Merging tenants after a merger or acquisition? These five steps make it a breeze.
Merging tenants due to a merger, acquisition or other types of restructuring can be challenging with pitfalls. A successful Microsoft 365 tenant to tenant migration requires a solid strategy and execution so no data gets lost in transit. Here are 5 key tips to make your Microsoft 365 tenant merge smoothly and successfully.
1. Create a Pre-Migration Plan
Before you start the Microsoft 365 tenant to tenant migration process, you need to do an assessment of your current environment. This includes:
· Inventory Resources: List all users, groups, apps and data that need to be migrated. Knowing the size and complexity of your Microsoft 365 tenant will help you estimate the time and resources needed for the migration.
· Define Objectives: Define what you want to achieve with the migration, e.g. improve collaboration or merge multiple tenants. This will guide your strategy and align the migration with your business goals.
2. User Mapping and Communication
User mapping is key to ensure all accounts are correctly aligned between source and target tenants:
· Pre-create User Accounts: Create user accounts in the target Microsoft 365 tenant before migration. Include assigning Microsoft 365 licenses to avoid downtime.
· Communicate with Stakeholders: Inform users of the Microsoft 365 cross tenant migration timeline, changes and what they need to do. Communication helps manage expectations and reduce resistance to change.
3. Use Migration Tools
The right tools can make all the difference in your tenant migration:
· Choose Specialized Tools: Use tools designed for Microsoft 365 tenant migrations like CloudFuze. These cloud migration tools can automate many parts of the process, data integrity and zero downtime. The expert support will be with you throughout the process, so migration is error free.
· Test Migrations: Before you do a full migration, do a pilot migration with a small set of users to find issues and refine your approach.
· Phased Migration: Start with a small set of users, fix issues then scale up to the rest. This controlled approach minimizes disruption.
· Delta Migration: With delta migration only new or modified data is moved after the initial transfer, no unnecessary delays.
4. Data Security and Compliance
Data security during migration is key:
· Security Protocols: Protect sensitive data by using encryption and access controls throughout the migration process.
· Compliance Checks: Verify all data handling complies with relevant regulations (e.g. GDPR, SOC 2 Type 2, etc) to avoid legal and security issues during and post migration.
· Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA adds an extra layer of security, preventing unauthorized access.
5. Post Migration Support and Training
What happens after it’s all been migrated?
Post migration support and validation is key to everything working as expected. Here’s what to do next:
· Data Verification: Run checks to make sure all emails, files and calendar items are in the new tenant.
· Permissions Audit: Verify users have the right permissions and sensitive information is locked down.
· User Training and Support: Get your team up to speed with the new setup. Run training sessions to get users familiar with the new features and functionality in Microsoft 365 that will increase productivity and user happiness.
· Issue Tracking and support: Set up a way for users to report issues or ask for help during the transition period. Quick support will reduce frustration and make the transition smoother.
Conclusion
Migrating between Microsoft 365 tenants is all about planning, communication, tools, security and support. By focusing on these 5 key areas – planning, user mapping, using specialist tools, data security and post migration support – you’ll be able to navigate the tenant migration successfully.
