How to Migrate Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2016/Office 365

If you are still using Exchange Server 2007 for any of your email and calendar services, it is better to start planning to move the associated mailbox data and resources to Office 365 or newer version of Exchange. Exchange 2007 support will expire until April 2017. Latest versions of Exchange Server and Office 365 have even more to offer. Users running Exchange 2007 have many methods by which they can easily move Exchange mailboxes to Exchange 2010, Exchange 2013, and Exchange 2016 or migrate directly to Office 365.  

Here is step by step guide which you may follow to start planning your migration of Exchange Server 2007:

Plan to migrate Exchange 2007 to Office 365

Cutover Migration: If your Exchange Server is fewer than 2000 mailboxes, you should use cutover migration method. You can perform a cutover migration by using the Setup wizard, or by using Exchange Admin Center (EAC). With the help of Setup wizard you can only migrating 150 mailboxes. If you can move up to 2000 mailboxes from the EAC. The method is supported for Exchange 2003, 2007 and 2010;

Staged Migration: If you want to migrate more than 2,000 mailboxes, you should opt for staged migration method.

Hybrid Migration: This method is not supported in Exchange Server 2007. If you have Exchange 2010/2013 and more than 150-2,000 mailboxes, want to migrate mailboxes in small batches, you should opt for this method.

Let’s start with cutover method:

Step 1: Planning Migration   

First Open the Exchange Deployment Assistant site, the site cover all migrations scenarios to migrate from Exchange 2007 to Office 365. I am using simple cutover migration method from Exchange Server 2007 that’s why I am using Cloud Only option. Answer all the questions on end state goals and existing setup. After completing all the required steps, it will generate a step by step guide for migration.

Step 2: Test Existing Setup

Now you need to make sure that Exchange 2007 infrastructure supports Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) and Autodiscover. After that use the guide to verify the Exchange 2007 setup. Once the setup is verified, use the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer to verify Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP). Also make sure that you assigned the correct account migration permissions to the mailboxes that you are going to migrate. 

•    Open the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer site.
•    Select the Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) test then click to Next.
•    Enter all the information that are requested. Also verify that you are using Autodiscover to detect server settings.
•    Now Enter the Verification code.
•    Click Perform Test.
•    Once the test is successful, you can continue to the next step. 

Step 3: Configure Cutover Migration

•    Now Login to the Office 365 Admin Center.
•    Open Exchange Admin Center>>Click Migration.
•    Click on + button and select Migrate to Exchange Online option
•    Now choose Cutover migration>>Click Next.

     Enter on-premises account details>>Click Next.

•    Next Exchange Server & RPC proxy Server Setting have been automatically selected then click on Next
•    Enter name for New Migration Batch then Click to Next button
•    Select a recipient to get a report once the migration process is get completed.
•    You can start the batch automatically or start it later by selecting it in migration dashboard & then click on start button. I am selecting batch automatically option then click on New.

New migration batch will be created and you will see the status to syncing.
You will check the Migration details by clicking View Details under the Mailbox Status

Step 4: Migration Complete

After the migration is done from Exchange 2007 to Office, the sync status is get changed from Syncing to Synced & you will also get a report emailed to you

Plan to migrate Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2016

A direct migration from Exchange 2007 to 2016 is possible only across forests. If you want to migrate directly from Exchange Server 2007 to Exchange Server 2016 in the same domain it can be done by first migrating to 2013 then move to 2016. There is no direct way to migrate directly from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2016. The Exchange deployment assistant can help you with this. https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dn756393.aspx

It is better option, you should perform the migration using professional tools like Stellar EDB to PST Converter, which can directly export mailboxes from Exchange Server 2007 to Exchange Server 2016 without any hassle. The software also have option to migrate mailboxes from Exchange Server 2007 to office 365.