Once you’ve determined the type of migration you
want to perform, you can expect to go through some or all of the following
steps to migrate your email to the cloud:
Stage
|
Description |
Steps |
| 1. |
Pre-Migration |
Make sure your new hosted email solution can import email from your
current platform. If you are moving from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange, you
may need to take extra steps to ensure that all email-related data is imported
(or rely on a trusted third-party to prepare your legacy data). |
| 2. |
Set-Up Users |
After you signup for your hosted solution, you can setup new users,
establish storage limits, create aliases/distribution lists and create
SharePoint sites and/or top-level public folders via a web-based Administrator
(or Management) Console. This is the equivalent of setting up Active Directory
in Microsoft Exchange. |
| 3. |
Create New Profile |
If you are moving to Hosted Exchange, you need to create a new Outlook
profile. A profile is what Outlook uses to remember the email accounts and
settings that tell Outlook where your email is stored.
NOTE: In many cases, your
solution provider equips you with scripts to automate the creation of new
profiles for your users. |
| 4. |
Perform Migration |
As part of your migration, you can forward email from your old server to
your new hosted mailbox to ensure you capture all email during the migration
process (if you are in a split domain environment). In Exchange, you can export
your current emails to a .PST file through your Outlook client or various
third-party tools (sometimes provided by your hosting company), and use various
tools to upload your .PST files to your new hosted email provider. |
| 5. |
Update MX Records |
An MX Record tells senders how to send email for your domain. When your
domain is registered, it is assigned several DNS records, which enable it to be
located on the Internet. These include MX Records, which direct the domain’s
mail flow. Each MX Record points to an email server that is configured to
process mail for that domain. There is typically one record that points to a
primary server, then additional records that point to one or more backup
servers. For users to send and receive email, their domain's MX Records must
point to a server that can process their mail. |
| 6. |
Start Using Your New Solution |
Once you have registered your domain and updated your MX Records, you
can start using your cloud-based email solution. NOTE: Newly registered domains
can require up to 48 hours before full activation. Contact your domain
registrar for details. |
| 7. |
Regular Backups |
Once you are up and running on your new solution, you should perform
regular backups or use an archiving solution as a best practice. Some solutions
let you schedule daily, weekly or monthly backups of entire mailboxes or select
folders to .PST file format for online and/or offline storage. Make sure you
can restore these messages to your mailbox. |
A Final Word About Migration
No
one likes the feeling of being trapped, and knowing that you can move from one cloud
email provider to another is an important consideration when selecting a
service provider. Email archiving can help provide a secondary backup and
insurance policy for your email data (since it captures every email you send or
receive in a centralized repository) in the event you switch email providers
down the road. |
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