When you have decided to migrate from on-premises Exchange Server to Office 365, then you should remember that before starting the migration you need to perform several pre-migration tasks. These tasks range from collecting information about your current environment to choosing the appropriate migration method. If you plan the migration smartly, then there would be very fewer chances of any problem during the migration.

Here, we will go through some crucial pre-migration tasks which streamline the whole migration process and make it much smoother.

1. Collect information about your current environment

   For a safe migration, you need to have exact information about your current environment. Here is the list of data about which you need to collect the details-

   • The total number of Exchange user accounts (username and email address).
   • The total number of Exchange mailboxes and their sizes (including archive mailbox, shared mailbox, and conference rooms).
   • Client machine versions and configuration (browsers, OS, MS Office applications, etc.)
   • Information about your existing network settings.
   • Information on intranet sites, file storage locations, online meetings, and instant messaging systems.

2. Check and fix any potential blockers

   There are so many factors in the Exchange Server infrastructure, which you need to manage before going for the migration. These factors, like Active Directory parameters, network settings, and hardware requirements, etc. can play a spoilsport during the migration. So, you should manage them effectively.

   • Clean up the Active Directory accounts, prepare the directory object and attribute values, prepare the UPN name of the accounts at Office 365, and match the Active Directory DS UPN with Office 365 UPN.
   • Try to get an estimate of your network bandwidth and check if it can carry the extensive mailbox data to Office 365. You can tune and troubleshoot your network if you find any issues.
   • Update the software on the client machines.

3. Set up Office 365 accounts

   Before starting the migration, you need to have active Office 365 accounts which are ready to get the information. Here is the basic methodology of creating the Office 365 account –

   • Sign up and buy a premium pack
     1. To get an Office 365 premium pack, you need to go to Microsoft product site and select Office 365. Here, you can choose any plan and buy it.
     2. Follow the step-by-step procedure given to you and add a domain and new users.
   • Install MS Office
     1. Go to Admin portal of Office 365 and click ‘Go to Setup.’
     2. Choose ‘Get Started’ under the ‘Install your Office apps.’
     3. Choose ‘Install Now’ under the ‘Microsoft Office Professional Plus.’
     4. Click Install.
   • Set up Outlook
     1. To set up Outlook account, follow File>>Info>>Add Account.
     2. Input the Office 365 credentials and click Connect.

4. Employ the best office 365 migration method

   When you have managed the pre-migration tasks, then you are ready for the migration, there are different methods for Exchange Server to Office 365 migration. There is cutover migration for small migrations, Staged migration for the older version like Exchange Server 2003, and hybrid migration when you want to keep both Exchange and Office 365. Also, there are many professional Office 365 migration tools that simplify the migration considerably. So, opt for a migration method carefully.,

Conclusion

After performing all these pre-migration tasks, you will be quite ready for the Office 365 migration. But it is going to take too much time, and any mistake in the migration can stop the migration. To reduce the time and energy involved in the process, you should use Kernel Office 365 Migration Tool, which is a simple solution for Office 365 migrations. It will access the Exchange mailbox data and migrate to Office 365. The benefit of using Office 365 Migration software is that it provides easy mapping between Exchange and Office 365 mailboxes, and there are advanced filters to get more control over migration.