Import Exchange 2013 to Office 365

Methods to import Exchange 2013 to Office 365

If you are currently using on-premises Exchange Server 2013, it is time to start thinking about switching to a different solution. Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 will reach the end of its support life cycle on April 11, 2023. Although you can migrate from Exchange 2013 to 2016 and 2019, it appears that importing Exchange 2013 to Office 365 is one of the best options if you want to avoid an on-premises setup. In this article, we will go over the various Exchange 2013 migration options and how to carry them out using EdbMails Exchange migration tool.

Two options to import Exchange 2013 to Office 365 and Exchange

You might be interested in migrating to one of the following destinations for the Exchange 2013.

Import Exchange 2013 to Exchange 2016 or 2019

The majority of businesses that haven’t switched to the cloud, prefer to remain on-premises for two reasons: either they require complete control over their data or they prefer the on-premises one-time purchase pricing model. If you choose to remain with the on-premises Exchange for these reasons, then you can migrate to Exchange 2016 or Exchange 2019. Both Exchange 2019 and Exchange 2016 have an Extended Support End Date till October 14, 2025 whereas Exchange 2016 has reached the end of Mainstream Support.

• Click here to know the steps to migrate Exchange 2013 to Exchange 2016 

• Click here to know the steps to migrate Exchange 2013 to Exchange 2019

Import Exchange 2013 to Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is one of the most favored cloud services. The O365 productivity package includes a variety of collaboration tools and apps such as SharePoint, Exchange Online, Lync and Skype for Business Server under a single roof. Additionally, Microsoft Office 365 rolls out automatic updates as soon as new features are released. Many businesses are therefore migrating their email services to Office 365 due to the significant cost savings over their on-premises counterparts.

Methods to import Exchange 2013 to Microsoft 365

You can use a variety of migration techniques to move mailboxes from Exchange 2013 to Exchange Online

1. Cutover migration

   Cutover migration method is preferred if you have fewer than 2000 mailboxes to migrate. To put it briefly, this method enables you to move all mailboxes and their items in a single hop. However, according to the cutover migration approach from Microsoft it is more realistic to transfer less than 150 users because it takes a long time to create and migrate 2000 users at once.

2. Hybrid migration

   By creating and configuring an environment that includes both on-premises Exchange server and Exchange Online, you can migrate mailboxes from on-premises Exchange to remote mailboxes in the Office 365 cloud. However, the hybrid migration complicates your IT infrastructure and gives you less control over how you stage the transfer. Briefly stated, while you manage mailboxes locally, the Azure AD Connect is used to sync all of the changes to the cloud. Most people don’t fully understand how hybrid environments function.

   Even though Exchange 2013 gives you the option to set up a hybrid environment, it might be wise to think about it again. Creating an Exchange 2013 and Exchange online hybrid environment just before the server’s end of life, exposes you to a significant security risk. The best approach would be to first move Exchange 2013 to Exchange 2019 and then, configuring a hybrid with Office 365.

3. Express migration

   Express migration is also known as Minimal Hybrid is the fastest migration method from Microsoft without involving directory synchronization.

4. Exchange 2013 to Office 365 with the PST method

   This method often involves migrating the mailbox data by using PST files and building your organization’s structure in the cloud from scratch. In this method you import the PST files into Office 365 after you export them from the source Exchange server. This approach is not advised because of the substantial effort, the vulnerability of PST files and total time required to complete the import. It is only recommended if you have a few mailboxes and have a complete mailbox backup of your existing Exchange server data.

5. Automated Exchange migration tool

   To make the migration easier, faster, and more seamless, you can go with a third-party automated tool such as EdbMails Exchange migration tool. When migrating hundreds or thousands of mailboxes with large data, EdbMails can simplify the migration operation with its graphical user interface.

EdbMails to import Exchange 2013 to Office 365

EdbMails Exchange migration software is the most straightforward solution to  import Exchange 2013 to Microsoft 365. It includes rich features that can help you migrate mailboxes, public folders and in-place archives together with all the relevant data. It synchronizes the source and destination mailboxes to ensure a smooth coexistence without affecting the data in either of them. The following are some of the benefits of EdbMails.

• A guided migration wizard that addresses every facet of the migration.
• Advanced filtering options to migrate only the required items
• Incremental migration to avoid duplicate items migration
• Migrate Exchange Public folders and Shared Mailboxes
• Automatic mapping of mailboxes between the source and the target
• Support for cutover, staged and hybrid Exchange migration
• Cross forest and cross domain migration support
• 24 x 7 Free migration tech support and free software upgrades

Steps to import Exchange 2013 to Office 365 using EdbMails

Step 1: Launch EdbMails Exchange server migration software

Step 2: Choose ‘Live Exchange Migration’ and continue

Step 3: Connect to the Source Exchange server

Step 4: Choose the required mailbox migration settings

Step 5: Connect to target Office 365 server

Click here to connect to Office 365 using Modern authentication

Click here to connect to Office 365 server using Classic method

Step 6: Map the source and target mailboxes and proceed with the migration