Overview

A major Texas-based data center sought a reliable partner to assist in the complex migration of two on-premises domains and two Microsoft tenants into a single, cohesive domain. This ambitious project aimed to streamline collaboration and communication across the organization by integrating essential tools such as Teams, email, and OneDrive into a unified and seamless experience.

The primary objective was to create a robust, unified collaboration environment that would not only enhance efficiency and productivity for users from both organizations but also establish a strong foundation for future migrations of additional services and endpoints to the new domain and tenant. By consolidating these environments, the data center aimed to improve operational agility, reduce administrative overhead, and enable more effective resource management.

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, Oakwood’s role was to leverage their expertise and experience to ensure a smooth and efficient migration process, addressing potential challenges and minimizing disruptions to daily operations. Oakwood’s comprehensive approach included detailed planning, risk assessment, and the implementation of best practices to achieve a successful integration.

Business Challenge

Numerous challenges arose throughout this migration project, with one of the primary hurdles being the seemingly impossible timeline of ensuring all 1,500 users were transitioned and operational in the new tenant within just four weeks. This accelerated timeline demanded meticulous planning, precise execution, and exceptional coordination among all stakeholders.

In addition to the tight schedule, there was a substantial volume of data spread across various Microsoft solutions that needed to be consolidated into a single tenant. This process required not only migrating the data but also preserving the existing permission structures to ensure seamless access and functionality for all users. This added complexity necessitated careful mapping of permissions and thorough validation to avoid any disruption in user access.

Effective communication was another significant challenge, involving coordination among Oakwood, the data center project team, and the 1,500 end users. Ensuring that all parties were kept informed and aligned throughout the project was crucial to its success. Regular updates, clear instructions, and responsive support channels were essential to manage expectations and address any issues promptly.

Complicating matters further, the new organization had not yet finalized its domain name, which could not be disclosed until it was legally registered. This delay required the establishment of a new standardized naming system that could be implemented swiftly once the domain was confirmed. Given the large number of users, shared mailboxes, and teams, anticipating and resolving naming conflicts between the two source domains was a critical task to prevent any potential disruptions.

Solution

Oakwood leveraged the Quest On Demand Migration Suite (ODMS), a robust cloud-based solution, for comprehensive migration and synchronization of Office 365 and Active Directory. This toolset enabled the seamless migration of Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint Online, and Teams workloads while ensuring coexistence and minimal disruption.

A highly skilled team, including an engagement manager, an M365 Architect, and two senior M365 engineers, oversaw the migration process with professionalism and technical expertise. They meticulously managed the project, ensuring all aspects were covered.

Oakwood established primary communication channels for collaboration between technical and project teams, providing priority updates for stakeholders. These channels facilitated swift resolution of technical issues, such as naming conflicts, and enabled early detection of potential problems like the risk of migrating Teams Channel posts. This proactive communication approach allowed for continuous progress without disrupting migration efforts.

The team identified and addressed potential issues early, maintaining project momentum. Regular updates and transparent communication with stakeholders kept everyone aligned with the project’s progress and adjustments, ensuring the project stayed on track.

This solution highlights Oakwood’s strategic and technical measures, leveraging the Quest On Demand Migration Suite and a dedicated team with a robust communication strategy. Oakwood delivered a seamless and efficient migration, meeting the client’s requirements and setting the stage for future advancements.

Conclusion

With Oakwood’s expertise and coordination efforts, all user mailboxes were successfully migrated within the designated timeframe. The team skillfully managed data transfer to the Microsoft tenant, preventing throttling issues and ensuring a smooth transition.

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