Microsoft 365 · Migration project
Service group: Microsoft 365Move email, files and identities to Microsoft 365 without losing a week of work
A migration is a project with a beginning and an end. We inventory what you have, decide what moves and what is retired, run pilot batches, plan the DNS cutover for a quiet window, and support your staff through the first days on the new platform.
At a glance
- Service
- Fixed-scope project to migrate mailboxes, files, identities and devices into Microsoft 365
- Best suited to
- Canadian organizations of roughly 5 to 200 employees moving from Google Workspace, on-premises Exchange, IMAP email, file servers or another Microsoft 365 tenant
- Core inclusions
- Discovery, migration plan, tenant preparation, pilot, mailbox and file migration, DNS cutover, Outlook and OneDrive setup, and post-cutover support (as scoped)
- Not included by default
- Microsoft licences, ongoing administration after the hypercare period, line-of-business application rework and data clean-up beyond the agreed rules
- Pricing basis
- Project price based on users, mailbox and file volumes and sources, confirmed in a written quotation after discovery
- Regions
- Delivered remotely across Canada; on-site cutover support in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Calgary confirmed per address
What a Microsoft 365 migration involves
Migrating to Microsoft 365 means moving more than mailboxes. Calendars, contacts, shared mailboxes, distribution lists, file shares, permissions, user identities and the devices people sign in from all need a destination and a plan. Done carelessly, users arrive on Monday to missing folders, broken calendar invitations and a phone that will not sync.
We treat a migration as a project with a written plan. Discovery tells us how much data you have and where it lives. The plan maps each source to its destination, sets the order of batches, defines what is archived rather than moved, and names the cutover window. Pilot users go first so problems surface with a handful of people instead of the whole company.
When the project ends, you can continue with us under Microsoft 365 Administration or Managed Services, or take the tenant over yourself with full documentation.
Why organizations migrate, and what goes wrong without a plan
An ageing on-premises Exchange server
The server needs patching, hardware is near end of life, and the person who built it is gone. Every security advisory for Exchange becomes an urgent weekend.
Two platforms after a merger
An acquisition left half the company on Google Workspace and half on Microsoft 365, or on two separate tenants, so calendars and file sharing do not work across teams.
File servers that nobody wants to maintain
Mapped drives only work in the office or over VPN, permissions have grown for years, and remote staff email attachments instead of sharing a link.
Previous migration attempts that stalled
A rushed move left some mailboxes behind, duplicated contacts, or broke Outlook profiles, and staff now distrust the next attempt.
Migration paths we handle
Google Workspace to Microsoft 365
Gmail, calendar and contacts migrated in batches, with Google Drive content mapped to OneDrive and SharePoint and users guided through the change in tools.
On-premises Exchange to Exchange Online
Cutover, staged or hybrid approaches chosen to suit your Exchange version and size, including planning for decommissioning or retaining a management server.
IMAP and hosted email
Mailboxes moved from web hosts and other providers, with careful handling of calendars and contacts that IMAP itself does not carry.
Tenant-to-tenant moves
Consolidation after an acquisition or rebrand, including domain moves, mailbox and OneDrive content, Teams planning and a coordinated identity cutover.
File servers to SharePoint and OneDrive
Shares restructured into SharePoint sites and libraries, personal folders moved to OneDrive, and permissions simplified rather than copied blindly.
Identity and devices
Accounts created or synchronized with Entra Connect or Cloud Sync, and devices re-pointed to the new tenant through Intune and Autopilot where licensed.
What the project includes, and what is separate
The proposal lists every source, data volume and deliverable.
Typically included
- Discovery of mailboxes, shared mailboxes, file shares, domains and devices
- Written migration plan with batch order, cutover window and rollback steps
- Tenant preparation: domains, licences assigned, policies and groups
- Pilot migration and sign-off before the main batches
- Mailbox, calendar, contact and file migration within agreed volumes
- DNS changes for MX, Autodiscover, SPF and DKIM at cutover
- User guidance and a defined post-cutover support period
- Handover documentation of the new configuration
Requires separate scope or quotation
- Microsoft licence purchases, unless written into your proposal
- Re-engineering line-of-business applications that depend on the old platform
- Ongoing administration after the agreed support period
- Archive or PST data beyond the volumes stated in the quotation
- Enterprise-scale multi-tenant or cross-cloud migrations, referred to CloudArchitects.expert
Tools and platforms involved
- Exchange Online native migration batches (cutover, staged, IMAP and Google Workspace)
- Exchange hybrid configuration for larger on-premises environments
- Microsoft Migration Manager and the SharePoint Migration Tool for file content
- Microsoft cross-tenant mailbox and OneDrive migration capabilities, or third-party tools where they fit better
- Microsoft Entra Connect Sync and Entra Cloud Sync
- OneDrive Known Folder Move and the OneDrive sync client
- Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot for device transition
Who this project suits
Businesses leaving Google Workspace
Organizations standardizing on Microsoft 365 for Outlook, Teams and desktop Office apps.
Companies with on-premises servers
Firms retiring Exchange or file servers and moving to cloud mail and document storage.
Merging or rebranding organizations
Businesses that need two tenants or domains consolidated with minimal disruption to clients.
What a planned migration gives you
- A cutover scheduled for a quiet window, communicated to staff in advance
- Pilot results that expose problems before the whole team moves
- A file structure designed for SharePoint rather than copied from an old server
- Clear decisions about what is migrated, archived or retired
- Documentation of the new tenant from the first day
How a migration runs
Discovery
We measure mailbox and file volumes, list domains and shared resources, and identify applications that send mail or depend on the old system.
Plan and quotation
You receive the migration plan, cutover window, rollback approach and a written quotation for the project.
Prepare the tenant
Domains are verified, accounts and licences prepared, security baseline applied and pre-staging of data begins.
Pilot
A small group moves first; we fix issues and confirm the user guidance before scheduling the main batches.
Cutover and hypercare
DNS is switched, final synchronization runs, devices are reconfigured and staff get focused support during the agreed period.
Ways to engage
Every migration is quoted in writing after discovery.
Migration project only
A fixed-scope project with documentation and a defined support period, after which you manage the tenant.
Migration plus ongoing management
The project followed by Microsoft 365 Administration or Managed Services so the new tenant stays well run.
Assess first
A Microsoft 365 Tenant Review or One-Day IT Consultation to size the work before committing to a project.
Frequently asked questions
Will we lose email during the migration?
The plan is designed to avoid it. Data is pre-staged before cutover, mail flow is switched through DNS during a quiet window, and a final synchronization picks up recent messages. We confirm results with pilot users first.
How long does a migration take?
It depends on users, data volume and source platform. Discovery gives a realistic timeline, which is stated in the plan along with the cutover date.
Should we copy our file server exactly as it is?
Usually not. Deep folder trees and complex permissions translate poorly into SharePoint. We recommend a simplified structure and agree it with you before moving data.
Do you migrate Teams chats between tenants?
Teams chat history is difficult to move between tenants and options are limited. We discuss what is practical, such as exporting or retaining the old tenant read-only for a period, during planning.
Are licences included in the migration price?
No. Licences are purchased separately unless written into your proposal. The migration quotation covers the project work.
Related services
Products and packages
Industries we support
Service areas
Plan your move to Microsoft 365
Tell us where your email and files live today. We will scope the migration and confirm the project price in a written quotation.