Migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365 – Step by Step Guide

If you are planning to migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365, you are on the right blog. Migrating from a desktop-based emailing platform to a cloud-based platform is a daunting task, even though both email platforms are from a similar developer. Therefore, migrating Exchange 2010 to Office 365 requires careful preparation and systematic implementation.
Here, we’ll describe reliable ways to migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365. There are few migration methods available. The first is the Native methods (Exchange Admin Center-Hybrid Migration, cutover migration), and the second is using an automated migration tool.
Migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365 – Step by Step Guide
The native ways to migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365
There are three native methods available which you can use to migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365.
Cutover migration: A cutover migration is the easiest manual way. It requires cutting mailboxes from Exchange 2010 and pasting these mailboxes into Office 365. A cutover migration is probably a lengthy process. It also asks for pre-planning, and more steps in the cutover migration are:
- Make sure Exchange 2010 is up-to-date for the SP3 pattern and disable dir sync and combined messaging.
- Make sure Outlook Anywhere is enabled on Exchange Server 2010.
- Grant the relevant permissions ordered for the accounts used for the Microsoft Hosted Exchange migration.
- To organize security groups in Office 365, Add a new mail-enabled security group in Office 365.
- Execute a domain confirmation in Office 365.
- Set up the migration endpoint toward the Exchange Admin Center.
- Add cutover batch for mailbox migration and wait for it to perform for MX re-routing.
Hybrid deployment:
Hybrid Exchange Server 2010 and Office 365 is a method in which on-premises Exchange and Exchange Online synchronize. A hybrid deployment is an updated version of formed Migration for Exchange Server 2003 and 2007. Mostly Hybrid migration is applied when there are several data to migrate, and the process is time-consuming. Additionally, it is the only native way that helps the migration of up to 2000 Exchange mailboxes. It is suitable if you are keeping 150 mailboxes and more. A given Hybrid Configuration Wizard (HCW) has to be used to enable the hybrid situation.
PST import method
This manual method involves the import of PST files into user mailboxes. This method is the ultimate and the short-term preferred Exchange 2010 to Office 365 migration plan. The usual way is, migrate Exchange 2010 mailboxes to PST files and then import these PST files to the Office 365 mailboxes. It expects a lot of manual effort appending setting up the Office 365 environment.
If you are using the native method to migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365, then there are several drawbacks which are listed below:
- To migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365 the configuration is a very time-consuming process manually.
- These are a very complex method and does not provide 100% assurance of success.
- You might lose some files while migrating mailboxes between servers exchange.
- Manually, if the process gets interrupted, you have to restart from the beginning.
Evenly, native methods are lengthy and a time-taking to migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365.
To eliminate the drawbacks of the manual method, I suggest using a professional third-party method that helps to migrate Exchange 2013 to Office 365.
Shoviv Exchange Server Suite:
Shoviv Exchange Server Suite is the most efficient solution to migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365. This tool allows users to add and migrate single or multiple mailboxes into Office 365. Shoviv Exchange Server Suite follows fruitfully in migrating the mailbox as well as its convenience. This automated software is hugely recommendable as it supports all variants of the Exchange Server. Throughout the exporting progress, one can also use the filter feature by which users can filter items as per the necessity.
Shoviv Exchange Server Suite can make honest the recovering and exporting of various file formats. From first to last, this tool provides several user-oriented features to make migrating Exchange 2010 to Office 365 hassle-free.
- Effortlessly add multiple mailboxes as a source for migrating and saving them in Office 365.
- It enables saving the source items to the local directory in various formats like MSG, RTF, EML, CAL, and VCAL.
- The software displays a preview of the added mailboxes’ items. Users can also preview the meta properties of the items.
- Import EDB files into Office 365 mailboxes, PST files, and Live Exchange.
- A superior option of Incremental Export/Backup in PST files
- Import Office 365 Mailboxes & vice-versa and Live Exchange.
- The software offers a free trial version that allows the migration of the first 50 items.
Migrate Exchange 2010 to Office 365 step by step:
Step1: Launch the Shoviv Exchange Server suite, then go to the ribbon bar and click “Add source.
Step2: Following, select the “Exchange server mailboxes” option. Then give the required credentials and click Next.
Step3: Now, make a right-click on the source list and select “Export mailboxes into Office 365”.
Step4: Later, Check/Uncheck subfolders and make a click on the Next.
Step5: Now, choose the “Fetch All mailboxes from Office 365” option, then give the User ID and Password and click Next
Step6: Next, use the filter option on the Message Class & Item Date basis, then click Next to begin the migration.
Step7: Once the process completes, a message “Process Completed Successfully” will be performed.
Step8: You can save the full report in HTML format by clicking on Save Report Button and click the Finish when all done.
Final words:
Exchange to Office 365 migration tool manually is a hectic task, and I do not suggest native methods. Especially if you’re a non-technocrat, manually, a single misstep can make all your Exchange 2010 mailboxes inaccessible. Before investing time and money in the native method, use the Free version of the Shoviv Exchange Server Suite. At last, it depends on you what you choose, risk of data loss and technical process with manual method or effortless migration with Shoviv Exchange Server Suite.