Microsoft Office 365 Migrations Isn’t Something You Should Try On Your Own
A common concern that we hear from clients is that they need to move their Office 365 to a new tenant. Using Office 365 is easy, but migrating it isn’t. Moving an account away from Microsoft or another Office 365 reseller requires a full data migration.
One of our clients was breaking away from a larger organization and needed a Microsoft Office 365 partner to help them move their existing Office 365 Exchange Online mailboxes to a new tenant. We configured their new O365 tenant, created the users, distribution groups, public folders, migrated the mail, and reconfigured the endpoints.
Sound easy, right? It’s not. We’ll tell you why.
First, download our recent Microsoft Office 365 Migration case study
First – What Is A Tenant?
A tenant is a term used for an Office 365 organization. The tenant is a container for items such as users, domains, subscriptions, etc. It’s for your organization only and is in a sandbox environment for your IT assets.
A sandbox creates an operational environment where the execution and processes of software testing aren’t affected by other programs that are running. The environment is housed within the Office 365 Data Center.
How Do You Construct A Tenant?
When constructing a tenant for your organization, we register two different Domain Name Server (DNS) entries by default. For example, if the tenant name we choose is johndoe, the two DNS entries that must be created are as follows:
- johndoe.onmicrosoft.com
- johndoe.sharepoint.com
The default domain for the tenant will be a user’s name plus the tenant name. For example, a login/email address like suedoe@johndoe.onmicrosoft.com.
There’s no cost for a tenant. But there is for the subscriptions you have and the number of licenses you need (such as Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint Online, etc.).
Is All This Worth It?
Yes…Why? Because Microsoft Office 365’s cloud-based service provides you and your staff with anytime access to the popular Office suite of applications.
With Microsoft Office 365 You Can:
Work Remotely: Access your applications and work files from wherever you have an internet-accessible device.
- Collaborate: Your team can co-author a document simultaneously with real-time access. No more emailing large files and worrying about version control. You can also share documents with clients during all stages of a project.
- Communicate: Your team members can take advantage of Skype for Business to communicate with each other via audio or visual conversations throughout all stages of a project.
- Use Enhanced Email: You’ll have access to the latest capabilities in Outlook, such as the Boomerang feature. This provides comprehensive email management where you can review and send messages at different times, get recipient reply notifications, and take advantage of improved scheduling in the Outlook calendar. Outlook can also determine your most relevant emails and place them into a separate folder. Use Clutter to de-clutter your inbox based on the preferences that you set.
- Manage Projects: Use Microsoft Planner so your team can work together, plan a project, organize a timetable and, assign tasks. Use Microsoft Tasks so your team can combine their tasks into one centralized location in Outlook. This makes it easy to track progress. And, they can use OneNote to construct to-do lists and convert them to tasks with deadlines, along with reminders in their calendars in Outlook.
There are a lot more things that make migrating Microsoft Office 365 worth doing.
Don’t Try To Migrate Office 365 On Your Own
That’s why we’re here for you. OSG ensures your computing environment is up and running 24/7, that your technology environment is secure and protected at all times, and that you’re getting the best value for your IT dollars.
Our clients tell us that they experience immediate and positive results with us as their IT provider, with fewer failures, greater employee productivity, and savings on IT support costs – something every organization needs.
Contact us in Naperville, IL to learn more about Microsoft Office 365, and to schedule a complimentary IT Assessment for your business.
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