Exchange migration and email management during downtimes

During a server migration, email services can often suffer outages and messages or data may be lost in the move; this can massively affect the way the office runs.

With this in mind, one of the best times to migrate to a new email server is during the Christmas period. With most people away from the office, and a more manageable level of traffic, the disruptions caused by the upgrade will affect as few people as possible. It’s also likely that any work being done during the festive season will be smaller projects and less important ‘bits and pieces’. As a result, any data lost will not mean a catastrophe for the rest of the office.

However, even during downtimes like the Christmas holidays an office still has to function, especially as so many people often choose to answer emails and work from home while they are away. Since a server migration requires new hardware as well as a software upgrade, it’s important to have an alternative to your usual email system in place until normal service is resumed. This is where a cloud solution comes in.

Cloud computing offers a way of making email management much simpler, as well as ensuring that the problems caused by a server migration are minimised. The cloud unifies all the structures often associated with an email system: anti-spam, archiving, continuity and data leak prevention; making migration far less complex and associated problems much less likely.

While this can reduce the amount of disruption caused by the procedure, another way of smoothing the path is by choosing a high-quality server to upgrade to; with Microsoft Exchange 2010 migration has become a much easier process, thanks to its advanced software and additional features. The Exchange server includes a Personal Archive option, an admin delegation feature and a special ‘shadow redundancy’ option to help protect emails as they are being sent. These additional features ensure that any teething troubles staff may experience as they adjust to the new email system are kept to a minimum, as well as making all that disruption well worth it.

However, exchange migration can still be a tricky procedure to implement, and can still cause disruption to the email service. By making use of a cloud system and beginning the process during an office downtime, you’ll be able to avoid as many of the pitfalls as possible. With minimal disruption, you and your staff will be able to enjoy a faster, more convenient email system by the new year, and make use of all those ‘work harder’/’be more efficient’ new year’s resolutions!

Advertisment Feature