Migrating from Exchange On-Premises to a Cloud-Based Email Solution

Introduction

As Microsoft prepares to phase out support for the on-premise Exchange Server 2016 and 2019, businesses are increasingly turning to secure cloud-based email platforms. Switching to a cloud-based email solution is a smart move, especially with Microsoft announcing the end of life (EOL).

What is meant by end of support, and why you should be concerned?

While businesses can continue using Exchange 2016 or 2019 beyond the official end-of-support date, Microsoft will not be providing continuous support or security updates, which means:

• No more updates: As Microsoft phases out support for Exchange 2016 and 2019, you will not get security updates, patches, or new features. This can expose your business to security vulnerabilities and compliance issues.
• No more technical assistance: Without support, troubleshooting any issues becomes more complicated, potentially impacting your business operations.

Benefits of a cloud-based hosted email solution

Transitioning from an on-premises Exchange environment to a cloud solution offers advantages such as greater flexibility, improved security, and reduced operational complexity. Some of the benefits of migrating to a cloud-based email solution include:

• Growing your business: Cloud platforms are designed to grow with your business, making it easier to scale or upgrade without significant investment in new infrastructure.
• Subscription model: With cloud-based services, you typically pay on a subscription basis, often with fewer upfront costs. This can be more predictable for budgeting, and you avoid the need for maintaining physical servers and their associated costs (e.g., power, cooling, storage, etc.).
• Reliability: Cloud providers offer robust uptime guarantees (often 99.9% or higher), and most have built-in redundancies and disaster recovery solutions to protect your business from data loss or service interruptions.
• Security: Cloud platforms typically offer better security features, including end-to-end encryption, spam filtering, and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Collaboration tools: With Zoho Workplace, you get integrated collaboration tools such as file storage (Zoho WorkDrive), an internal message platform for team discussions (Zoho Cliq), real-time document editing (Writer, Sheet, Show), video conferencing (Zoho Meeting), intranet for your announcements and town halls (Zoho Connect), and a secure password vault (Zoho Vault). These can boost productivity and streamline your operations.

How to identify a cloud-based service provider

While a cloud-based email has various advantages, such as collaboration and increased productivity, it is critical that you prioritize the security features to protect your business from increasing cyber threats. Here is how to choose a secure email provider:

• End-to-end encryption: Emails are encrypted during transmission and storage, making it difficult for unauthorized parties to access the content.
• Spam and phishing protection: Advanced filters block spam, phishing attempts, and malicious links.
• Malware and virus scanning: Real-time scanning of attachments and links detects and blocks malware or viruses.
• Two-factor authentication (TFA): Adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification beyond a password.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Prevents sensitive information from being sent outside the organization by mistake.
• Impersonation protection: Detects and blocks attempts to impersonate employees or vendors, protecting against business email compromise (BEC).
• Compliance features: These tools ensure adherence to data protection regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA.
• Audit logs and reporting: Provides visibility into email activity to help identify and respond to suspicious behavior.
• Zero-trust architecture: Limits access to emails and attachments based on user identity and device security.
• Backup and recovery: Ensures that emails can be restored in case of accidental deletion or a cyberattack.

Together, these features help protect your email communication and secure sensitive business data.

Migrating to a cloud-based email solution

Organizations that have their email hosted with on-premise Exchange 2016 or 2019 must now move to a fully hosted cloud-based solution to prevent data loss and combat against increasing security threats.

The following sections will guide you to set up and test the email solution via a Proof of Concept (POC) and deploy it for the entire organization. It provides detailed steps to help you migrate smoothly based on your organization size and other requirements.

Steps involved in the transition

For any organization—regardless of the number of mailboxes, add-ons, collaboration tools, or integration needs—assessing the existing setup is vital to migrate to a cloud-based email solution efficiently. Planning your migration is crucial for a seamless transition without too much downtime and data loss.

Assess your existing setup in Microsoft Exchange

The first step before moving to the cloud is to conduct an environment study and thoroughly assess your current on-premise Exchange setup. This includes:

• Exchange version: Identify the version of the Exchange server in use (e.g., Exchange 2016 or 2019), including details such as server configuration, hardware, and the number of mailboxes.
• Mailbox sizes: Identifying the size of individual mailboxes and archives is critical to estimating migration timelines and resources.
• Hybrid configuration: If you have an existing hybrid setup (split delivery between on-premise and cloud), ensure you evaluate how this will integrate with your migration to the cloud.

Plan your migration approach

Now that you have assessed your existing environment, you can plan your migration based on your organization's mailbox size requirement.

Cutover migration

This method is ideal for small businesses with less than 150 mailboxes. It involves migrating all mailboxes to Zoho Workplace at the same time. Cutover migration provides quick results but requires careful timing to minimize disruption.

Staged migration

Best for businesses with more than 150 mailboxes, migration occurs in batches, allowing organizations to move users to the cloud over time. This allows ample time for the transition, change management, and training the employees during the transition time.

It also minimizes downtime and allows for a more controlled transition.

Migration for enterprises

It is recommended that large enterprises or businesses with specific needs, such as hybrid setup (split delivery), third-party integration requirements, or compliance regulations follow industry best practices for migrating from one email solution to another. Below is a summary of how enterprises can approach migrating their organization mailboxes to a cloud-based solution.

Note: The steps given below are not exhaustive. The contents of this article serve as a start-up guide for organizations to migrate from an on-premise email solution to a cloud-based provider. For end-to-end details, get in touch with our experts.

• Environmental study (platform compatibility)
  • Collaboration suite requirements
  • Contacts sync (in case of hybrid setup)
  • Calendar interoperability
  • MDM
  • Third-party integrations (e.g., email protection, archival, DLP)
• Infrastructure requirements based on compliance and regulatory norms
• Extensive spam filtering and phishing configurations via the Admin Console
• POC with minimal administrators and users
• Test migration for early adopters
• Go live/velocity migration in batches
• Change management via webinars

Execute the migration

Once you complete the initial data gathering, you can commence the POC setup. This process can be broken down into several steps and can differ based on your requirements:

Step 1: Set up your organization in Zoho Workplace: Sign up for a Zoho Workplace account.

Step 2: Custom domain setup: Add and verify your domain by updating DNS records.

Step 3: Configure coexistence (if applicable)

Coexistence setup: Configure settings for email flow (split or dual delivery) and user access to ensure a smooth transition during the migration process.

Step 4: Migrate POC accounts: Zoho supports migrating using the Exchange Online Migration Tool for moving mailboxes from on-premise Exchange to Zoho Mail.

Step 5: Validate the migration 

Step 6: Test email flow: After migrating mailboxes, ensure that email is routed correctly between on-premise Exchange and Zoho Workplace account.

Step 7: Verify user access: Confirm that users can access their new cloud mailboxes via the web.

Step 8: Check data integrity: Ensure that all emails, contacts, calendars, and other data have been successfully migrated.

Training and support

Encourage users to take part in webinars and go through the help articles available online. Zoho Workplace provides 24x7 email, call, and chat support to assist users with migration-related queries and any other issues after onboarding.