The Ultimate Microsoft Office 365 Migration Checklist for Pre & Post Migration

Mohit Jha | August 9th, 2021 | Office 365

Plot Summary: Ever wanted a Microsoft Office 365 pre & post migration checklist guide? The main motive of this article is to make user well aware of this migration checklist by providing them a comprehensive guide along with a reliable solution.

As we all know, switching from one client to another is a difficult process.

But what about moving within the same email client, i.e. from one Office 365 account to another?

It is also not a child’s play as well.

Every other organization is opting for Office 365 because of its outstanding features such as its user-friendly interface, solid infrastructure, and flexibility it offers to its users.

When two organizations join hands to either merge or execute an acquisition, both firms must use Office 365 to move data from one Office 365 to another.

Because data migration from one Office 365 to another is a difficult procedure, it is imperative to use a migration checklist.

A migration checklist can help a user remember what he has to perform before and after migration to make the operation a success.

What Should Be The Checklist For Pre & Post Microsoft Office 365 Migration?

This article will go through a detailed migration checklist to help you with your Microsoft Office 365 conversion.

It will cover everything from Microsoft Office 365 migration requirements to the significance of a strong post-migration plan.

Microsoft 365 Pre-Migration Checklist

Prepare End Users Ahead Of Time

Planning and preparation begin with effective communication among organization members.

Before beginning the migration project, each user should have comprehensive knowledge of the migration strategy, how it will be implemented, and what the implications and changes inside the organization will be as a result of this move.

Migration day, several checks and inspections must, and resource management is another essential factor for pre-migration checks.

The strategy should be shared among the members on a general basis to get feedback from a variety of minds, and the admin should produce a solid project plan for the migration that is devoid of contradictions after the brainstorming.

For successful migration planning, you can utilize Microsoft’s checklist. You can add to or alter this checklist to meet your needs.

2. Prepare On-premises Inventory

The next pre-migration task is to prepare the inventory for the on-premises Exchange.

Before you migrate, you should have the following information:

Names of user mailboxes (shared resources) and their sizes, as well as email addresses, should be available prior to the transfer.
Client settings, storage locations, and client versions (browser, operating system, Office programmes).
Setup of the network (DNS hosts, proxy and firewall configuration, internal switches, internet connectivity, intranet sites, and available bandwidth).
Virtual conferences, instant messenger, connected application systems, DNS records that have been set, and so on.

3. Inspect the Present Environment

Some several checks and inspections must factor be performed on the current on-premises Exchange environment.

Methods for creating or synchronizing accounts.
User accounts require licenses.
Backups and backup procedures are required, as is the network
Capacity and appropriateness for transfer.
End-users must get basic training.
User account authentication requirements.
Upgrade requirements for antivirus, firewall, and routers.

4. Prepare the Data to be Migrated

Prepare the Data to be Migrated some things to look for are:

Active Directory is up to date.
Accounts that haven’t been used in a while are removed.
The UPNs of the source and target environments are identical.
Within the proxy addresses property, email addresses are acceptable.
In the future, archiving facilities (offline or online) will be necessary.
Prerequisites for compliance

5. Set up an Office 365 account

This is the final stage in the Office 365 migration planning. Set up your Office 365 accounts with the following factors in mind.

Purchase an Office 365 subscription and license.
Validate domain names.
Configure – security permissions, apps to be used, Office 365 directory synchronization (optional), and single sign-on (optional).
Carry out the test migration.

Now, since all of the steps on the pre-migration checklist have been performed, the user can head on to performing the migration process. This can be done using an expert-recommended Office 365 Migration Tool to perform this task easily.

The utility is a multi-faceted application that allows you to transfer data from one Office 365 account to another at once. This tool allows you to mass export the data without any kind of loss account. To transfer freshly arriving data from the source account, utilize the Delta migration functionality.

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Working Steps for Microsoft Office 365 Migration Checklist

Step 1. Download and launch the software on your machine.

Step 2. Emails, contacts, calendars, and documents will be migrated by software.

Step 3. Log in to the source and destination accounts.

Step 4. Create mapping between the source and the destination tenant.

Step 5. Office 365 account migration is in progress

Now that the pre-migration checklist requirements have been met.

Also, because the migration procedure has been finished successfully, it is now time to fulfill the post-migration requirements.

Here is the Microsoft Office 365 Post-Migration Checklist

1. Perform Email Redirection and Caching

Perform Email Redirection and Caching Check the Outlook profile folders again and confirm that the status for each folder is “This Folder Is Up To Date.”

2. Assign Licenses to Migrated Mailboxes

Migrated to an Office 365 account must be awarded licenses or they will be deactivated after 30 days if no licenses are assigned. As a result, for long-term usage, it is best to allocate licenses to mailboxes as soon as feasible.

3. Create Auto discover DNS Records

Autodiscover DNS Records Users will be able to link their user mailboxes to Outlook email clients as well as other mobile clients as a result of this.

4. Decommission the Source Environment

First, check that the mailboxes have been successfully transferred to your Office 365 account.

Also, licenses have been assigned, and everything is operating properly.

Now, you may decommission the old on-premises Exchange Server.

However, it is recommended that you decommission it only when no future synchronization with the source is planned and permanent migration to the target has been completed.

Wrapping Up

Migrating from one Office 365 account to another is not a cake walk. However, in this case if the user has a check list to follow before and after the migration then it proves to be a huge help to them.

Also, to make the migration process seamless, a reliable professional tool is discussed and Microsoft Office 365 migration checklist is described here.