How to Migrate Public Folders to Office 365?

Public folders are a popular feature in Exchange that allows organizations to share information among users. Migrating public folders to Office 365 can be a complex process, but it is essential for organizations that want to take full advantage of the cloud-based collaboration and communication tools offered by Office 365. In this article, we will outline the steps involved in migrating public folders to Office 365.

Step 1: Assess Your Current Public Folder Environment The first step in migrating public folders to Office 365 is to assess your current public folder environment. This includes identifying the public folders that you want to migrate, their size, and the number of items they contain. You will also need to determine the types of public folders you have, such as mail-enabled or non-mail-enabled folders.

Step 2: Plan Your Migration Strategy Once you have assessed your current public folder environment, you need to plan your migration strategy. There are several migration methods available, including:

• Staged migration: This method is suitable for organizations that have a large number of public folders and want to migrate them gradually over time. With staged migration, you can migrate a subset of your public folders at a time, which reduces the risk of disruption to your users.
• Hybrid migration: This method is suitable for organizations that have both on-premises Exchange servers and Office 365. With hybrid migration, you can migrate your public folders gradually, without disrupting your users.
• Cutover migration: This method is suitable for smaller organizations with a limited number of public folders. With cutover migration, you can migrate all your public folders in one go, which is a faster migration method.

Step 3: Prepare Your Public Folders for Migration Before you can migrate your public folders to Office 365, you need to prepare them for migration. This includes the following steps:

• Update permissions: Ensure that the users who will access the migrated public folders have the appropriate permissions.
• Fix any issues: Resolve any issues with your public folders, such as folder corruption or duplicate items.
• Archive old data: Archive any old or unnecessary data to reduce the size of your public folders.

Step 4: Create Your Public Folder Migration Batch Once you have prepared your public folders for migration, you need to create your public folder migration batch. This involves the following steps:

• Use the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or Exchange Management Shell (EMS) to create a migration batch.
• Specify the public folders you want to migrate.
• Set the migration settings, such as the migration start time, and the number of mailboxes that will be migrated simultaneously.

Step 5: Start the Public Folder Migration After you have created your public folder migration batch, you need to start the migration. This involves the following steps:

• Use the EAC or EMS to start the migration batch.
• Monitor the migration progress using the EAC or EMS.
• Verify that the migration was successful by testing the migrated public folders.

Step 6: Complete the Public Folder Migration Once the migration is complete, you need to complete the migration by performing the following steps:

• Remove any public folders that were not migrated.
• Update DNS records to point to your Office 365 environment.
• Verify that your users can access the migrated public folders.

In conclusion, migrating public folders to Office 365 requires careful planning and execution. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can ensure a successful migration that minimizes disruption to your users and maximizes the benefits of Office 365.