Category: Office 365

What Is Office365 Security Day?

Ulrich Fisher

Do you know everything about Office 365 Security? If you are planning to implement this in your organization, it’s essential to know about it in detail. Online blogs may not be enough as it doesn’t provide hands-on experience on how to use this application. And so, it’s high time you enroll yourself in Office 365 Security Day. What is it? Well, it’s a day of learning only about Office 365 Security and how it works.

Office 365 Security Day aims to teach newbies about the security components of this platform and also how to execute different tasks securely in your Microsoft 365 environment.

About Office 365 Security Day

The day will start with industry experts and Microsoft MVPs talking about the various aspects of Office 365 Security. They will explain how you can make the most of this platform and keep your documents safe. You will come to know about the different security functions of Office 365 Security and go deep into the technical aspects that make your company more secure.

Accessing Office 365 Security Day

When you hear about enrolling yourself in Office 365 Security Day, the first question that may come to your mind is where you need to go to attend this training program. Well, you can log in from your Facebook or Twitter account or subscribe to the Office 365 Security Day channel on YouTube to access this training. The organizers will stream this free learning program on Facebook, Twitter, Petri.com, and YouTube to make it accessible to all enthusiastic participants. This would make it easier for thousands of people to join together from different places and learn the intricate technical aspects of the platform easily.

Wondering who will speak and explain all the security features of Office 365 Security? Eminent personalities like Steve Goodman, Joanne Klein, Jasper Oosterveld, Todd Klindt, Liam Cleary, and Stephanie Donahue will take over the stage one by one. Each of these personalities is widely popular for their contributions to Office 365 Security. You can consider them as subject matter experts. Their detailed explanations on how to operate Office 365 Security will help you decide whether you want this platform in your organization or not.

Key takeaways from Office 365 Security

Apart from learning about different features and functions of Office 365 Security, the day will also have Q&A sessions where you can clarify your doubts about how the platform works. The respected MVPs will not only answer your queries but also provide free downloads of documents about Office 365 Security that you can use as reference material later.

Office 365 Security is now the hot topic of discussion after its explosive growth in remote work. They have emerged as the best security platform for your Microsoft 365 environment, making sure that the users don’t fall for scams.

You can register yourself for Office 365 Security Day and learn about the different sessions that the organizers have arranged for that day. Make sure you subscribe to their updates to know more about the event and how the MVPs will conduct their sessions.

The Top Benefits Of Using Microsoft Whiteboard

Ulrich Fisher

If you’re not using Microsoft Whiteboard in your business, regardless if you are the only employee, have a handful of employees or run a large company, then you are missing out. There are several benefits of using Microsoft Whiteboard. If you want to find out what a few of the key ones are, then read on.

1. Create Freely

One of the best things about using Microsoft Whiteboard is it allows you to create freely and in a completely naturally way. For example, you start off with an infinite canvas and an interface that allows you to use your keyboard, pen or even touch to create. Before you know it, you’ll be turning your work into shapes, charts and more.

Do you have a product you want to create? Maybe you have a new business plan and want to lay it out. Whatever it is you want to do, Whiteboard gives you the opportunity to create freely.

2. Collaboration

Another benefit is that Microsoft Whiteboard lets you collaborate with teams. You and your team can access the Whiteboard you create and it doesn’t matter where any of you are located or what devices you use. If you want to collaborate with team members in various countries, then go right ahead because it is incredibly easy to do.

Gone are the days when you have to use pen and paper and Skype to collaborate. Thanks to Whiteboard, you’re able to collaborate with co-workers and employees in a much more efficient and effective way. Trust us when we say you will love this feature.

3. Save & Resume With Ease

Whiteboards can easily be saved and once they are, they will go into the cloud and remain there until you access them again. You can either access your saved whiteboards via the same device or you can access and work on them via a different device. Also, you won’t have to mark your whiteboards as “do not erase,” or snap photos of them.

There’s nothing worse than working on a project, saving it and then realizing it actually wasn’t saved or that it takes forever to load up and get started again. Thankfully, that won’t be an issue for you with Microsoft Whiteboard. You will love how easy and fast it is to save and resume.

