Microsoft 365 migration is a key strategy for companies to stay connected, productive, and transparent as more people work remotely. Microsoft’s leadership in cloud-based tools that make it easy for distributed teams to work together has made it the standard for keeping remote workers connected.
Migrating to Office 365/Microsoft 365 from an on-premises Exchange Server or Google Workspace can have many benefits.
Microsoft 365 has many advantages over Exchange, making it a better choice for firms looking to move to cloud storage. With remote work becoming more popular due to the pandemic, now is the time to make the switch.
Why do I need to migrate to Microsoft Office 365?
Given the potential dangers involved in the migration process, it is understandable that IT administrators would have worries. However, Office 365 has mature and established technology, and its benefits are easy to evaluate and quickly delivered. When SMBs work with a partner who has extensive experience with the conversion process, the business case for moving to Office 365 quickly becomes compelling.
What Are The End-user Benefits of Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365)?
Increased Convenience and Access
You can access your email and other office applications from anywhere at any time if you have Microsoft 365. Cloud hosting allows users to easily access their e-mails, files, and applications no matter where they are. There is no need to sign in to your work desktop or laptop computer every time you want to check your email safely. You can check your email on the go using a computer, iPad, Mac, or smartphone.
Safe and Secure
Safety comes first. To make sure your data is as secure as possible, you may use the same technologies as Microsoft to check your messages and documents for spam and viruses around the clock, every day of the week.
Pay-as-you-go pricing model allows for significant expense savings
Microsoft 365 is the best platform available for efficiently executing email solutions at a low cost.
You are able to pay for the service based on how much you use it, which provides you with increased predictability as well as flexibility. Therefore, you are able to buy as many licences as you need, and scaling up or down is more easier than it would be with an on-premise server due to the fact that there is no need to physically move the server. This may help you save significant money up front.
Files are backed up automatically
No one likes it when they lose a file because they didn’t save it soon enough. It wastes time and makes it hard to write or make another piece of the same thing. Microsoft 365 saves you the trouble of having to save these files. It backs up your files and saves them automatically, so you always have the latest version of each file and never lose them.
Enhanced Collaboration and Workflow
Slow business processes can be a major hindrance to productivity. Microsoft 365 is a great way to improve communication and collaboration within a company. Having everyone be able to view the same documents simultaneously helps to avoid misunderstandings and mistakes.
With OneDrive, several users can work on the same document at the same time, without having to send updates via email. In addition, other collaborators can be given encrypted URLs to contribute, so everyone is working from the same document.
Microsoft 365 Security Features
Encryption
Unless you use SSL/TLS encryption, you won’t be able to use Microsoft 365. With this level of encryption, no one but you will be able to access your stuff.
In addition, Microsoft 365 gives you the ability to set up supplemental layers of encryption, which further protects your data.
In Microsoft’s data centres, BitLocker protects things including emails and documents. TLS, MTLS, and SRTP are used to encrypt all chats and communications sent through Microsoft Teams.
Instant and Automatic Updates
In order to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape of malware and security risks, it is essential to regularly update software. Unfortunately, manual system updates can be time-consuming, leaving your systems open to attack.
Microsoft avoids this with real time automatic updates and adding new features to all Microsoft 365 services. In order to detect attacks attempting to exploit out-of-date software, it is necessary to have up-to-date antivirus signatures, continuous monitoring, and an incident response process in place.
To help businesses transition their services from their current infrastructure to Microsoft 365, the company offers a variety of migration and support alternatives. Creative Networks’ Microsoft Gold Certified professionals can assist with system migration, email setup, and more.
Once the cloud-based platform is live, users will continuously receive updates and new features without impacting business as usual.
Office 365 Migration to Cloud Storage
Users will be able to access Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel and PowerPoint from anywhere with an internet connection after a Microsoft 365 migration. This not only improves productivity, but also simplifies and standardizes your processes. In addition, it protects the confidentiality of your information.
Despite the fact that cloud security presents its own challenges due to the constant attempts of cybercriminals to break in, one of the main benefits of migrating to Office 365/Microsoft 365 is that patches are automatically deployed, ensuring your network is primed against threat actors as they emerge and sparing careless admins who might otherwise be caught out.
Compliance with Data Regulations
Given Microsoft’s stature in the IT industry, it is hardly a surprise that they offer a secure cloud-based solution in the form of Office 365. Office 365’s high degree of security and compliance has been validated by various accreditations and examinations, making it attractive to customers who need to comply with data protection standards like GDPR and CPRA. One of the most attractive features of Office 365 is that customers have nearly limitless mailbox capacity, which means they won’t need to make PSTs to back up their email material on external devices.
Common Exchange Methods of Microsoft 365
Cutover Migration
This method can be used to migrate a maximum of 2,000 mailboxes to 365, but Microsoft recommends a limit of 150.
Staged Migration
You can migrate your organization’s mailboxes to 365 using a staged migration, migrating batches of on-prem mailboxes over the course of a few weeks or months.
Hybrid Migration
This allows you to migrate to 365 while keeping an on-prem server and providing the seamless look and feel of a single Exchange organization between Exchange organizations on-prem and in 365.
How to Migrate IMAP to Microsoft 365 Platform?
For the most part, there are 6 stages to the process of migrating IMAP email accounts to Office 365. Accurate execution of each procedure is required for a successful migration.
Full Email Server Name A user must verify their current IMAP server’s name to migrate to Office 365. Step-by-step instructions are below.
OWA email (Outlook on Web).
>Settings Type POP in “Search All Settings” > select POP and IMAP.
In POP and IMAP Settings, the IMAP Server Name will appear.
List O365 mailboxes to migrate Before moving IMAP mailboxes to Office 365, access them. Create a list of password-knowledgeable users. You can also reset forgotten passwords.
Connect 365 to source email Microsoft 365 connects to source email using migration endpoints. Create migration endpoints step-by-step.
EAC >> Recipients.
Choose Migration > three horizontal dots (…) > Migration Endpoints.
For a new migration endpoint, click “+.”
Click IMAP in the Migration Endpoint Type window. Provide the IMAP server name and leave the other default settings alone.
Migration services then check if the email connection is established. The Enter General Information Page will open if it’s verified. Keep the other boxes blank and type the migration endpoint here.
The downtime involved in this process must also be considered. Use the professional solution over the manual.
Why trust us as your Microsoft 365 Office Migration Partner?
So, moving to Microsoft Office 365 isn’t as easy as it seems. It takes complicated planning, procurement, implementation, and upkeep. Even if email server providers offer email migration tools and software, it won’t be easy.
It’s best to use a migration support company with Office 365 competence. Creative Networks Hosting supports Microsoft 365 migrations. We’ve done tens of thousands of Microsoft 365 migrations with great data integrity, little time, and expense. We can transfer any email client-server/system to Microsoft Office 365.
