What Are the Steps to Migrate to Office 365?

Microsoft Office 365 is an impressive suite of cloud-based software products. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, you name it — you get access to Microsoft’s productivity programs and can save all your data in the cloud.

In 2016, Office 365 had a global monthly user base of 85 million people, making it one of the most popular software subscription services in the world. Interested in migrating to Office 365? Read the following steps on this list to understand some of the steps (and challenges) that you should be thinking of.

Plan ahead and estimate migration time

Migrating to the cloud doesn’t have to be a long process if you work with an IT services expert. However, you should plan your migration strategy in advance to reduce any possible disruption in your workplace.

Research shows that downtime can have a considerably detrimental financial impact on your business. Not only could you potentially lose customers but lose cash, too. One study suggests that the cost of downtime could equate to as much as $5,600 per minute.

This is why it’s important to have an effective migration strategy in place. You should estimate how long it will take to transfer to Office 365 — and the impact any downtime will have on your business — and plan for any potential migration problems.

Improve network performance before you migrate

Network performance can have a significant impact on migration success. If your infrastructure is unable to support the transfer process, migrating to Office 365 will take you longer than you think.

“The biggest impact on network performance during migration is related to third-party hardware and Internet service providers (ISPs),” says Microsoft.

It’s a good idea to monitor your network performance before you migrate. (A professional will help you do this.) Optimizing network capacity and stability and planning for any network delays will increase the chances of migration success.

Invest in training

Yes, training your staff to use Office 365 might cost you time and money. However, it will definitely pay off in the long run. Teaching employees to use the latest software and features will facilitate the migration process and optimize the implementation of the cloud. You could even save money over time — staff are less likely to make errors after training.

Employee training can take place in-house or away from your organization. Either way, you can support the end-users who will actually use Office 365 and increase business value over time.

“Once you have migrated to Office 365, the ongoing challenge is to drive effective use and achieve business value through incorporating appropriate Office 365 capabilities into day-to-day work,” says Backupify.

Make sure you have constant support

In some circumstances, Microsoft 365 implementation might not run as smoothly as you would like. If you face any problems during or after migration, you need full support from experienced staff who can resolve your issues quickly.

Although you can’t plan for every eventuality, making sure you have constant support during the transfer process will ensure you encounter fewer migration problems.

Follow these steps if you are planning to migrate to Office 365. Planning ahead, estimating migration time, improving network performance, investing in staff training and making sure you have constant support will ensure your migration is a success.

Partner with an Office 365 Migration Expert

Of course, there’s always the option of partnering with an expert in Office 365 migrations. The team at AnchorSix is here to help your organization move over seamlessly without downtime and negative effects.

Questions? Concerns? Simply interested in learning more? Contact us and let’s have a conversation.