4. Perform Searches

A fourth benefit is that Bing is actually built into the app. This means you can use Bing to search for anything you want, all without having to leave the Whiteboard app. When you are creating and you need to add photos or get ideas for content, then perform a search in Bing via the app. Best of all, Bing works extremely fast within the app, so you won’t be wasting time waiting for search results to load up because using Bing within the app is just as fast as doing it on Bing’s actual platform.

Do you want to reap the many benefits of using Microsoft Whiteboard? This includes the above benefits. If so, then purchase Microsoft Whiteboard today. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll realize what you’ve been missing.

Creating And Using Approvals In Flow

Ulrich Fisher

With the use of Microsoft Flow, you can now fully manage your list of approved processes or even documents across a series of available services. These include, WordPress, Zendesk, SharePoint, Salesforce, Dynamics 365 and even OneDrive. Read on as we dive in to using approvals in flow.

In order to create your approval workflow, you’ll simply need to add the approvals, start the process and approve the action of flow. After you’ve done this, you can then go on to approve and manage both processes and documents like we’ve mentioned before. Additionally, your approvers can quickly give a response to requests straight from their inbox or even the MS Flow App in addition to directly from the site.

The following is an illustration of the steps that are performed by a flow:

  • Someone goes on to create a request in their SharePoint online list.
  • They add the request to the relevant approval center and then forward an email for it to be approved.
  • The approver then responds with their decision.
  • The SharePoint list is then updated with comments based on the approver’s decision.

Additionally, the user will need the following pre-requisites in order to complete the walkthrough:

  • Requires Office 365 Outlook along with user accounts.
  • Relevant SharePoint list.
  • Microsoft Flow

However, other services such as Gmail, Salesforce and even Zendesk can be used in place of SharePoint or Office 365. Flows can also be created from a completely blank template. This is achieved with the following steps:

  • You will need to firstly need to login to Microsoft Flow.
  • Then you’ll need to select the My Flows tab.
  • Next you’ll need to click on Create from blank.

And if you’re interested in adding a trigger, you’ll need to follow the steps below:

  • In the search box, type in SharePoint.
  • Next you’ll need to select the option “SharePoint-When an item is created trigger”.
  • Then you’ll need to select the SharePoint List name and the Site Address used by your flow to monitor newly added items.

Adding A Profile Action
The following steps can be used to add in a new profile section:

  • You’ll need to select New step followed by Add an action.
  • Then you’ll need to enter the profile into the “choose an action search box”.
  • You can now select the “Office 365 Users-get my profile action”
  • At this point you’ll need to input your flow name and also select create in order to save what you’ve done.

Adding Your Approval Action
If you’re interested in adding your desired approval action, you’ll need to do the following:

  • Firstly, you’ll need to select new step followed by the add action tab.
  • Then you’ll need to type approval in the action box.
  • Next you’ll be able to select “approval – Start an approval action”.
  • After you gotten to this point, you’ll be able to configure the approval card to suite your needs.

As we conclude, we’ve just looked at using approvals in flow. We have also taken you through the flow process. And we have also given you the relevant steps in order for you to add a trigger, a profile action and even your desired approval action!

Getting Started with Microsoft Whiteboard

Ulrich Fisher

Microsoft Whiteboard is a digital canvas that is a part of the Microsoft Tool Set. It offers all of the features that a standard whiteboard can provide, but it has plenty of other perks as well. If you’re just getting started with Microsoft Whiteboard, there are a few things you should know.

Whiteboard Is Designed For The Surface Hub

If you own a Surface Hub, then you’ll be able to enjoy all of the functionality of Microsoft Whiteboard. It can be used on the latest Surface Hub or older models. As long as you have access to Surface, you’ll have access to this app as well.  Whiteboard can also be used on PC’s that are running Windows 10 and above.

Installing The App Is Easy

Are you worried about what you’ll have to do when you install the app? If you have some concerns about the installation process, you should know that you’ll be given clear and easy-to-follow steps when you’re getting the app set up. You’ll have the app fully installed and ready to use before you know it.

