Cutover Exchange Online Migration — Move On-Premises Exchange to Microsoft 365

This service migrates mailboxes from a customer-hosted, customer-managed on-premises Exchange Server to Exchange Online in Microsoft 365 using a cutover approach. In a cutover migration, all mailboxes are migrated at once, and IT Partner plans, executes, monitors, and completes the migration process.

This service is for organizations that currently run at least one on-premises Exchange Server and want to move their mailboxes to Exchange Online in Microsoft 365. It is specifically designed for a cutover migration, so it is best suited when the business is ready to migrate all mailboxes together rather than in staged waves.

The service includes migration planning, Exchange Online mailbox preparation, Microsoft 365 domain validation, migration batch creation, incremental mailbox synchronization, DNS cutover guidance and changes, monitoring, issue resolution, and project closeout reporting. IT Partner also verifies the destination Exchange Online environment health and provides a report showing which mailboxes migrated successfully and whether any could not be migrated.

This service does not include customer team training, desktop software settings, end user support, or extensive documentation beyond the project closeout report. Those items may be available as additional services, but they are outside the stated scope of this migration engagement.

The published duration for this service is 1 week. The exact schedule can vary depending on the customer environment, readiness, DNS access, mailbox size, source system health, and how quickly required approvals and access are provided.

The published price is $300 plus $25 per mailbox. Because the total cost depends on the number of mailboxes being migrated, customers should confirm the mailbox count and final project budget with IT Partner before the engagement begins.

You must have a Microsoft 365 tenant with Exchange Online licenses, access to your email domain DNS zone, and a full installation of Exchange Server in your environment. The Exchange Server must also have a valid UCC SSL certificate, and the service notes that the Exchange Server can be licensed for free with the appropriate Microsoft 365 plan.

The engagement typically starts with a kickoff meeting and a pre-migration source system health check, followed by user creation or AD Connect configuration, migration preparation, migration batch start, migration verification, MX record cutover, final migration, and post-migration tasks. IT Partner monitors the Exchange Online destination environment and migration progress throughout the process to help ensure the migration is proceeding correctly.

Yes, this is a cutover Exchange migration service, so all mailboxes are migrated at once. If your organization needs a staged, phased, or hybrid migration approach, you should confirm a different migration scope with IT Partner.

IT Partner sets up incremental mailbox synchronization to capture email sent after the main synchronization begins, then plans and guides the cutover from the source Exchange system to Exchange Online. The service also includes changing DNS settings, including the MX record to the new Microsoft 365 tenant, and controlling their application so mail can be sent and received through Exchange Online after cutover.

The service content does not specify a guaranteed downtime window. Because this is a cutover migration involving DNS changes and all mailboxes moving at once, business impact should be discussed during planning, and the exact timing should be coordinated with IT Partner before the migration.

IT Partner holds the kickoff meeting, prepares Exchange Online mailboxes, adds and validates email domains, starts the migration batch, configures incremental synchronization, resolves migration errors, guides the cutover, changes DNS settings, monitors Exchange Online health, and deletes the migration batch after completion. IT Partner also provides migration status reporting and a final project closeout report.

The customer must provide a dedicated point of contact, coordinate outside vendors, configure network equipment such as firewalls and routers, provide access to required servers and systems, perform or assist with internal and external DNS changes as required, identify high-risk users, and review deliverables promptly. These responsibilities are important because delays in access, DNS, networking, or approvals can affect the migration schedule.

High-risk users include top executives, VIP users, users with mailboxes of 50 GB or larger, and users with deleted folders of 30 GB or larger. The customer is responsible for helping identify these users so the migration team can plan around mailbox size, visibility, and business-critical access needs.

Yes, the service includes providing new Exchange Online mailboxes by creating Microsoft 365 user accounts and assigning Exchange Online user licenses. This is part of preparing the destination Microsoft 365 tenant for the cutover migration.

Yes, IT Partner adds and validates the customer’s email domain or domains in Microsoft 365 as part of the migration. The customer must have access to the email domain DNS zone because DNS records are required for validation and later mail-flow cutover.

After the migration is completed, IT Partner verifies migration results, stops incremental synchronization, deletes the migration batch, performs post-migration tasks, and provides a project closeout report. The closeout report includes final project status, evidence of matching acceptance criteria, outstanding issues, and the final budget.

Success criteria include users being able to access Exchange Online from desktop PCs, mobile phones, and tablets; the Exchange Server mailboxes being migrated to the Microsoft 365 tenant and accessible by users; required transport rules being created and working; mail being sent and received through Exchange Online; and Exchange Online Protection being configured and working. These criteria define what the engagement is intended to achieve within its stated scope.

No, desktop software settings and end user support are not included in the stated scope. If users need help configuring Outlook, mobile devices, or other client applications after the migration, that should be discussed with IT Partner as a separate or additional service.

The service notes that the plan may vary depending on customer needs, but the stated migration approach remains a cutover migration where all mailboxes are migrated at once. Any changes to scope, sequencing, documentation, support, or training should be confirmed with IT Partner before the engagement starts.