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Microsoft 365 Migration Help
Office is now Microsoft 365
Microsoft365 migration projects. Many small businesses are making the transition which can be technically difficult, but once it’s done, the support requirements are significantly reduced for email and your users have access to an up-to-date high-quality toolkit for their IT needs.
So as a quick introduction, let’s look at why so many businesses are moving to the Office 365 cloud solution from Microsoft:
- Microsoft are pushing their cloud solution heavily and forcing Microsoft Office users down the route of Microsoft cloud-based email
- Microsoft Office 2016 is all about cloud solutions; email is stored both on local devices and backed up in the cloud.
- Having your email synchronised across multiple devices means it’s so much easier to keep track of email, tasks and calendars.
There are around a dozen different offerings from Microsoft so it will be necessary to spend some time finding the right solution for your needs. For example, do you need:
- The full version of the Microsoft Office suite?
- Microsoft Access?
- Archives of all emails your business sent and received for legal reasons?
Please contact us now for advice or you can spend hours looking at the Microsoft documentation.
How much does it cost for Microsoft 365 migrations?
Based on the last 20 or so migrations, a good guide would be:
Prices start from £300 to set-up your domain and create user accounts and set passwords. This includes:
- Setting up the first 5 mailboxes
- Dealing with your existing providers
- Installing Microsoft Office 2016 on your PC or Mac’s
- Setting up your iPhone, iPad or Android phone
- Dealing with any user support requests post-migration
Items that take a little longer and need more careful planning are:
- Transferring mail from Thunderbird, Microsoft live mail, or Apple mail applications instead of Outlook
- We will decommission your existing mail servers and remove exchange from your domain, or if you are running a small business server 2003 / 2008 / 2011 we will make changes to allow it to work without an exchange email
- If your internet is very slow we will make a copy of your mail and preload it to Microsoft’s servers
- We usually do the migration over a weekend (and prevent people from accessing their mail during the change to reduce the support overhead)
For bigger migrations (over 20 users) we will provide an on-site engineer post-migration. For smaller ones, we can provide the same service remotely to keep the costs down. We can also set up things like exchange migration and active directory integration as part of the transition.
In any case, we will offer a fixed price quotation before we start work!
The top issues which cause Microsoft 365 migration support issues are:
- Unable to take control of the domain name (if we don’t have full control panel access and we can’t take control of the domain we will simply refuse to do the migration as its too risky)
- Users & user accounts which we are not aware of
- Systems that integrate into an email which we don’t know about in advance & other domains doing odd things with mail
- Email groups and aliases which are undocumented and business-critical (which is why we ask for this information in advance)
- Wrong information provided on who needs email, Office and how to get hold of them
- Remote users that are simply impossible to get hold of complaining their email is not working
When we agree to do an Office 365 migration, you should get a spreadsheet to complete. It is imperative that this is completed accurately, peoples names spelt correctly and all aliases listed. We will check on your existing server that this is correct, but you need to be aware if we don’t know about it, you could lose emails. Now is also a good time to manage all the leavers’ accounts in your organisation and remove any unused accounts & archive their mail. We can direct email to a leavers mailbox if you wish. While a vast majority of our migrations are in London, Surrey or Sussex we can easily do Office365 migrations remotely. We also undertake Office 365 migrations for other IT support companies.
Microsoft 365 support
After migration Microsoft 365 support is available from us, contact us to find out more.
If you would like our help with your Microsoft 365 migration or are not sure this is the right solution for you please contact us on 020 8099 5540
Expert Managed Office 365 Migration for Your Business
Transitioning to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a critical step for modern businesses looking to enhance productivity, security, and collaboration. However, a migration project can be technically complex and risky if not handled correctly. At GoodChoice IT, we specialise in providing Managed Office 365 Migration services that ensure a smooth transition with zero data loss and minimal downtime.
Since 2006, we have helped hundreds of businesses in London and Surrey move their email, documents, and workflows to the Microsoft cloud. Our expert team handles everything from initial planning and licensing to technical execution and post-migration support.
Why Move to Microsoft 365?
- Work from Anywhere: Access your email, files, and Teams from any device, anywhere in the world.
- Enhanced Security: Benefit from Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security features, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and advanced threat protection.
- Predictable Costs: Move from capital expenditure to a simple, per-user monthly subscription.
- Always Up-to-Date: Never worry about upgrading your Office software again; you always have the latest version.
- Seamless Collaboration: Use Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive to work together in real-time.
Our Managed Migration Process
We follow a proven, multi-step process to ensure your migration is a success:
- Audit & Planning: We assess your current IT environment, including mailboxes, file storage, and third-party integrations.
- Licensing Advice: We help you choose the right Microsoft 365 plan (Business Basic, Standard, or Premium) to fit your needs and budget.
- Technical Setup: We configure your Microsoft 365 tenant, set up security policies, and prepare your domain.
- Data Migration: We securely transfer your emails, calendars, contacts, and files using industry-leading tools.
- User Onboarding: We help your team set up their devices and provide training on the new tools.
- Post-Migration Support: Our London-based helpdesk is ready to assist with any questions or issues after the move.
How Much Does a Microsoft 365 Migration Cost?
Every business is unique, but we believe in transparent pricing. Our managed migration packages typically start from £300 for small setups. Factors that influence the cost include:
- The number of users and mailboxes.
- The volume of data to be migrated (Email, SharePoint, OneDrive).
- The complexity of your current system (Exchange, IMAP, G-Suite, etc.).
- Requirements for advanced security or compliance configurations.
Contact us today for a fixed-price quotation tailored to your business.
Office 365 Migration FAQs
The duration depends on the amount of data and the number of users. For most small to medium businesses, the actual “cutover” happens over a weekend to minimize disruption, with preparation taking 1-2 weeks beforehand.
No. When performed by experts like GoodChoice IT, we use tools and processes that ensure every single email, calendar entry, and contact is migrated securely with zero data loss.
Generally, no. Microsoft 365 works on most modern PCs, Macs, and mobile devices. We will audit your hardware as part of our planning phase to ensure compatibility.
Yes, we frequently perform migrations from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365. We handle the transfer of Gmail, Google Drive, and Calendars into the Microsoft ecosystem seamlessly.
If you have an on-premise Exchange server, we will safely decommission it after confirming the migration is 100% successful. This often leads to significant savings on electricity and maintenance costs.