This App Can Be Extremely Useful In An Office Environment

There’s a good chance that your office is interested in getting started with Microsoft Whiteboard. Having access to an app like this can be a productivity booster in meetings. You’ll be able to take notes and jot down ideas. Whiteboard is connected to Microsoft Bing, which means you’ll be able to search and find the things that you need later on.

While you can absolutely use this app at home, a lot of businesses are starting to rely on it. Why use an ordinary whiteboard when you can use a free-form digital canvas like this instead?

Whiteboard Allows For Collaboration Between Multiple Devices

Not everyone has to be in the same place when you’re using Whiteboard. Multiple devices running the Whiteboard apps can connect and collaborate, which will allow you to work with someone that’s in an entirely different location.

If you’re working on a project remotely, this tool can really come in handy. Several different people can view and edit this digital canvas at the same time, regardless of their location.

If you’re interested in getting started with Microsoft Whiteboard, why not give it a try today? It isn’t difficult to get everything set up. Once you have the app installed, you’ll find yourself using it over and over again. It’s a fantastic tool, and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Microsoft Stream vs. YouTube: What’s the Best Place to Watch Videos?

Ulrich Fisher

If you like to watch a lot of video content, you certainly aren’t alone. People spend billions of hours every day watching streaming video. While YouTube is one of the biggest names in the streaming video world, it isn’t the only option out there. There are some competitors popping up, like Microsoft Stream.

How does Microsoft Stream compare to YouTube? Is it a viable option? If you’re not sure where you should be watching video content, these are some of the things that you’ll want to consider.

YouTube Is More Popular

No streaming site can compare to YouTube in popularity right now, which means they are the best place to go if you’re trying to create your own video content. When you’re on YouTube, you’re in the place where people are searching for video content.

Of course, there are some downsides to YouTube’s popularity. Since there are so many videos on YouTube, the videos that you make could be lost in the shuffle. Since there is less content on Stream, it’s possible that the videos you share there will have the chance to stand out.

YouTube Has More Content

The variety of content on YouTube is impressive. You can find videos on absolutely anything, from cooking to video games to beauty products to politics. Because people have been making videos for YouTube for years, there is a huge library of content for you to pore through.

Since Microsoft Stream is younger than YouTube, the content library isn’t really comparable. You can definitely find different types of content on Stream, but the library isn’t as robust as the YouTube library is.

Microsoft Stream Has An Excellent User Interface

YouTube has gone through a lot of changes over the years, and not all of those changes have been a hit. There are some people that are particularly frustrated by YouTube’s user interface. Some people find that YouTube is difficult to use and clunky at times.

If you’ve had these kinds of problems with YouTube in the past, then you might want to set aside some time to look at Stream. A lot of people have praised its user interface, and many people say that it is very easy to use. If you don’t have experience with it, you should try it out and see what you think. You might find that this interface is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

If You Use Stream, You May Have To Start Over

If you’ve been using YouTube for years, then it’s likely that you already have a long list of subscriptions. You probably have plenty of videos you’ve liked, and there’s a good chance that YouTube is able to offer you recommendations that actually appeal to you.

If you start using Stream instead of YouTube, you’re going to lose that. You won’t have a list of subscriptions anymore, and the recommendations might not be on target at first. It might be harder for you to find content that you actually like.

Of course, there is no reason to abandon YouTube when you use Stream. It will take some time to find content that you love on Stream, but you can keep using YouTube the entire time. If you take that approach, then you shouldn’t have to give up everything.

Now that you have a better understanding of what both Microsoft Stream and YouTube have to offer, you can decide which of these platforms you’d like to use. Of course, there’s no reason to limit yourself to watching video on a single platform. You have other options too. If you desire, you can watch videos on both platforms.

10 Things You Should Consider Before An Office 365 Deployment

Ulrich Fisher

If you’re currently planning an Office 365 deployment, there are a few things you’re going to want to think about. You should make sure you keep all of these things in mind so that you can deploy this software without experiencing any significant issues. Consider these things if you’re evaluating your readiness.

1. Take A Closer Look At Your Environment And Your Needs Before You Get Started

Before you start preparing for deployment, you’re going to want to evaluate both your environment and your needs. It will be a lot easier for you to find the best approach if you have more awareness of the environment you’ll be working in.

