When we refer to “hybrid” in IT jargon, we are talking about a configuration in which two or more different technologies are merged to build a unified solution. In the case of Hybrid migration Office 365 its integrated with on-premises solutions to help businesses take advantage of Teams, SharePoint Online, and Exchange Online that are a part of the Office 365 suite along with their on-premises solutions.
Typically, the first step of migrating to Office 365 is the movement of email identities. The integration of Office 365 with an on-premises server for the flow of email requires Active Directory Domain Services, on-premises Exchange Server, and Outlook. Let us explore the different options for migrating objects to Office 365.
What Are the Different Migration Options?
Most businesses prefer staged or cutover migrations. These require strong expertise and are better suited for O365 tenant to tenant migration. Both staged, and cutover migration requires the use of third-party tools. These simplify the planning and execution as it becomes easier to predict the outcome and test the results even when you run into troubles. Migration specialists are typically employed for such complex migration scenarios. One of the major drawbacks of using these tools is that new Outlook accounts have to be typically created. The other, of course, is the cost involved in the procurement of these tools.
The hybrid migration is a better option than either of these. The initial setup is likely to be more difficult, but after migration, businesses realize that there are more advantages than disadvantages to this approach. The biggest advantage is that the mailboxes will continue to reside on-premises. There is no need to create new Outlook profiles. Often, there are no costs involved in upgrading the server licenses.
What are the Advantages of Hybrid Deployment?
There are many advantages to deploying Office 365 in the hybrid model. All the features that are available to users for collaboration are available for both on-premises and cloud users. It must be noted that the collaboration features depend on the migration strategy that would be used. In the case of a cutover migration, coexistence is irrelevant as all users are moved at a stretch.
In the case of staged migration, it is only possible to control the flow of mails and forward them between both environments. However, other features such as shared address books and calendars are not available. In most cases, it does not even include SharePoint migration services that restricts the use of resources mailboxes and Distribution groups.
Office 365 Hybrid Migration Partner Assistance
If your organization has already tried Office 365 with Exchange, it is not hard to see why the migration is complex. Updates and security patches are released very frequently which tend to break the existing infrastructure. An experience hybrid migration partner can assist with licensing, troubleshooting issues, deploying the right solution, and managing the infrastructure apart from offering a competitive Azure Windows Virtual Desktop pricing so that your business can go from hybrid deployment to a fully cloud-native business faster.