The problem
Email ran on an on-premise Exchange server. That meant server hardware to maintain, patching and backups handled in-house, and limited access for staff working outside the office.
The approach
- Planned the migration: mailbox inventory, licence mapping, and DNS changes (MX, Autodiscover, SPF/DKIM/DMARC).
- Ran a cutover migration outside working hours, so people kept working through the move.
- Turned on MFA and Conditional Access in Azure AD from day one.
- Helped staff with first sign-in and with Outlook and mobile setup.
The result
Around 500 mailboxes moved to Exchange Online over a single weekend, with roughly four hours of downtime outside working hours. The on-premise server was retired, so mail patching and backups are no longer ours to run.