2. Remove Existing Versions Of Office Before You Upgrade

Prior to your upgrade, you’re going to want to make sure that all existing versions of Office are removed from your computers. If you don’t uninstall old versions of Office ahead of time, it could slow down the deployment process.

3. Use A Readiness Toolkit To Make Sure You’re Prepared For Deployment

It’s smart to make sure that you’re ready for deployment and everything that it entails. An easy way to check this is to use a readiness toolkit. The right toolkit will help you to determine whether or not you’re fully prepared with deployment. If you’re not ready, it will let you know what you need to be doing.

4. Make Sure You Have Access To A Reliable Deployment Tool

It’s likely that you’re going to be using a deployment tool for this upgrade. You’ll want to make sure you can rely on the tool that you’re using. You won’t want anything to go wrong during the process.

5. Check Out Your Configuration Options

You don’t necessarily want to stick with the default configuration options. Instead, you’ll want to explore these options and change them as needed. You may want to alter some of the settings.

6. Consider Deploying From The Cloud

You have a number of deployment options available to you. One option you’re going to want to think about is deploying from the cloud. Doing this is a lot easier than you might think; it’s actually one of the best deployment methods available.

7. Communicate Your Plans For Deployment

You’ll want to make sure everyone in your workplace is on the same page when it comes to deployment. You’ll want to have clear plans, and you’ll want to communicate those plans ahead of time so that no one is caught off guard.

8. Seek Advice From People That Have Been Through This Process Before

It’s likely that you have colleagues that have already been through the deployment process. You should reach out to them and see if they can give you any advice. You might find their feedback to be very helpful.

9. Decide How You Want To Manage Updates

It’s likely that you’ll have to install some updates after Office is deployed. It’s smart to think about how you want to manage that. Find an efficient way to handle updates.

10. Be Sure That You Have A Clear Deployment Plan In Place Before You Get Started

If you haven’t planned your deployment out, the process could wind up being a complete disaster. Think things through and come up with a solid plan before you start the deployment process. You’ll want to be confident that you’re ready for this.

As you can see, there are a lot of things you need to consider for an Office 365 deployment. This isn’t something that you’ll want to take lightly. Think things over and do everything you can  to put a solid plan in place to help you achieve a successful install.

Microsoft 365 Vs. Office 365: What’s The Best Option For You?

Ulrich Fisher

If you’re trying to decide what sort of software you should be using in your office, you’ll definitely want to ask yourself some questions. It’s a smart idea to compare options so that you can make the best possible choice. Look at Microsoft 365 vs Office 365 and decide which suite of programs you would like to use.

How Are You Going To Be Using These Programs?

Before you can find the right software to use, you’re going to want to think about what your needs are. You should consider how you are going to be interacting with these programs. You should aim to find software that can deliver what you need.

It’s wise to look at both office suites to see how well they align with your needs. You may find that one collection of software is a better fit for you than some of your other options.

What Will These Program Suites Cost You?

You’ll definitely want to look into what you’ll be spending on software. You probably have a budget in mind, and you’ll want to make sure you can stay within the budget that you’ve set. When you’re considering costs, you’ll want to be sure you’re looking at the full picture. Figure out exactly how much you’ll have to spend in order to get everything that you need.

You don’t necessarily have to pick the cheapest option available to you, but you should try to make sure that the option you’ve selected is affordable for you. Don’t spend money you don’t have in order to get the software you need.

Which Suite Of Programs Is Easier To Use?

It’s a wise idea to think about things like ease of use when you’re looking at software. After all, if a collection of software is difficult to use, it will take people longer to complete basic tasks. This can definitely lower your overall productivity.

You should try to find software that you’re familiar with, and you should make sure that your employees will be able to learn how to use these programs without any issues. You should try to find software that won’t be a source of stress for you.

Which Suite Has Software That You’re Familiar With?

If you already know a program very well, then you’ll want to pick a suite that will allow you to keep using that program. It can take a long time to get comfortable with a piece of software. If you’re not familiar with any of the programs in a suite, then you might not be happy with that suite in the long run.

