Migrating to Microsoft 365 means moving your email, file storage, calendars, contacts, and collaboration tools from a legacy system, on-premises Exchange, Google Workspace, or an older mail host, to Microsoft's cloud platform. Done correctly, a migration causes no email downtime and no data loss. Done without a plan, it causes exactly both.
These are elapsed calendar times. Actual hands-on work is far less. Most of the time is pre-migration synchronisation running in the background while your team keeps working normally.
Phase 1: Assessment and planning (week 1)
Phase 2: Pre-migration synchronisation (ongoing)
Phase 3: Cutover
Phase 4: Post-migration (week 1 after cutover)
With proper planning, no email downtime. Mailbox cutover is a DNS record change, email routes to the new platform from the moment the MX record propagates (usually under an hour). During pre-migration synchronisation, new email arriving in the old system is continuously replicated to the new one, so nothing is missed.
Users may need to reconnect Outlook and mobile mail apps, which takes a few minutes per device.
No, when the migration is run with proper tooling and verification. North Star uses mailbox replication tools that copy email, calendars, contacts, and tasks completely before cutover. We run verification counts before finalising, every item in the source should match the destination before we switch the MX record.
This is a fully supported migration path. The components:
Google Drive files (Docs, Sheets, Slides) are converted to Office format during migration. Conversion quality is high for most documents; complex spreadsheets with heavy scripting may need manual review.
Teams is a separate configuration step from mailbox migration. Best results come from planning Teams structure (channels, teams, guests) before migration rather than recreating ad-hoc arrangements from Slack or Google Chat.
Can we migrate over a weekend to minimise disruption? Yes. North Star schedules cutovers over weekends or low-traffic windows. Pre-migration runs the entire week before, so the weekend window is just the MX record flip and reconnection.
What if we have a lot of old email? Old email migrates in the background and does not slow down the cutover. Users have access to it in their new Outlook from day one.
Do we need to buy new hardware? No. Outlook on Windows and Mac connects to Microsoft 365 via the internet. Mobile devices use native mail apps or the Outlook app.
What licences do we need? At minimum, Microsoft 365 Business Basic for email and OneDrive. Business Standard or Premium for installed Office apps and security features. North Star advises on the right SKU mix for your team.
Can North Star IT run our Microsoft 365 migration? Yes. North Star plans and runs Microsoft 365 migrations for businesses across Northern BC, Alberta, and Yukon, mailboxes, files, Teams setup, and post-migration security configuration.
Planning a Microsoft 365 migration? Call 672-983-1174 or book a free migration scoping call at northstarit.ca.
Quick answers.
How long does a Microsoft 365 migration take?
A small business with 20 to 50 users typically migrates over 2 to 4 weeks of elapsed time. Larger or more complex tenants take 6 to 12 weeks. North Star runs the plan, you keep working.
Will there be downtime?
With proper planning, no. Mailbox cutover is staged so users keep sending and receiving email throughout the project. OneDrive and SharePoint move in the background.
Will we lose any email?
No. North Star uses mailbox replication tools that copy email, calendars, contacts, and tasks completely before cutover. Test runs verify completeness before final cutover.
What about our existing Outlook?
Outlook reconnects automatically after cutover. Users see their familiar inbox, calendar, and contacts. Mobile devices reconnect with a single re-sign-in.
Can you migrate from Google Workspace?
Yes. North Star runs Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migrations regularly, including Gmail to Exchange Online, Google Drive to OneDrive, and Google Calendar to Outlook.
Have a specific situation in mind?
Book a free 30-minute scoping call with a Northstar IT engineer. We will walk through your environment, your questions, and what good looks like for your team.
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