Switching to Microsoft 365: what to prepare
If your business is moving its email to Microsoft 365, we handle the move itself. But what comes along depends on where you're coming from. Here's what you should know and do in advance.
What comes along?
| Content | Domeneshop and other IMAP | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Email and folders | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar | No, export it yourself | Yes |
| Contacts | No, export them yourself | Yes |
| Files | Not applicable | Yes, Google Drive to OneDrive or SharePoint |
| Google Docs, Sheets and Slides | Not applicable | Yes, converted to Word, Excel and PowerPoint |
| Chat history | Not applicable | No |
Domeneshop and most smaller providers only offer IMAP, which covers email only. Calendars and contacts live in their webmail and must be exported before the move. From Google Workspace, we use a migration tool that brings over calendars, contacts and files automatically.
Coming from Domeneshop or another IMAP provider?
Do this before the move. If you're unsure, we're happy to help.
- Export your contacts. Sign in to your provider's webmail, go to contacts and export them to a vCard file (.vcf). Store it somewhere safe.
- Export your calendar. Go to the calendar and download it as an .ics file.
- Note your settings. Forwarding rules, aliases and sender addresses you use. They need to be set up again in Microsoft 365.
After the move, you import the files in Outlook: select File, Open & Export and Import/Export. We can help with that too.
Coming from Google Workspace?
- Clean up Google Drive. Delete what you don't need, and the move goes faster.
- Give us a user list. Who is moving, and what email addresses do they have?
- Pick a time. We recommend a quiet period, ideally a Friday afternoon. You can keep using Gmail until we switch over.
What we do
- Map out users, mailboxes and any Drive content.
- Create the Microsoft 365 accounts and connect the domain.
- Move the content. Large mailboxes can take a few hours.
- Change the MX records in DNS so new email is delivered to Microsoft 365.
- Set up Outlook on PC and mobile.
- Check the result and follow up on any issues.
Downtime
No email is lost. When the MX records change, it usually takes less than an hour before all new email lands in Microsoft 365, since we lower the TTL in advance. In some cases it takes a few hours. In the meantime, some email may still arrive at the old provider, and we bring that along too. Your email addresses stay the same afterwards.