By Sam | February 11, 2020

What Does Migration to Office 365 Look Like?

No two credit unions are exactly alike. So, migration to Office 365 looks a little different for each credit union. However, there are still several general steps that remain the same through any migration.

In this blog, we’ll look at a few of the most common phases of migration to Office 365 for credit unions. If we don’t answer all of your questions, fear not! We’ll give you a chance to ask us anything at the end.

Steps to Office 365 Migration for Credit Unions

One thing we should note right up front:

These are the steps we take at Ongoing Operations when we help credit unions migrate. We can speak only for our own experience and process. If you’re trying to manage migration in-house, your steps might look slightly different.

Still, nothing wrong with a rough blueprint, right? Let’s get started.

1.    Set up for migration

We start by setting up your Office 365 environment and configurations in your target environment. Basically, before we start migrating, we want to have something to migrate to.

2.    Get mailboxes moved

We use a little fancy software to migrate your mailbox from your legacy server to the cloud.

This step doesn’t mean that you’re fully moved over yet. Like the previous step, this just ensures that when you do move, you’ve got something to move into.

3.    Training

Imagine if you got a fancy new desk from Ikea, but it came without instructions. Sure, you could figure it out for yourself, but it will take a lot longer, you’ll be frustrated, and you’ll wonder why you have all those leftover parts…

Training helps your credit union hit the ground running. You’ll learn how to use Microsoft’s new and updated tools.

4.    Schedule move

We schedule mail cutovers for weekends. It minimizes the impact of losing mail for any period of time. Plus, it gives a little lead time before Monday to fix any problems that might occur.

5.    Route mailboxes over

After mailboxes have been moved, set up, and cut over, we route them over.

Boom! It’s live.

6.    Clean up

After the whole mail debacle, there are usually a few little loose ends to tie up. We help to configure rules and settings, answer questions, and get everything running as smoothly as it did before.

Further Reading

What are the Top Security Concerns with Microsoft Office 365 for credit unions?

Why Should Credit Unions Move To Office 365

The 5 Most Common Questions About Migrating to Office 365

The truth is that a lot of practice and a little migration software make the whole process bearable (and dare we say, easy). However, this blog only outlines how we handle migrations to Office 365 for credit unions.

If you’re handling migration in house, then you must be very brave. And you surely have many questions. We’re happy to help you with those.

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