It’s a good idea to evaluate suites and see exactly what they are offering you. If a suite has a lot of software that you’ve used before, then that suite is probably going to be a good fit for you.

What Are The Admin Options Like?

As the administrator of an office suite, you’ll have a lot of options that will allow you to manage your office in a more efficient way. You should check out the admin options of both office suites to see what you think.

You’ll be using the admin options all of the time, so you’re going to want to make sure that these options will meet your needs. This is definitely a feature that you’ll want to spend some time comparing.

What’s the best option for you? You’ll have to ask yourself some questions and look at Microsoft 365 vs. Office 365 before you make any decisions. If you carefully evaluate all of your choices, you’ll know that you made the right decision for your business.

What is the Common Data Service Used in Apps?

Ulrich Fisher

Common Data Service or CDS is a storage space that enables a user to manage and securely store data that’s used by multiple applications or programs. The data held in the Common Data Services for Apps is stored within multiple entities. An entity is a combination of records that are used to hold data in the same way a table stores data in a database. CDS is made up of a primary set of entities that hold the most fundamental data, but a user can also create secondary entities that are specific to their needs and add data into them using Power Query. App developers use PowerApps to create more functional apps using this data.

Why Use Common Data Service for Apps?

Primary and custom entities in the Common Data Service offer a cloud-based and secure storage solution for both user and company data. Entities are created to promote a business-focused meaning for your company’s data that is needed by multiple programs. If you are uncertain on whether entities can work for you, here are some benefits for your consideration:

  • Productivity tools – Entities come built-in with add-ins from Microsoft Excel to promote accessibility and productivity.
  • Validation and logic – You can define business process flows, workflows, business rules and calculated field to ensure quality of data and enhance business processes.
  • Rich metadata – Multiple data types and their distinct relationships are managed better within PowerApps.
  • Access your Dynamics 365 data  – Data from a user’s Dynamics 365 apps is also held in the CDS for apps allowing quick creation of applications which use your Dynamics 365 data. A user can also extend their applications with the help of PowerApps.
  • Easy to secure  – Data is safe and secure. Only authorized users can gain access to the data in the CDS. A special security model known as role-based security is employed to control access to entities different users in a company.
  • Easy to manage – Both data and metadata are stored in the cloud. A user does not have to be concerned about how the data is stored at any given time.

Dynamics 365 and The CDS for Apps

Dynamics 365 apps like Dynamics 365 for Talent, Service or Sales make use of CDS for apps to secure and store data used by the apps. This enables a user to create quality apps using PowerApps and the CDS for Apps together with your company data without any need for integration. You can essentially:

  • Reuse skills across PowerApps and Dynamics 365 -Users who are already have specific skills in Dynamics 365 or PowerApps can now employ those skills in the CDS for apps platform. Users can therefore easily and conveniently create charts, forms, entities etc. which are now similar across all apps.
  • Manage reusable business rules and logic – Business logic and rules already set in your Dynamics 365 entities are used in PowerApps to promote consistency of data regardless of how users access data within apps.
  • Build Apps against your 365 Data – You can easily and quickly create apps using company data within PowerApps or with the help of Pro Developer SDK.

Integrating Data into The CDS for Apps

Creating an application in most cases involves using data from multiple sources. Integrating data from different sources into a common storage place facilitates easier app building. On top of this, only a single set of logic and rules are required to operate and maintain the data. The CDS for Apps allows data to be brought together in one place where it can be used in Power BI, Flow and PowerApps together with additional data in Dynamics 365 apps. Here are some data features of the Common Data Service for Apps:

  • Easy data import and export – You can use CSV and Excel files to import and export data to and from the CDS for apps.
  • Import and transform data using Power Query -You can transform data during import using Power Query especially where data is coming from multiple online sources.
  • Scheduled integration with other systems – Data stored in another app can be frequently synchronized with the data in the CDS for apps to enable you to use data in other apps in PowerApps.

Interacting with Entities

Once you have created an app, you can make use of both primary and custom entities. The Common Data Service for apps is designed in strict conformity with industrial standards to capture the most common scenarios and concepts within a company.

