Before You Migrate: Key Steps Toward a Smooth Microsoft 365 Move

If your organization hasn’t yet begun its planned Microsoft 365 migration, now is the time to start because the holidays are just around the corner. While many companies have already migrated to Microsoft 365 (previously known as Office 365) there are still plenty of organizations that haven’t, and the good news is that Microsoft has made it easier over the past ten years to do so. Like any major IT initiative of course, proper planning is often the difference between success and frustration. Let’s review some of the preliminaries to help you set the stage for a smooth, well-executed migration.

What Microsoft 365 Migration Entails

Migrating to Office 365 entails the transfer of email, calendars, contacts, and other data from an existing email system to Microsoft’s cloud-based platform. There are four approaches to handling migration and it’s important to understand which one is best for your organization:

• Cutover Migration: This is the simplest approach and typically the best choice for organizations with fewer than 2,000 mailboxes. Here everything is migrated in a single wave. Advantages include its simplicity and speed, but it needs to be done during off hours as users will be unable to access either system during the process.
• Hybrid Migration: This incremental approach migrates mailboxes and data in batches through an established hybrid configuration, allowing users to access both on-premises and cloud environments simultaneously. A hybrid approach offers tremendous flexibility as migrations can flow in either direction, moving mailboxes from cloud back to on-premises if business or compliance needs change. For large organizations with complex infrastructure or coexistence needs running Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016, or 2019, this is probably the best option.
• IMAP Migration: If you are migrating from a non-Exchange email system such as GMAIL or other IMAP-compliant system, then an IMAP migration is your option. The process is not as streamlined as it requires a CSV file with usernames, email addresses and passwords for each mailbox being migrated. Note that it only transfers email messages and folders, not migrate contacts, calendar items, or tasks. Once the migration is completed, the MX record must be updated to route new emails to Office 365.
• Staged Migration: This legacy approach is only viable for those still running Exchange 2003 or 2007. Like hybrid migrations, staged migrations move mailboxes in batches and maintain user access to both environments during the transition. Because this method comes with certain limitations and prerequisites, you should refer to Microsoft documentation before attempting it.

Licensing

Once you have decided upon plan of attack, you need to get your licensing in order. Microsoft 365 operates under a variety of subscription packages that include:

• Business Plans: Designed for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with up to 300 users per plan.
• Enterprise Plans: Designed for larger organizations of unlimited users that have more advanced IT needs and security features.
• Frontline Worker Plan: Designed for employees in roles such as retail associates, factory workers, healthcare staff, and field technicians who need essential communication tools without advanced features. The plan includes Teams chat, a basic mailbox with storage limitations, and mobile versions of core Office applications.
• Education/Government/Nonprofit Plans: These are specialized plans with discounted pricing for eligible organizations. Each is modeled closely after the standard Enterprise options.

Business vs Enterprise

Each package includes multiple models that offer different options. Business Plans are structured into three tiers to match your organization's needs. The first option is Business Basic, which provides web and mobile versions of Office apps, Microsoft Teams, Exchange, and SharePoint. Business Standard builds on this foundation by adding desktop versions of Office apps for full offline productivity. Business Premium delivers the complete package with everything in Standard plus Microsoft Defender for Business and Azure AD Premium P1 for advanced device and identity management.

Enterprise Plans scale to support larger organizations with more complex requirements:

• E1: Offers web-based Office apps, Teams, Exchange Online, and basic security features.
• E3: Adds desktop apps, cloud storage, and advanced compliance tools.
• E5: Includes everything in E3, plus advanced security, Power BI Pro, and audio conferencing

Note these plans have various size restrictions when it comes to Exchange inbox and OneDrive. If you want to find out which license option is best suited for your business, contact IntegraONE who can explain each plan with precise clarity, assess your needs and recommend the optimal plan to maximize both functionality and value for your business.