Google To Microsoft 365 Migrations

Over time, Microsoft has built the ultimate modern collaboration and communication application in Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 supports a variety of methods to migrate email, calendar, and contact details to Microsoft 365. We believe there are several reasons why every organization should view Microsoft 365 as the platform to support their organizational needs for the future. One reason is cost, the second reason is clarity, and the last reason is commitment.

Google to Microsoft 365 Migration

If you’ve ever successfully done a migration, you know firsthand that migrating from one platform to another can be rather complex. Not only do you have second thoughts about pressing OK, but you have to sit through the time it takes for the migration to be completed.

You can migrate from Google Workspace (formally known as G Suite), allowing your migration project to be done in stages. When thinking about moving from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, you must understand that there is a separation between the technical solution and the business function. If there is a business function that you need to achieve within your organization’s needs using a platform like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you can likely achieve what you need from either platform, but not exactly in the same way.

When migrating from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, there might be some things that organizations need to change in the Microsoft 365 space. Many business leaders are thinking about migrating, and it is crucial to understand that some areas may need to be rebuilt within the new Microsoft systems to realize the true benefits of Microsoft systems.

Migrating from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365

Microsoft has defined a way to perform this migration. When you are conducting any type of migration, data should always be a priority. In this type of migration, users will have to move their Gmail IMAP mailbox to Microsoft 365. The IMAP mailbox can be moved to Microsoft 365 manually or automatically. To migrate a Google Workspace mailbox manually, IMAP has to be migrated using the configuration tool in the Admin Center.

Before you begin the migration process, it is crucial that you have a clear understanding of what the process consists of.

Determining Who Owns a Domain

The first step in the migration process is to verify the domain. The admin must verify that he or she is the owner of the Microsoft 365 account used for migration from Google Workspace. Also, the admin must ensure that two-step verification is enabled in the email platform and a password is generated to connect it to Outlook.

Adding Multiple Accounts to Microsoft 365

It is rational to add more than one account to Microsoft 365. While migrating Google Workspace data to Microsoft 365, the mailboxes must be on the Exchange online.

After the verification process has been completed and the mailboxes have been created in Microsoft 365, pause the setup wizard and do not move forward with the process. You will complete the rest of the setup process after the Gmail mailboxes have been migrated.

Migrating Gmail Mailboxes

A migration batch can be used to seamlessly migrate groups of Gmail mailboxes to Microsoft 365. The batch contains Gmail mailboxes that have been listed in the migration file. To migrate to Microsoft 365, your migration file should contain a list of all Gmail mailboxes. Microsoft Excel can be used to list your Gmail mailboxes. Up to 50,000 mailboxes can be added to the file. The maximum file size is 10 MB. To create your list, do the following:

Use your admin credentials to sign in to the Google Workspace admin console.
Identify the user’s email address.
Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
Select Users > Active Users, and navigate to User Name. (Do not close the window)
Open Microsoft Excel and use the user’s email address, username, and password to create a sheet in Excel:
Using the Google Workspace Users list, enter the above details,
Save the document as a CSV file and close the Excel worksheet.

Connecting Mailboxes with Microsoft 365

Email migrations happen through migration endpoints, which are a key point of communication between email systems that are involved in the migration process. This is why it is important to create a migration endpoint to connect Microsoft 365 to Gmail. When you have to migrate Google Apps to Microsoft 365, here’s how you can create a migration endpoint:

Open the EAC.
Select Recipients > Migration> Migration Endpoint.
To add a new migration endpoint, select the New + option.
On the Select Migration Endpoint Type page, select IMAP.
On the IMAP migration setup page, do not change the default settings, but set the IMAP server to imap.gmail.com.
Select Next and enter the name of the Migration Endpoint.
Select New.

Creating a Migration Batch

Open the Admin Center in Microsoft 365 and navigate to Admin Centers > Exchange.
Select Recipients and choose Migration.
Choose the New + and select Migrate to Exchange Online.
Choose IMAP migration and click Next.
On the Select Users page, hit browse and choose the file you created in Microsoft Excel and allow Microsoft 365 to verify it.
After the file has been verified, Microsoft 365 will show how many users are being migrated from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365.
Hit Next.
On the IMAP Configuration, choose the migration endpoint.
Hit Next, and accept the default values.
Enter the name of the migration batch and hit Next.
Choose Automatically start batch, hit New, and start the migration process.

Updating DNS Records

DNS records are referred to as MX records and they have been designed to deliver e-mail.

Log in to Microsoft 365 and navigate to Setup > Domains
Choose the domain and then click Fix Issues.
Follow the instructions that you are given after selecting What Do I Fix?

Stopping the Google Workspace Synchronization

After you have verified that all e-mails will be migrated from Google to Microsoft 365, you can delete the batch and end the synchronization.

To delete the migration batch and stop synchronizing, do the following:

In the Exchange Admin Center, find Recipients and click on Migration.
After you have opened the migration panel, select the correct batch and hit Delete.

Migrating Calendars and Contacts

After you have migrated emails, users can import their Gmail calendar and contacts to Outlook:

Import contacts to Outlook
Import Google Calendar to Outlook

Initial.IT can safely and securely migrate your accounts from Google to Microsoft 365. No matter the size of your organization or how much data you have, our team will ensure that your organization avoids the common mistakes associated with Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration. Are you ready to get started? Contact us today.

Thanks to the team at Pure IT, a Calgary IT support company and trusted Microsoft partner for their help with this article.