From Hosted Exchange to Microsoft 365:
Email Modernization for a Growing Company
Scaling Up With Modernized Email and Streamlined Licensing Costs
Overview
A property management company with about 50 users and 20 properties, was using a hosted exchange service by another provider for their email.
Abel Solutions helped them migrate their email to Microsoft 365 and consolidate and simplify their licensing.
Why Migrate to Microsoft 365?
The primary driver for this migration was that the hosted exchange service that the customer was using was being discontinued by the provider.
Additionally, Microsoft 365 is the gold standard for business email for many reasons, including:
- Security: Microsoft 365 provides enterprise-grade security measures to protect against spam, malware, and known threats.
- Reliability: Microsoft 365 has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring that your email is always accessible.
- Integration: Microsoft 365 seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft applications, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, allowing for seamless collaboration and increased productivity.
- Scalability: Microsoft 365 can easily scale to accommodate the needs of businesses of all sizes.
Furthermore, since some properties were already leveraging Microsoft 365 for email, but others weren’t, invoicing for the licensing was complicated and difficult for the customer to understand exactly what they were paying for.
The Migration Process
The main challenge was to migrate the email data and set up new Outlook profiles for each user without disrupting their service.
During the migration process, the Abel Solutions team maintained clear and open communication with the customer to ensure a smooth transition. End-users were informed about the migration timeline and what to expect during the process.
Mailbox migrations happened overnight. The next morning, the Abel Solutions team worked with each end-user to set up a new Outlook profile for them, pointing to the new location.
By keeping the customer informed and addressing any concerns promptly, we were able to complete the migration successfully with minimal disruption to their email service.
Results and Next Steps
Ultimately, the project took about two weeks to complete, and Abel Solutions migrated the email of nine properties that weren’t already on Microsoft 365 and consolidated their licensing.
This resulted in several positive business outcomes, including:
- Lower licensing costs for the customer.
- Easier billing and better understanding of what the customer is paying for.
- Better email security for the customer.
Looking to the future, the next steps for this customer include implementing cybersecurity measures to protect their network and devices from potential breaches.