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Switching email providers is one of the riskiest IT changes a business can make. Done wrong, you lose emails, break communication, and confuse clients. Here's how to do it right.
Document everything: how many mailboxes, total storage used per mailbox, shared calendars, distribution lists, forwarding rules, aliases, and any third-party integrations (CRM, helpdesk, marketing tools) that send email through your domain.
Before touching anything, export a full backup. For Microsoft 365, use PST exports. For Google Workspace, use Google Takeout. For cPanel/webmail, use IMAP sync to a local client. Store backups on a separate drive, not on the mail server being migrated.
Schedule the migration for a low-activity period. Friday evening or weekend works well for most businesses. Avoid month-end, quarter-end, or any period when email communication is critical. Plan for 24-48 hours of potential disruption.
Connect old and new servers via IMAP and sync mailboxes. Works with any provider.
Export mailboxes to PST files and import into the new system. Best for Outlook/Exchange.
Use built-in admin tools from Microsoft 365 or Google. Fastest and most reliable method.
After mailbox data is migrated, you need to update your domain's DNS records to point to the new email provider. This is the critical step where things most commonly go wrong.
Important: DNS changes take up to 48 hours to propagate worldwide. During this period, some emails will go to the old server and some to the new one. Keep both servers active until propagation is complete.
We handle business email migrations every day. From planning through DNS configuration and post-migration testing, we make sure nothing is lost.
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