new password for use in Microsoft 365 before starting the email migration.
3. Email Applications such as Outlook will Need to be Installed and Configured
Some organizations or staff members prefer to use the installed version of Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook for accessing email. Be sure that you select the correct Microsoft 365 license for your staff members to ensure that they have access to installed Microsoft Office applications for their computers. You will need to make sure that the newest version of Microsoft Office is installed on each person’s computer from the Microsoft 365 portal and configure it for their new mailbox.
4. Single Sign-On to Other Applications
You will be able to integrate your Microsoft 365 identities (username and password) with other applications for leveraging SSO (single sign-on) for managing access to the applications. Be sure that you understand which of your applications support SSO. Many applications have special pricing structures so that only advanced versions of their application support SSO.
5. Think about where You are and what You Need.
Your company’s current state should be assessed by your IT department or managed service provider before you begin the migration to Office 365. All of the following must be determined:
- Where you currently receive and send an email (whether it be through Microsoft Exchange or IMAP/POP).
- Quantity of Users
- The most up-to-date Microsoft Office suite
- Whether or not you require an encrypted email
- Do you require any specialized tools or email archiving?
6. Determine which Office 365 Package is Best for You.
New users can sign up for a subscription to Office 365, which grants them access to the standard Office suite (Outlook, Word, and Excel) as well as additional cloud-based productivity services.
A thorough understanding of your setup and requirements will help you make an informed decision about which Office 365 plan is best for you. Consider that some plans may not charge extra for premium features like email encryption, while others may. It’s also possible that you’ll need to buy additional licensing to operate in your particular setting.
7. Use a Program to Synchronize Your Accounts and Information.
The smoothest transition to Office 365 can be achieved with the help of a dedicated migration tool. The right tool can simplify the lengthy process of switching over from IMAP/POP, which is more complex than switching over from Exchange.
This tool allows IT staff to locate any mailboxes with company-related content. Executives have the option of maintaining all email addresses or closing some down. If IT staff are to migrate from IMAP/POP, they will also need access credentials for each email account. Then, the migration tool can import all of your email addresses and passwords, and you can begin syncing your accounts and data with Office 365.
8. Make a Migration Plan
Once all of the accounts and data have been transferred to Office 365, administrators can schedule the switch weeks in advance. The cutover date will be set after they verify the data has been transferred.
Cutovers to Office 365 should be scheduled for a Thursday evening, and engineers should be present on Friday to assist staff in making the transition. Experts can check that email is properly configured on all mobile devices and offer assistance with changing the team’s view settings and troubleshooting any issues that may arise.
9. Resist the Urge to take Matters into Your Hands
We recommend that you hire a professional IT support consulting firm if your business has many users, especially if those users are using a variety of devices.
Those in charge of this must be well-versed in email flow and the ins and outs of Office 365. Difficulties with email delivery can be caused by something as simple as neglecting to update a DNS record.
There are specific dangers involved in making the switch from IMAP/POP. All user emails will need to be exported to.pst files and then imported after the switch to Office 365 unless you use an ai system to do so. This causes extra leisure time and increases the risk of missing new emails during the switch.
Because the desktop Outlook client then has to move or attach all these imported foreign emails to Office 365, this method could also cause significant delays in users’ ability to access their email.
10. DNS Records
Be sure to plan the correct timeframe for updating the DNS records that impact email deliverability. It can take as much as 1 week for Autodiscover email domain records to update correctly on Microsoft servers so you may need to add this record before the migration. Other records to update include MX records, CNAME records, SPF records, and DKIM records.
11. Training
Some staff members may be familiar with Microsoft applications and other may not have used them before. Plan for how to familiarize the staff with the new toolset to ensure that your team stays productive after the move.
Need Help Implementing IT Support for your business?
As the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. Similarly, a business doesn’t realize how important it is to have an IT partner until it’s too late. Without proper technology safeguards, you’re at risk of losing:
- Data
- Client work
- Productivity, and ultimately
- Profits
At Blue Maven IT, we help you protect these valuable assets! Feel free to contact us here for your data protection solutions.