In the third part of a six-part email migration from on-premises Exchange server to Exchange Online series, we will be discussing about choosing the perfect migration method for your organization. As a migration administrator, you must decide the right type of migration method based on the available resources to get optimal results.
Note: Refer to the best practices to be followed before migrating and permissions required to perform migration.
To migrate all mail data, contacts, calendar items, and tasks from on-premises mailboxes to Microsoft 365 you have three widely used methods:
- Cutover migration.
- Staged migration.
- Minimal hybrid migration.
Choosing the proper migration methods depends mainly on three factors:
- Exchange Server version.
- Number of mailboxes.
- Migration time span.
The migration matrix – Decide on the best migration method for your organization with this matrix
| Exchange Server version |
Number of mailboxes |
Migration time span |
Migration method |
| Exchange Server 2003 or 2007 |
Fewer than 150 |
2 - few days |
Cutover |
| Fewer than 150 |
Longer span |
Staged |
| Over 150 |
2 - few days |
Staged |
| Over 150 |
Longer span |
Staged |
| Exchange Server 2003 or 2007 |
Fewer than 150 |
2 - few days |
Cutover |
| Fewer than 150 |
Longer span |
Minimal Hybrid |
| Over 150 |
2 - few days |
Minimal Hybrid |
| Over 150 |
Longer span |
Minimal Hybrid |
Once the migration is initiated, you have M365 Manager Plus to help you keep track of the migration process using pre-defined and intuitive reports.
About M365 Manager Plus and migration statistics report
M365 Manager Plus is a comprehensive Microsoft 365 reporting, management, monitoring, auditing, and alerting tool. It provides reports on Exchange server to Exchange Online migration statistics. Follow the steps given below to generate migration statistics report using M365 Manager Plus.
- Click on the Reports tab.
- Navigate to Exchange Online > Mailbox Reports > General Mailbox Reports.
- Choose the Migration Statistics report.
- Select the corresponding Microsoft 365 Tenant.
- Click on Generate Now.
Why choose M365 Manager Plus for your Microsoft 365 organization?
- Reports with advanced features: Offers 700+ pre-configured reports with attribute and condition-based filters. The reports are geolocation-enabled.
- Historical data and storage: Generates reports even for data that is older than 180 days. The audit logs can be stored for an indefinite period.
- Customizable dashboard: Offers customizable dashboards to help you get a quick peek at the summarized data. These dashboards can also be embedded in your web pages to enable constant monitoring.
- Report scheduler: Reports can be scheduled to be generated and emailed to the stakeholders at regular intervals. This reduces the arduous job of manual report generation.
- Report exporting: Reports can be exported to PDF, XLSX, HTML, or CSV formats and saved in the local computer for future reference.
- Templates and automation: Helps manage Microsoft 365 objects like users, contacts and groups in bulk. Create templates for user provisioning and automating other Microsoft 365 tasks.
- Customizable templates: Set rules to auto-populate fields and create your own custom naming formats and password policies for the templates.
- Secure delegation: Delegate the task of report generation to technicians and IT staffs without giving them elevated rights and access over Microsoft 365 objects. Create your own custom roles with just enough granular permission.
- Virtual tenants: Create customizable virtual tenants, and delegate it to the technicians to perform help desk activities.
Click here to learn more about how M365 Manager Plus offers simple solution for complex Microsoft 365 issues.
