Import NSF Files to Office 365

Read time 7 minutes

If you are planning to perform data migration from IBM Notes to Office 365, read this blog. It gives instructions on how to import NSF files to Office 365.

Notes to Office 365 Migration – Major Factors

Let us see the reasons as well as factors that compel users to move IBM Notes data to the Office 365 cloud location.

• Anywhere accessibility of Office 365 (web-based) while IBM Notes is a desktop application
• Higher overall (installation and maintenance) costs of IBM Notes (than of Office 365 plan subscriptions)
• Easy to learn and work with the interface of Office 365.
• More convenient data sharing on a cloud platform.
• Added services like SharePoint Online, Yammer, etc. in Office 365.
• More secure platform (Office 365) compared to IBM Notes.
• The large and easily scalable storage capacity of cloud platform.

While discussing the ways to import NSF files to Office 365, we have the manual solutions, but these are complex, lengthy, and prone to manual errors. They have data migration limits, high internet connectivity requirements, data loss chances, incomplete data transfer, etc. Still, let us have an overview of these processes.

It is a multi-staged process—first, export NSF emails to CSV file format using the Export option in IBM Notes. Then, import this CSV file to the Outlook application using its Import/Export feature. Now, the NSF file data is saved in PST file format, which can be uploaded to Office 365 utilizing its Mailbox Import Export feature and Azure AzCopy application.

It includes a sequence of operations like creating new mailboxes in Office 365, enabling IMAP TCP/IP Port, using Domino Administrator in IBM Notes, and finally synchronizing IBM Notes and Office 365 mailboxes with the help of IMAP connector.

As clearly mentioned above, these manual ways are not at all reliable and secure. So, we need to proceed to the next suitable way to import NSF files to Office 365.

To move or import NSF files to Office 365 location directly without any interference, we are suggesting the best Notes to Office migration tool known as Kernel Office 365 Migrator for Lotus Notes. It is a third-party migration solution designed to migrate IBM Notes data to Office 365 mailboxes securely. Let us know about this software and its crucial functions before progressing to the import process.

It is a complete Notes migrator tool for moving NSF files to Office 365. It does not require IBM Notes application on the system to perform the migration rather it requires NSF database files only. Users can have a preview of the local NSF file before migrating the data. It also migrates SmartCloud Notes and Domino Server mailboxes to Office 365. It helps users to select specific data before migration with the help of certain filters and options. Also, users can decide the mapping between source and destination mailboxes. The tool provides impersonation rights to user mailboxes for migration. All IBM Notes versions and Office 365 plans are supported. It includes a free demo version of the software (with some data migration limits) which can be downloaded from the software website.

Now, let us know the steps in the migration process through Kernel Office 365 Migrator for Lotus Notes tool. Users can try the free version. So download and install it from the link available on the software website and start the process to migrate Lotus Notes to Office 365 as below.

1. Double click on the software exe. to launch the Kernel Office 365 Migrator for Lotus Notes application.
2. On the Welcome Screen of the software, click on Add Local NSF file(s) option to add the Notes NSF files from the system drive location.
   
   Note: Users can use other options like Add SmartCloud Notes/Verse or Add Domino Server to add NSF data from the respective servers.
3. Now, choose the desired NSF file(s) from the system and click on Open to add it.
   
   Note: Users can choose many NSF files from the system drive for the migration.
4. The selected file(s) will get added. To preview the added NSF file, just select the file and click on the Preview option to view its mailboxes data items.
   
5. Next, have the preview of the selected mailbox items. Just click on the mailbox folder from the left panel, select the email from the top right pane, and view its detailed preview with metadata oat the bottom. After that, click on the Migrate option to continue the process.
   
6. Next, you need to provide the destination Office 365 account login (global administrator) credentials like User ID, password, etc. If needed, select the checkbox to assign impersonation rights to the mailbox. Click OK.
   
7. Now, perform the mapping between source NSF file mailboxes and target Office 365 mailboxes as per the requirement.
8. Apply filters like Date Range, Categories, Duplicate Items, Folder Mapping, Skipping Folders, Include/Exclude Folders, Saving data hierarchy to a new folder, etc. and click on OK.
   
9. Select the saving mode (RTF format) for the migration, choose the option for marking messages as read or unread and then click on OK.
   
10. The migration is now in progress which can be seen live. It will be finished very soon.
    

You have just gone through the most reliable and easy way to import NSF files to Office 365 destination location.

Summing Up

Choosing a reliable professional software for importing NSF files to Office 365 is the best decision (over the manual ways) owing to the highly advanced features and ease of use of the tool. This method is suitable for small as well as large organizations.