Cutover Exchange Online Migration — Third-Party Hosted Exchange to Microsoft 365

IT Partner’s Cutover Exchange Online Migration from a Third-Party Hosted Exchange Server is a 1-week service for moving mailbox data from a third-party hosted and managed Exchange Server to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online. It is designed for cutover migrations, including scenarios where the customer does not have direct administrative access to the source server and migration can be performed using each user’s credentials. The service SKU is ITPWW100MIGOT.

The listed price for IT Partner’s Cutover Exchange Online Migration from a Third-Party Hosted Exchange Server is $300 plus $25 per mailbox. The final cost depends on the number of mailboxes included in the migration. Optional or additional services, such as expanded documentation, training, or other out-of-scope work, should be confirmed separately with IT Partner.

The stated duration for this service is 1 week. The engagement includes kickoff, analysis of the current Exchange solution, migration preparation, pre-stage migration, MX record cutover, final migration, and post-migration tasks. The plan may vary depending on customer needs.

The service migrates mailbox content from the third-party hosted Exchange Server to Exchange Online, including emails, calendars, contacts, tasks, and other mailbox data. The success criteria specifically include mailbox content such as emails, calendars, and tasks being migrated to Exchange Online. Any unusual data requirements should be confirmed with IT Partner before the project begins.

Yes, this service is intended for situations where direct administrative access to the source hosted Exchange server is not available, provided migration is possible using each user’s credentials. The customer must provide logins and passwords for all users involved in the migration, be ready to change those passwords before migration, or provide a server admin account. Without usable authorization data, the migration may not be able to proceed.

The customer must have a new Microsoft 365 tenant without users, or a tenant with user accounts that IT Partner can delete. The customer must also provide user logins and passwords for the mailboxes being migrated, be ready to change them before migration, or provide a server admin account. In addition, the customer must have access to the email domain DNS zone so required DNS changes can be made.

IT Partner holds a kickoff meeting, gathers information about users and mailboxes, plans and guides the cutover, creates Microsoft 365 user accounts, assigns Exchange Online licenses, and validates email domains in Microsoft 365. IT Partner also starts the migration batch, sets up incremental mailbox synchronization, resolves migration issues, changes DNS settings and controls their application, monitors the Exchange Online environment, and provides migration reporting. These activities are performed within the stated cutover migration scope.

The customer must provide a dedicated point of contact to coordinate with IT Partner and any outside vendors. The customer is responsible for providing required authorization data, coordinating or performing required internal and external DNS changes, configuring network equipment such as routers and firewalls, identifying high-risk users, and reviewing deliverables on time. These responsibilities are important because DNS access, credentials, and coordination directly affect migration success.

Email service may be unavailable during MX record switching because mail flow is being redirected from the hosted Exchange environment to Exchange Online. The length of downtime depends on the DNS settings of the customer’s provider and the DNS behavior of email senders. IT Partner notes that an additional email caching service can be used to receive emails regardless of MX switching duration, but the service content does not state whether that option is included in the listed price.

IT Partner changes DNS settings, including the MX record, to direct mail flow to Exchange Online during the cutover. The service also includes incremental mailbox synchronization to receive emails sent after the start of the main synchronization. During the MX record switch, some email service interruption may occur depending on DNS propagation and sender behavior.

Yes, IT Partner provides new Exchange Online mailboxes by creating Microsoft 365 user accounts and assigning Exchange Online user licenses. The service also includes adding and validating the customer’s email domain or domains in Microsoft 365. A prerequisite is that the Microsoft 365 tenant must be new without users, or existing user accounts must be deletable.

IT Partner changes DNS settings and controls their application as part of the migration scope. The customer must have access to the email domain DNS zone and must perform changes to internal and external DNS as required. In practice, this means DNS work requires both IT Partner guidance and customer-side access or approval.

IT Partner attempts to resolve migration issues and errors to ensure that all mailboxes are successfully migrated. The service deliverables include a report showing the number of mailboxes successfully migrated and those that cannot be migrated, if any. If a mailbox cannot be migrated, the final status and any outstanding issues are included in the reporting and closeout documentation.

The customer is expected to help identify high-risk users, including top executives, VIP users, users with mailboxes of 50 GB or larger, and users with deleted folders of 30 GB or larger. The service content does not define separate pricing or a separate process for these mailboxes, so any special handling should be discussed with IT Partner before the migration. Identifying them early helps plan the cutover and reduce migration risk.

Yes, one of the stated success criteria is that Exchange Online Protection is configured and working. However, the service description does not define the exact Exchange Online Protection settings or policies included. Customers with specific filtering, anti-spam, anti-malware, or compliance requirements should confirm the configuration scope with IT Partner.

Yes, the success criteria state that all necessary transport rules are created and working. The service content does not specify which transport rules are included or how “necessary” is defined. Customers that require specific mail flow, disclaimer, routing, compliance, or exception rules should confirm those requirements with IT Partner during planning.

Customer team training, desktop software settings, and end user support are not included in the stated service scope. These items may require a separate or additional service if the customer needs hands-on user assistance or workstation configuration. The included scope focuses on the Exchange Online cutover migration itself, DNS changes, synchronization, monitoring, and reporting.

No, desktop software settings and end user support are listed as not included in this service. Users are expected to access Exchange Online after the migration, but hands-on configuration of Outlook profiles, mobile devices, or individual desktops is outside the stated scope. If that support is needed, it should be arranged separately with IT Partner.

IT Partner provides a report showing the number of mailboxes successfully migrated and any mailboxes that cannot be migrated. IT Partner also provides a Project Closeout Report with the final project status, evidence matching the acceptance criteria, outstanding issues if any, and the final budget. More extensive documentation can be provided for an additional fee.

The migration is considered successful when users can access Exchange Online from desktop PCs, mobile phones, and tablets; mailbox content such as emails, calendars, and tasks has been migrated; emails can be sent and received through Exchange Online; necessary transport rules are working; and Exchange Online Protection is configured and working. These criteria define the intended outcome of the cutover migration. Any additional acceptance criteria should be agreed with IT Partner before the project starts.