Were you one of the organizations in Eugene that migrated to Microsoft 365 in a hurry last year? Have you been unimpressed with the results? If the answer is yes, running a post-migration check-up could help you identify the areas that are making your experience sub-par.
A post-migration check will give you peace of mind that no opportunities are left untapped. For instance, if you were to do a house remodel, installing a new fireplace and gas stove, you’ll need to have a fire inspection before you can fully move-in to make sure there are no hazards. Same goes with a post-migration checklist. In the post-migration, you will have to consider mailbox migration, licenses, and permissions, as well as cybersecurity and end-user training.
So here you have it, a list of post-migration considerations that in our experience as Microsoft certified consultants, we cover with our clients. It’s all about making the rollout smooth and driving higher adoption.
First, you have to redirect end-user mailboxes to Microsoft 365. There are a few methods to achieve this. You can either do a cut-over migration, where you move multiple mailboxes at once or use the IMAP protocol. This depends on the on-premise Exchange solution you had in place and if it supports IMAP protocol or not. Second, you need to make sure all devices that require access to email accounts are pointing to Microsoft 365 and syncing properly.
What if I’m migrating from Gsuite to Microsoft 365? Gmail mailboxes also utilize IMAP protocol so the email redirection can be completed via IMAP configuration. If your organization is looking to also migrate calendars and contact information, you need to complete a full Gsuite Migration, which might require additional steps and we can help you with that.
Backup is your organization’s safety net and essential for business continuity. Organizations incorrectly assume that their data on the cloud is immune to data loss. While Microsoft 365 is extremely secure, it cannot protect you from data loss!
Having a dependable backup and recovery solution will enable you to quickly recover emails and data in the event of a breach. Make sure that your new environment is being automatically and reliably backed up.
After you’ve completed your Microsoft 365 migration, it is important to review the configuration of your Sharepoint and OneDrive. Make sure all your content has replicated across correctly, and is visible and available to the your users. If this is not the case, you can use Microsoft Sharepoint Migration Toolbox to reorganize and reconfigure your new Sharepoint environment, or you can contact a Microsoft 365 certified partner to guide you in this process.
This step will truly make or break your end-user experience. You want to make sure that the right users have the right applications and can access them from any device. Once you have effectively migrated the mailboxes, make sure you pair end-users with the right Microsoft 365 license, and that the user permissions for Sharepoint and OneDrive are accurate.
Domain Name System (DNS) is essentially the phonebook of the internet. Every time you type a website url, like “yourcompany.com”, the DNS record will translate that domain name to an IP address and establish a connection.
Once you are using Microsoft 365, DNS remains vital to having a quality user experience, as it will help the users to connect their mailboxes to Outlook email clients, as well as other mobile clients.
You could create an Autodiscover DNS record to ensure that when your users attempt to configure a new Outlook profile, the client will look up your Microsoft 365 DNS record, and not discover your On-Premise Exchange Server. Check here, for more information about DNS and Autodiscover.
Based on the Cloud Security Shared Responsibility Model, end-users are responsible for enabling application and infrastructure security layers. The good news is that Microsoft 365 makes a variety of security features available to enhance application and infrastructure security; these can be activated and configured through the Microsoft 365 Security Center.
For instance, from small businesses to large enterprises, implementing measures such as Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) should be a high priority. Make sure you set up MFA using mobile devices to guarantee the right users have access to the right data, at any given time.
Pro Tip: “Use Microsoft Azure Active Directory for Access Control as it isolates customers using tenant containers as security boundaries to safeguard a customer’s content so that the content cannot be accessed or compromised by co-tenants.” – Microsoft Advice
Deploy an enablement and training program.
Communication is the first thing to consider for user enablement. Send an email to all your end-users with information including:
For enablement and training, you can use Microsoft 365 resources and run the training yourself, or you can partner with a Microsoft Consultant to run those for you. Regardless of the option you choose, don’t forget that every successful adoption program has three key areas, so make sure to include these:
If you decided to roll out Microsoft Teams as your collaboration hub, here are a few Key Metrics for Measuring a Successful Adoption of Teams.
Once you have completed your Microsoft 365 migration, these steps will help you run a post-migration checklist. These considerations ensure a seamless transition to your Microsoft 365 environment, and also promise a high return on your investment, as employees will feel comfortable and safe using the applications.
Need some help with your migration or post-migration checklist? We can help. Give us a call to learn how.