Moving to Microsoft 365: what to plan
- A good move is mostly planning: who has what, what moves, when you switch and how people sign in.
- Do it on a quiet day, with backups, and keep the old system until the new one is proven.
Steps
- List people and mailboxes. Who needs email, who shares a mailbox, which phones and apps use it.
- List files and where they live. Shared drives, old servers, laptops, scanners that send email. Decide what moves and what to throw away.
- Choose the plan. Match the plan to what people need. Ask a pro to explain the differences and the real monthly cost for your headcount.
- Check your domain records. Your domain settings direct your email. They must be changed at the right moment, and only by someone who knows how.
- Back up first. Before you move anything, make a copy of mail and files.
- Move mail and files, then test. Move in stages. Ask two people to test before everyone switches.
- Turn on MFA and set rules. Do this at the start, not as a later job.
- Train the team. A short session on where files live, how to share and how to spot phishing.
- Keep the old system for a while. Do not turn it off until everyone confirms their data is there.
Common problems
- Email goes missing for a day because the domain records changed at the wrong time.
- Scanners and old apps stop sending email.
- Files are moved but sharing rules are not, so people cannot find or open them.
- No one told the team, and the first morning is chaos.
Read more on our Microsoft 365 and cloud migration page.
When to call a pro
- You have an old server you want to retire.
- You use email on many phones and devices.
- You cannot afford a day without email.
- You do not know who controls your domain name.
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Common questions
How long does a move take?
For a small team it can be a few days of planning and a quiet weekend for the switch. A bigger or messier setup takes longer.
Will I lose old email?
Not if the move is done properly and you back up first.
Do I need to buy new computers?
Usually not. Most computers that run well today can use Microsoft 365. Ask a pro to check the oldest ones.
Keep reading
- New office IT setup checklist
- How to set up MFA for your team
- My emails land in my customers' spam folder
Where we help
Minority- and Black-owned businesses are welcome here, and so is every other small business.
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