Migrate MS Exchange 2010 mailboxes to Microsoft 365 (Office 365) (2023)

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When Exchange Server 2010 was introduced, it brought a number of new technologies, features, and services to the Exchange environment. His main goal was to support people and organizations to change their work habits from a focus on communication to a focus on collaboration. It helped deploy Exchange 2010 on-premises and also host some mailboxes in the cloud.

As end of support for Exchange 2010 approaches, organizations are left with no choice but to migrate to a new platform. Various options are available for migrating from Exchange 2010, such as: B. Exchange 2019, 2016 or Office 365.

Well, some companies want to upgrade to the latest environment while others plan to move to Office 365. But which platform is ideal for you - Exchange 2019 or Office 365? Let's take a look.

Exchange 2019 vs. Office 365

According to Microsoft, moving to the cloud is the best option if you're looking for features like collaboration from anywhere and with no upfront investment. However, for organizations that cannot move to the cloud due to legal and compliance requirements, Exchange 2019 is the right option for them.

We know that choosing between these two platforms is very difficult. Earlier,

The following reasons might make you want to stay with Exchange 2019 are:

• If you don't fully believe in cloud security and want full control over your data
• When you rely on logs for analysis
• When you need instant support for mail server questions
• When you don't want to invest in the cloud or need to budget

Why choose Office 365 over Exchange 2019?

Office 365 offers its users some great benefits that make it an essential requirement for any business. Apart from the SharePoint, OneDrive and Skype platform, Office 365 is also embedded with some other benefits such as:

• Flexibility and cost management:

  Office 365 offers great flexibility over its subscription plans. You can choose from a category of subscription plans based on your needs. Plus, with Office 365 subscription plans, you only have to pay for what you use. With a license from Office 365, you can access SharePoint Online, Skype for Business, OneDrive, and Sway in one place (depending on your plan).

• No risk of data loss:

  As you know, Office 365 is powered by Microsoft – one of the trusted cloud service providers. So there is no risk of losing your data. Also, Microsoft offers high uptime for Office 365 data.

  See Also

  Migration from Exchange 2010 to Office 365 step by step | Wintellisys®Switching from Exchange 2010 to Office 365

• Security and Compliance:

  When it comes to storing data in the cloud, security is a major concern for any business. Because of this, moving to Office 365 is one of the best options as it offers many advanced security and compliance features.

Because of these benefits, any organization would want to move to Office 365. However, before migrating, there are a few things you should know.

Preparing to migrate from Exchange 2010 to Office 365

Before migrating from Exchange 2010 to Office 365, you need to plan carefully. There are a few things you need to ask yourself before you start the migration.

• Do you really need to move to Office 365?:

  The first question to ask yourself is, "Do you really need Office 365?" Analyze the features offered by Office 365 and your needs. Analyze the main reason for migration, its financial feasibility and the potential benefits. Also, compare Office 365 fees versus on-premises Exchange maintenance costs.

• Change your Domain Name System records:

  To move from Exchange to Office 365, you need to verify your DNS records to prove that you own the domain. By changing the DNS records, you can direct your email to the new mailboxes. Otherwise, the emails will be sent to the old server.

• Set up a password policy:

  A password policy is required to move to Office 365. After moving to Office 365, users can access their mailboxes from anywhere over the internet, increasing the chances of hacker attacks. However, Office 365 offers multi-factor authentication. So you don't have to worry too much.

• Features you have in your old emails:

  When you connect to a new mailbox, features like auto-complete files, signatures, or reattach PST files may disappear. However, if you can recreate them on the email server, this shouldn't be a problem for you. These functions can also be migrated, but require additional work.

After considering all these points, train your employees and partners so that they feel comfortable in the new work environment. If your employees aren't properly trained, they may struggle in the early stages of adopting Office 365.

