Overview
With Microsoft getting ready to discontinue support for the on-premise Exchange Server 2016 and 2019, more and more companies are using secure cloud-based email systems. Moving to a cloud-based email solution is a wise choice, particularly in light of Microsoft’s announcement of the end of life
What does “end of support” mean, and why should you care?
Although companies can keep using Exchange 2016 or 2019 after the official end-of-support date, Microsoft will no longer offer security updates or ongoing support, which implies:
There will be no more updates: You won’t receive security updates, patches, or new features for Exchange 2016 and 2019 as Microsoft gradually discontinues support for them. This may put your company at risk for compliance problems and security flaws.
No further technical support: Without assistance, resolving any problems becomes more difficult and could affect how your business operates.
Advantages of a hosted email solution on the cloud
There are benefits to switching from an on-premises Exchange environment to a cloud solution, including increased flexibility, enhanced security, and simpler operations. The following are some advantages of switching to a cloud-based email solution:
Expanding your company: Cloud platforms are made to expand with your company, which makes it simpler to scale or upgrade without having to make a sizable investment in new infrastructure.
Subscription model: Cloud-based services usually have lower upfront costs and are paid for on a subscription basis. In addition to avoiding the need for physical server maintenance and the related expenses, this can be more predictable for budgeting.
Reliability: To safeguard your company against data loss or service interruptions, cloud providers provide strong uptime guarantees. Additionally, the majority of them have built-in redundancies and disaster recovery solutions.
Security: Multi-factor authentication (MFA), spam filtering, and end-to-end encryption are among the better security features that cloud platforms usually provide.
Collaboration tools: Zoho Workplace comes with built-in collaboration tools like file storage (Zoho WorkDrive), a secure password vault (Zoho Vault), real-time document editing (Writer, Sheet, Show), video conferencing (Zoho Meeting), an intranet for your town halls and announcements (Zoho Connect), and an internal message platform for team discussions (Zoho Cliq). These can simplify your operations and increase productivity.
How to recognise a provider of cloud-based services
Although cloud-based email offers many benefits, including collaboration and enhanced productivity, it is crucial to give security features top priority in order to shield your company from growing cyberthreats. How to pick a secure email provider is as follows:
End-to-end encryption: Unauthorised parties have a harder time accessing emails because they are encrypted both during transmission and storage.
Protection against phishing and spam: Malicious links, phishing attempts, and spam are blocked by sophisticated filters.
Malware and virus scanning: Real-time attachment and link scanning finds and stops viruses and malware.
By requiring a second form of verification in addition to a password, two-factor authentication (TFA) adds a layer of security.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Prevents inadvertently sending private information outside the company.
Impersonation protection: Prevents business email compromise (BEC) by identifying and thwarting attempts to pose as suppliers or employees.
Features of compliance: These tools guarantee compliance with data protection laws such as the CCPA, GDPR, and HIPAA.
Reports and audit logs: give insight into email activity to assist in spotting and handling questionable activity.
Zero-trust architecture: Restricts email and attachment access according to device security and user identity.
Backup and recovery: Guarantees that emails can be recovered in the event of a cyberattack or unintentional deletion.
When combined, these features help safeguard confidential company information and email correspondence.
Making the switch to a cloud-based email system
Businesses using on-premise Exchange 2016 or 2019 for email hosting are now required to switch to a fully hosted cloud-based solution to guard against growing security threats and avoid data loss.
The steps in the following sections will help you deploy the email solution for the entire company after setting it up and testing it in a Proof of Concept (POC). Depending on the size of your company and other needs, it offers comprehensive instructions to ensure a seamless transition.
The steps that are part of the transition
To effectively transition to a cloud-based email solution, any organisation must evaluate its current configuration, regardless of the number of mailboxes, add-ons, collaboration tools, or integration requirements. For a smooth transition with minimal downtime and data loss, migration planning is essential.
Examine your current Microsoft Exchange configuration
Conducting an environment study and carefully evaluating your current on-premise Exchange setup is the first step before moving to the cloud. This comprises:
Exchange version: Determine which version of the Exchange server is being used, taking into account information about the hardware, configuration, and mailbox count.
Sizes of mailboxes: To estimate migration timelines and resources, it is essential to determine the size of individual mailboxes and archives.
Hybrid configuration: Make sure you assess how your cloud migration will work with your current hybrid setup, which consists of a split delivery between on-premises and the cloud.
Make a plan for your migration strategy
After evaluating your current setup, you can schedule your migration according to the mailbox size requirements of your company.
Migration Approach based on Organisation Size
| Mailbox size | Recommended migration type |
| 1 to 150 mailboxes | Cutover migration |
| More than 150 mailboxes | Staged migration |
| 1,000+ mailboxes | Enterprise migration |
Migration of cutover
For small businesses with fewer than 150 mailboxes, this approach is perfect. It entails simultaneously moving every mailbox to Zoho Workplace. Although cutover migration yields rapid results, it must be timed carefully to minimise disruption.
Migration in stages
Organisations can gradually migrate users to the cloud because the migration happens in batches, which is ideal for companies with more than 150 mailboxes. This gives enough time to manage the change, facilitate the transition, and train staff members.
It also enables a more controlled transition and reduces downtime.
Enterprise migration
When switching from one email solution to another, it is advised that large organisations or businesses with particular requirements—like a hybrid setup (split delivery), third-party integration needs, or compliance regulations—follow industry best practices. An overview of how businesses can go about moving their organisation’s mailboxes to a cloud-based solution can be found below.
Note: The following steps are not all-inclusive. This article’s contents act as a startup guide for businesses looking to switch from on-premise email to cloud-based providers. Speak with our experts for end-to-end details.
- Study of the environment (platform compatibility).
- Requirements for a collaboration suite.
- In the event of a hybrid setup, contacts sync.
- Interoperability of calendars MDM.
- Integrations with third parties.
- Infrastructure needs according to legal and regulatory requirements
- Admin Console POC configurations for extensive spam filtering and phishing with a few administrators and users.
- For early adopters, test migration.
- Go live and migrate the velocity in batches.
- Using webinars to manage change.
Carry out the migration:
The POC setup can start as soon as the preliminary data collection is finished. Depending on your needs, this procedure can be divided into multiple steps:
Step 1: Configure Zoho Workplace for your company. Create an account on Zoho Workplace.
Step 2: Custom domain setup: Update DNS records to add and validate your domain.
Step 3: Set up coexistence, if necessary
Coexistence setup: To guarantee a seamless transition during the migration process, set up user access and email flow (split or dual delivery) settings.
Step 4: Move POC accounts: Zoho allows mailboxes to be moved from on-premise Exchange to Zoho Mail via the Exchange Online Migration Tool.
Step 5: Verify the transfer
Step 6: Test email flow: Verify that emails are correctly routed between on-premise Exchange and Zoho Workplace accounts following mailbox migrations.
Step 7: Verify user access: Make sure users are able to use the web to access their new cloud mailboxes.
Step 8: Verify data integrity: Verify that the migration of all contacts, calendars, emails, and other data was successful.
Instruction and assistance
Users should be encouraged to attend webinars and read the online help articles. After onboarding, Zoho Workplace offers users round-the-clock email, phone, and chat support to help with any questions they may have about migrations and other problems.