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Journey to the cloud Moving 235,000 mailboxes to the cloud seemed daunting. But with the endless advantages of a cloud-based platform and Office 365, we knew we wanted to be the first to make the move and forge the path ahead. Why the cloud? Network egress We reached our max threshold for proxy egress, causing major network slowdowns Cross-premises feature gaps (hybrid) Lack of mailbox delegation support on cross-premises was problematic Organization restrictions Legacy systems weren’t always compatible with the new technology A challenging move We knew we'd encounter some challenges moving 235,000 mailboxes to the cloud. Our process for migration In preparation for our move, we put together a three-phased approach. This plan allowed us to minimize risks and establish “execute and adjust” steps within each phase. After an executive-level email was sent to employees announcing support for our move to the cloud, and with employees primed for the change, we jumped right in. Access services anywhere, anytime Business continuity and disaster recovery First to the cloud let us work out any kinks Always up-to-date features with almost unlimited capacity How Microsoft is moving 235,000+ mailboxes to the cloud (Office 365) We’re excited to share our journey and show you how Microsoft does IT, and how we made the journey to move our Exchange mailboxes to the cloud. 1 We began with 5,000 volunteer users to root out any initial issues We underwent validation testing to fix any bugs and glitches We monitored each migration batch, documented escalations, and logged helpdesk issues The pilot 2 We moved the mailboxes of users that would experience the lowest possible impact first, at a rate of 4,500 each week We created check-points with internal business partners each week to review impacts We continually updated user communications, including email and internal web portals The initial volume 3 We established a process to continually schedule 1,500 users per day We used a white glove approach for migrating executives' mailboxes, and scaled those best practices for all users The IT Exchange Services team matured into seasoned veterans—gaining the trust of Exchange users We monitored and ensured a quality client experience across multiple protocols, applications, and networks We grew confident that our infrastructure could support high volumes, and established a clear escalation path for any issues The continuous volume What the cloud means for enterprises It means that enterprises will no longer need to manage their on-premises mailboxes. No maintenance, no datacenters, no disasters—all with business continuity and disaster recovery. *For Outlook Web App—OWA access only 99.9% Removed Exchange deployments from 3 forests Reduced on-premises footprint by more than 120 servers Guaranteed service Service Level Agreement (SLA) availability of 99.9%* Helpdesk online Services are supported directly by the Exchange product group Expert service provider Almost unlimited service capacity Improve communications and collaboration Reduce costs and time associated with IT Optimize/ decommission on-premises services All in the cloud Microsoft IT is successfully moving Exchange mailboxes to the cloud. Our efforts have reduced overall costs and allowed for always-available communication and collaboration solutions. We’re excited to see how our transition will improve our productivity, reliability, and security. Highlights: 235K + Mailboxes to the cloud Enables focus on end user satisfaction, rather than investments in operations Learn more about how Microsoft does IT. Visit: www.microsoft.com/ITShowcase
