How to Perform an Express Migration from Exchange to O365

In this lecture, the student will learn how to add an email domain to Office 365 and how to verify it with a TXT record in DNS.

Many Active Directory domains are "non-internet-routable" (for example, .local). As such, they cannot be synced to O365. This lecture explains how to add a valid UPN suffix in AD so that users can login to O365 using their email address.

The student will learn how to ensure that the on-prem Exchange server is accessible externally since O365 will need to communicate to it in a hybrid solution.

Students will learn how to enable the MRS Proxy on the local Exchange server. This is required for moving mailboxes to O365.

The HCW sets up the hybrid connectivity between the on-prem environment and O365.  Students will learn how to run the HCW in this lesson.

Students will lean how to deploy and configure the Azure AD Connect service so that on-prem users can be synced into O365.

A migration endpoint is required on the local Exchange server so that mailboxes can be moved to O365.

Prior to migrating mailboxes from on-prem to O365, the synchronized users need to be licensed in O365 so that mailboxes are provisioned. This lecture explains how to accomplish this in the correct order.

In a hybrid deployment, mailbox migrations to O365 are performed via the familiar Exchange EAC.  This lecture demonstrates how to move mailboxes to O365 using the EAC.

An often overlooked component of migrations is what the end user actually sees.  This lecture explains how an express migration / hybrid implementation is seen from the eyes of the end user.

MX records tell foreign mail systems where to deliver email bound for your domain.  This lecture explains how to flip your current MX records to O365 so inbound mail for your email domain is delivered directly to O365.

Once all mailboxes have been migrated to O365, you will want your users' Outlook and ActiveSync clients to automatically point to O365 instead of on-prem.  This lecture explains how to make the autodiscover record changes.

SPF records ensure that outbound mail is not tagged as spam on the receiving end.  This lecture explains how to add O365 to your current SPF record.

If you plan to decommission your on-prem Exchange server as part of the move to O365, any devices or applications that relay off of the on-prem Exchange server need to be able to relay off off the O365 tenant.  Students learn how to set this up in this lecture.

When running the HCW to turn on the minimal hybrid solution, the wizard disables synchronization after completing the initial sync of on-prem users to O365.  If you plan to continue managing your users on-prem, you will need to re-enable synchronization. This lecture explains the process.

If you plan to manage your users exclusively in the cloud following the migration of their mailboxes to O365, you will need to disable and remove Azure AD Connect.  This lecture explains how to do it.

Students will learn how to add the appropriate DNS entries to enable Skype for Business in O365.

This brief lecture covers the licensing of O365 users for Skype Online.

Because no two Exchange environments are the same, I decided that a more generalized article on decommissioning Exchange was most appropriate so this article will walk you through the typical steps required to decommission an Exchange 2013 server after migration to O365.