You can improve functionality of standard entities by creating one or many custom entities to hold data that is unique to your company.

Developer Capabilities

On top of all the features available via PowerApps, CDS for apps also has features that developers can use to access data and metadata to create business rules, logic and entities.

**Image created and copyrighted by Microsoft.

Getting Started With AI In Office 365

Ulrich Fisher

As personal computing continues to draw on previous technical enhancements, we are now beginning to see those previous enhancements come together to amalgamate and work together in the early stages of meaningful AI.  AI for those who are unfamiliar with the acronym is short for Artificial intelligence, meaning that computer-related systems are capable of performing tasks that usually require human thought intervention to complete various tasks.  You can be forgiven for not being overly excited by this statement as the term Artificial Intelligence has been well overused in a range of less than exciting areas.

That said, Microsoft is now working on the front foot and putting real advantages using AI into their systems to make tasks much more intuitive to our needs while reducing our need to assist in the completion of these tasks.

One Simple Example Of Microsofts Usability In Microsoft Office 365

If you use the Microsoft suite of applications you would be familiar with Cortana, Outlook Calendar, Google Maps and Google Location.  The AI platform is now integrating these applications so that they can communicate and share information with each other to be able to base decisions of its combined system knowledge and communicate its final decision making to you.

Using the above applications is Microsoft’s Time To Go which is still under development and being refined.  Consider for a moment that you are a sales executive charged with visiting clients at preset appointments.  The way that Time To Go is being developed would allow the below scenario.

The AI app would scan your Outlook calendar to see what appointments were upcoming.  Once it recognizes an appointment it would get the date, time and address of the appointment.  The system would then check to see where your current location is and will begin to scan the possible transport routes and public transport options available to it.  It will look at the best route to have you arrive at the first transport stop in time to catch the bus or train to be in time for the meeting,  From there it will backtrack to determine the best time for you to leave to make the appointment on time.

MS maps have the ability to search the travel plans laid to see if there were any roadworks, accidents other any other holdups in maps that would impede your arriving on time.  This information is then delivered back to Cortana who will advise you when it is time to leave for your appointment, the transport routes that you will be taking, any delays to be expected and your arrival time at your destination.  If you prefer to take your own vehicle it will perform the same tasks, however, with the flexibility of driving the system would reroute you past any slow traffic areas and will alter your route to again allow you to arrive in time.  It can also print or message you with the directions.

The above is just one example of applications such as Cortana using the data that is now readily available to it to take actions, make decisions and deliver all of this to you.  While you may not be overly excited by this because let us face it we have been used to getting to destinations on our own for a long time.  The breakthrough is that if it can perform this simple function (and trust me, in a year or millions, will be relying on this technology to plan their days and travel plans) we have to consider what other applications will be able to communicate with each other to reduce or preferably remove us from requiring any input in the decision making.

Cortana is already in use as one of Microsoft‘s AI applications with the ability to take your spoken commands and act upon them.  With this next level of understanding and due to the growth of integration between each of Micro Softs applications only creativity is slowing the ongoing development of the continued growth the use of AI in our everyday work lives.

So, what information is available to Cortana as it reviews our daily activities and the manner and depth in which we use the MS range of products?

How will it be able to interpret that lasted Excel dashboard results, can it begin to send out low-level inquiries to staff with anomalies found in performance areas from sales reports?  Can it document ongoing performance issues that it finds with individuals, alert them by email and update their HR records all without your needing to be involved except receiving a report on Cortana’s actions?

Companies are still really on the starting edge of what life will look like once they begin to create more sophisticated interactions?

AI is now becoming an everyday reality and I for one am ready to embrace it as it grows and becomes our new reality.

 

 

Office 365 Migrations 101

Ulrich Fisher

Office 365 Migrations

Part of Office 365 is Exchange Online which provides a cloud-based messaging solution. This article will discuss some of the important factors that you need to know so that you can plan a migration strategy for your client. There are many ways to migrate data from Office 365 Exchange Online to on-premises email organizations. One of the questions that many people have when planning any type of Office 365 Migrations to Exchange Online is how to optimize migration velocity and improve the data migration’s performance.