Migration to Office 365

After planning your Exchange 2010 to Office 365 migration, you can easily begin the migration process. Now the question arises how to migrate from Exchange 2010 to Office 365. Well, Microsoft provides manual methods to migrate Exchange 2010 mailboxes to Office 365. In general, there are three manual methods to do thisMigration from Exchange to Office 365. But Exchange 2010 supports only two methods. Let's take a look at these manual methods.

1. Conversion or express migration:

   Cutover migration is a manual process that allows users to migrate their mailboxes to Office 365. However, you can only go through this process if you are migrating fewer than 2000 mailboxes. Also, it is recommended to migrate a maximum of 150 users at a time, since migrating 2000 mailboxes at a time can take a long time. You can implement thoseCutover-Migrationfrom the Exchange admin center.

   Express migration is similar to cutover migration and is also known as minimal hybrid. It is considered as another effective way to migrate Exchange mailboxes to Office 365. However, it is a lengthy process as migrating Exchange mailboxes to Office 365 takes a few weeks or less. There are several steps involved in express migration, such as:

   • Domain ownership verification
   • Start the express migration process
   • Create users in Office 365 by running directory synchronization
   • Provide users with Office 365 licenses
   • Migrate user mailbox data
   • Updating DNS records

   To learn in detail how to get to the Office 365 admin center.

2. Hybride Migration:

   For Exchange 2010 to Office 365, hybrid deployment should be the first preference. Hybrid deployment allows you to manage both on-premises and online mailboxes for your organization. However, it is more complicated than the conversion or expresses the migration method.

   • A benefit of hybrid migration is that it provides a hybrid environment of on-premises Exchange and Office 365. Also, it is the only migration method that allows to move mailboxes from Office 365 to Exchange on-premises without using any third party. party tools. You canPerform hybrid migrationfor Exchange servers if you have more than 150 and less than 2000 mailboxes.
   • But there is a downside to using hybrid migration, it relies on directory synchronization. And if an organization cannot implement directory synchronization for some reason, they need to use a third-party tool or other manual methods.

   You can migrate data using manual methods, but the migration process is very complicated and time-consuming. So, you should look for a third-party solution that provides quick and easy migration of Exchange 2010 mailboxes to Office 365 without data loss.

Migration from Exchange 2010 to Office 365

Kernel Migrator for Exchangeis a purpose-built tool that offers quick and easy migration of Exchange mailboxes to Office 365. With this software, you can migrate both mailboxes and public folders. In addition, the analysis of the software before the migration allows you to eliminate all risks associated with the migration process. Now let's see the steps how this tool works:

Note:To migrate Exchange 2010 mailboxes to Office 365, you need to create a migration job.

1. Open the tool and select the project under "All projects' tab in the left pane, and then select 'Add job.“
2. The "Add order for mailboxThe wizard appears on the screen. Select the project name, enter a job name and click "Next.“
3. After adding the job type, select Exchange Server as the source for adding Exchange 2010 mailboxes.
4. Now select the mailboxes that you want to migrate. You can alsoImport mailboxes using a CSV fileand click "Next.“
5. After adding the source, you need to select Office 365 in the Target (Target) field. Enter the required information and click "Next.“
6. It allows users to set specific filters on the mailboxes. Select the filters you want to apply and click "Next.“
7. Map the source Exchange mailboxes to the target Office 365 mailboxes. click"Next.“
8. Innotification settings, enter the required details to receive email notifications and click "Next" Continue.
9. You can also use this tool to schedule or run the migration job immediately. click"Next” after planning the period for the migration. Here is an example of a scheduled migration job.
10. After clicking on "Next', the tool displays the migration summary before starting the migration. If the summary is ok, click "Finish" to start the migration process. Otherwise press "Return' to make changes to the migration job.

Diploma

Migrating data from Exchange 2010 to Office 365 has become a necessity for businesses to manage their data more effectively. However, the manual methods are not as efficient for migrating mailboxes. So try a third-party tool. And it is considered the bestExchange-MigrationMigration software.