#Preparation

Before the migration, you need to identify what object types you want to migrate. Refer to the Supported and Unsupported List.

#1. Create a service account or app profile with required permissions for source Exchange Online

To connect Fly to your Exchange Online, create a service account or an app profile with the required permissions in AvePoint Online Services. Refer to Required Permissions to check the required permissions for Exchange Online.

#2. Create an app profile with required permissions for destination Gmail

To connect Fly to your Gmail, create an app profile with the required permissions in AvePoint Online Services. Refer to Required Permissions to check the required permissions for Gmail.

#3. Run the source tenant discovery (optional)

Before you migrate from Exchange Online, you can run a tenant discovery for Exchange Online to scan and report the object count, object type, object size, and other details. According to the discovery reports, you can better understand your source environment and plan for your migrations. Refer to Tenant Discovery in the user guide for details.

#4. Mailboxes filters (optional)

If there are a large number of mailboxes in your tenant and you only want to migrate some of them, you can refer to Microsoft document to specify the mailboxes you want to migrate or the mailboxes that will not be migrated using Exchange PowerShell.

#5. Create users in the destination tenant

Add new Google users in the destination tenant.

• If you are migrating Exchange Online to Gmail and will retain the same domain in the destination environment:

  We recommend that you add the domain to the Google tenant so that the Gmail mailbox addresses are the same as those in Exchange Online. When configuring mappings in migration projects, you can use the same addresses for source and destination mailboxes. For example, user@contoso.onmicrosoft.com to user@contoso.onmicrosoft.com. After the cutover, you must add the MX records to the destination domain to ensure that the destination mailbox can be used normally.

• If you are migrating from Exchange Online to Gmail and the domain will not be moved to the destination environment:

  When configuring mappings in migration projects, you can use different addresses for source and destination mailboxes. For example, user@contoso.onmicrosoft.com to user@googleworkspace.com.

#6. Provision resource mailboxes and Google Groups

Provision resource mailboxes and Google Groups in the destination Gmail. If the resource mailbox does not exist in the destination, the migration will fail. If the Google Group does not exist in the destination, FLY can create a new one during the migration.

#7. Throttling limits in Exchange Online to Gmail migration

#Microsoft throttling limits

Microsoft uses throttling to manage Microsoft 365 operations, and throttling limits will affect migration performance. Go to Microsoft 365 admin center to lift the throttling restrictions.

1. Go to the Help (?) section of the Microsoft 365 admin center.

2. Enter EWS throttling as the search phrase.

3. Click Run Tests when you are asked to check your environment. Essentially, the tests check what EWS throttling applies to the tenant.

   

4. The support assistant checks the tenant settings and concludes that EWS is throttled (the normal situation). You will then be offered the chance to update the settings to the tenant EWS policy to lift throttling for 30, 60, or 90 days.

5. Select the number of days you want to adjust the policy for, and then click Update Settings.

   

6. After a short delay, the support assistant will confirm that the settings have been changed.

#Google Workspace throttling limits

Google also has throttling restrictions. The more mappings you run at a time, the greater effect of throttling restrictions on the migration speed. You can contact Google Support for help.

#8. Migration throughput

For mail migrations, generally, a reasonable migration speed is 0.6 GB/hour/mapping. For the number of mappings that can be run, it is automatically allocated based on the subscription you purchased. The more user seats you purchase, the more mappings you can run in a project.

There are many factors which may affect migration performance:

• The above throughput number is for full migration. Generally, it may be lower for incremental migration since Fly needs to spend quite some time in checking the migrated item status for incremental migration.

• There may be throttling issues in the source and destination, which affect the migration performance.

#9. Create source and destination connections

Refer to Create a Connection to connect Fly to your source Exchange online and destination Gmail.

Project setup

Generally, we recommend that you create a project based on the business unit, such as divisions. Also, we recommend that you configure different types of mailboxes in different mapping files.

Other setup

Set mailbox mapping files and user mapping files (optional).

#10. Design the migration policy

An Exchange Online to Gmail migration policy allows you to configure the migration scope of objects, conflict resolutions, user mappings, and advanced options for Exchange Online to Gmail migrations. Refer to Configure a Migration Policy for details.

There are some notes need your attention:

• If you select to migrate Recoverable Items folders, only the Deletions folders are supported to be migrated.

• To migrate archive mailboxes, ensure that you select the Migrate archive mailbox option in the migration policy.

• If the source is not an archive mailbox and you wish to migrate archive mailboxes, make sure to select the Migrate archive mailbox option in the migration policy.

• To migrate users with the Full Access permission to the destination Google group as members, select the Permissions object and configure user mappings.

• To migrate attachments of calendars, tasks, and contacts, select the option to migrate event, task, and contact attachments in the policy. If this option is not selected, only the main data will be migrated to the destination, and any attachments will be excluded.

#11. Plan a pilot run

We recommend that you perform a pilot run for the following purposes:

• Get familiar with the Fly interface and understand the whole migration process.

• Discover any potential issues early and resolve them before production migration.

To configure projects and mappings, refer to Create a Project and Create Migration Mappings for details.