I'm a small business owner managing a remote team of 6-10 users. We've been using Google Workspace for our email setup which was set up by our former partner, but we actually prefer Microsoft 365 and Outlook. Recently, I faced a big issue when my email froze for 3 hours, which made me realize I need to migrate all our users' data from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365. I want to know the best steps to take for this migration, how to save all our historical data, and ensure minimal disruption to our 24/7 operations as we handle sensitive customer information. I really want to move away from the IMAP setup we've been using. What should I do?
3 Answers
Just a heads-up, linking personal emails with business accounts—especially when dealing with sensitive info—is risky. It's good that you're aware and looking to fix it! Make sure to have a solid plan for the migration and double-check everything before you cut over to Microsoft 365.
To start your migration, you'll want to create a user account for each team member in Microsoft 365 and assign the necessary licenses. Next, add and verify your domain in Microsoft 365 without changing your MX records just yet. After that, I recommend using Google Takeout to export your data. Microsoft has a migration tool specifically for Google Workspace which should help you shift emails and calendars seamlessly. Just remember to do this during off-peak hours to avoid disrupting your business too much!
Thanks for the tips! I agree, taking it slow is definitely the way to go—especially with so much data.
Don’t rush this process! Set everything up carefully and consider doing it in phases if you're concerned about downtime. Make sure to have backups in case anything goes wrong during the migration. Each user's data transfer might take time based on how much email they have.
Definitely! I'm trying to be more careful and make things right now.