There will be many factors that will come into play when determining a migration path and how to highlight the important feature of upfront planning. To do this you will need to evaluate and analyze the following paragraphs. You will need this so that you can put together a deployment plan and migration strategy.

SIZE

The first deciding factor will be the size. You will want to know the size of the mailboxes and the number of mailboxes as well. You are able to migrate using a PST type of import/export, but this would probably not be logical for anything besides a few mailboxes. The size will definitely impact migration timetables and this, in turn, will impact coexistence requirements.

COEXISTENCE

You need to determine during the migration process what level of coexistence you require. For example, if your entire migration will take place on the weekend then the deciding factor should be quite simple. However, there are times that during the migration you will have a specific amount of time where you need to coexist. The customer’s expectations and desires for whatever coexistence period will definitely impact the strategy.

PROVISIONING

You need to ask yourself how you plan to provision all of your user accounts. Are you planning to provision with an import or by leveraging a synchronization tool? Is your organization small enough so that you can manually plan and create additional new accounts? These are a few very important questions that you need to determine about provisioning.

MIGRATION SOURCE

One thing that can have a big impact on your Office 365 Migrations plan is what you are migrating from. Is the source IMAP, Exchange, or another email solution? Will you need to migrate calendar contacts and information? It is well-known that a migration source can greatly impact the ease or the difficulty of how these items can be migrated.

IDENTITY MANAGEMENT

It is important to determine your approach to identity management. Will it be a single sign-on type of requirement? Will the identities connect to an on-premise identity source or will they exist in a cloud? Once you have gathered all of the above decision factors then your next step will be to come up with a migration strategy. You want to utilize these decision factors so that you can determine which method is best suited for all of your customers.

Utilizing the Office 365 Migrations deployment will allow you to migrate user mailbox content from a source email type system to Office 365. Cutover Migration is when you do all of this at one time. Using a Cutover migration is recommended when you use a current on-premise exchange organization such as Exchange Server 2016, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. It is also something that you would use when there are fewer than 2000 mailboxes.

CONSIDERATIONS

It requires careful planning to set up an email cutover migration. Before you start, there are a few things that you should consider:
– You will be able to move all of your email organizations to Office 365 within a few days. You then will be able to manage all of the user accounts in Office 365.
– You can migrate a maximum of 2000 mailboxes to Office 365 when you use a cutover Exchange Migration. However, it should be noted that the recommendation is to only migrate 150 mailboxes at a time.
– The primary domain name that will be used for the on-premise Exchange organization needs to be verified as a domain that is owned by your Office 365 organization.
– Once the migration is finished, every on-premise Exchange mailbox user will now be a new user in Office 365.

After your Office 365 organizations and on-premises are set up for the cutover migration, it is important to know that your users could be impacted by host set-up tasks. You need to make certain that all desktop computers are set-up for Office 365 and that they are updated. This will allow a user to utilize local user credentials so that they can sign-in to Office 365 from a desktop application.

A user who has permission for application installs can set-up updates on their own desktop. On the other hand, an update can always be installed for any user by the administrator. Once the updates are completed a user will be able to send emails from Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, or Outlook 2013. There may be a potential delay in some of the email routing until the MX record is changed.

CUTOVER MIGRATION

At this point in the article, you may be wondering how exactly cutover migration works. The following 9 points will explain this unique process:

  1. An administrator will communicate any upcoming changes to the users and will verify domain ownership with a domain registrar.
  2. An administrator will prepare the servers for cutover migration.
  3. An administrator will create a migration endpoint which is a matter of connecting Office 365 to an on-premise email system.
  4. An administrator will migrate the mailboxes and afterward verify the migration.
  5. An administrator will provide Office 365 licenses to all of the users.
  6. An administrator will configure the domain so that routing email can be sent directly to Office 365.
  7. An administrator will confirm that the routing has changed. He will then delete the cutover migration patch.
  8. An administrator will complete all post-migration tasks in Office 365.
  9. An administrator will send a welcome letter to all of the users and let them know how they can sign-in to their new mailboxes