Christchurch · Dunedin · Nationwide
Email Migration Services for NZ Businesses
Exodesk plans and carries out email migration to Microsoft 365 for businesses in Christchurch, Dunedin and across New Zealand. We agree the scope, prepare the destination, plan the mail-flow change and check the result before the old service is retired.
Contacts, calendars, archives, shared access and device setup are checked alongside the inbox. We identify separate work and known limitations before setting the change window.
Supporting New Zealand businesses since 1989
The short answer
What is email migration?
Email migration moves agreed mailbox content to another platform and changes mail flow and user access. The source system and migration method determine what transfers and what needs separate setup.
Our email migration services move business mailboxes into Exchange Online in Microsoft 365. Email can move on its own or within a wider cloud migration, where servers, files and applications are planned together. Plan choice and platform features are covered in our Microsoft 365 guide.
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide.
What we cover
What our email migration service covers
The scope identifies users, shared mailboxes, addresses, data volumes, archives and access requirements. We review the existing provider, domain arrangements, licences, devices and systems that send email, then agree responsibilities.
Sources
Where mail can move from
On-premises Exchange, hosted and IMAP mailboxes, and Google Workspace. Mailbox moves between Microsoft 365 tenants are scoped separately and are not a full tenant merger.
Destination
Microsoft 365 destination prepared
We prepare the destination for the agreed migration method, including accounts, licences, security settings and the mailbox and permission work needed at each stage.
People
Staff access and devices
Sign-in changes, Outlook and phone reconnection, and support after the change, with the arrangements agreed in the quote.
Files, Teams, application changes and complete tenant moves are included only when agreed. Ongoing management, backup and support sit separately from the migration project.
Scope
What transfers and what needs separate work?
Mail and folders are only part of the move. Contacts, calendars, shared permissions, signatures, rules and local Outlook archives may need another method or separate setup.
The method depends on the source. Microsoft notes that an IMAP migration copies mail folders only, not contacts, calendar items or tasks, so those need another approach. Other methods move more but still have limits. We record those differences before work starts so the quote and checks cover what your team relies on.
Archives and local Outlook data files can sit outside the source server. We look for them during scoping and include them where agreed in the quote. Shared mailboxes and the accounts of former staff are reviewed too, with a decision on whether each is migrated, redirected, retained or closed.
Cutover
Planning mail flow and staff access
Changing the MX record redirects incoming delivery; it does not copy historical mail. The change follows your actual mail route, which may pass through an email security gateway rather than straight to Microsoft 365.
We check sender authentication, forwarding and the business systems that send email, such as scanners, websites and accounting software, and keep agreed routes working. Microsoft documents the DNS records Microsoft 365 uses for mail delivery and sign-in.
Some methods keep copying mail that arrives after the change, so the final sync and checks are planned around the chosen method. Staff may need to sign in again or reconnect Outlook and phones. We agree the expected disruption, staff instructions and the support route before the change window.
Where the chosen method allows it, we retain access to the old mailboxes for an agreed period. Recovery arrangements are confirmed before the move, and reversal is not automatic once staff are working in the new mailboxes. Protection for the new environment is arranged through email security.
How it works
How we deliver the migration
Each email migration follows four stages, with the detail set by your source system and the agreed scope.
Agree the scope
Identify mailboxes, dependencies, permissions, source access and the recovery arrangements. Confirm the data and settings to move or rebuild.
Prepare and test
Set up the destination, confirm licences and security settings, and test the approach with representative mailboxes and devices.
Copy and switch
Copy supported data, review reported issues and carry out the agreed mail-flow and staff-access change, with the support route explained in advance.
Verify and hand over
Check incoming and outgoing mail, shared access and agreed content, follow up outstanding exceptions and complete any final sync. Agree when the old service can close.
Backup and handover
Backup and ongoing responsibilities
Agree recovery arrangements before the migration and backup afterwards. Migration is not backup, and keeping old mailboxes for a while does not replace it.
- Before the move. A usable backup or recovery arrangement for the source mailboxes.
- After the move. Exodesk offers Microsoft 365 backup, with data, retention and recovery scope agreed. Built-in retention is not the same arrangement.
- Retiring the old service. Only after verification, agreed retention and any remaining system dependencies are checked.
- Handover. Who manages users, licences, security and support from then on.
Cost
What affects email migration cost?
Cost depends on mailbox count and size, source access, archives, migration method, settings to rebuild and the required change window. The quote separates project work from recurring charges.
- Project work. Scoping, destination setup, copying, the cutover, device reconnection and checks.
- Archives and local mail. Included where found during scoping and agreed.
- Licences. Microsoft 365 subscriptions, shown separately.
- Backup and support. Recurring charges, shown separately from the project.
- Current provider. Any overlap or exit charges from the existing service.
Questions
Email migration questions
What is email migration?
It moves agreed mailbox content to a new platform and changes the mail flow and user access. The source system and method determine which data and settings transfer and what needs separate work.
How long does an email migration take?
Timing depends on mailbox sizes, source access, migration limits, separate setup and staff availability. We confirm those details before setting the date. Some copying can run in the background, but the final change and checks still need an agreed window.
Will we lose any emails during the migration?
Planning, recovery arrangements and verification reduce that risk. A migration can still encounter unsupported or failed items. We check available migration results and agreed mailbox content, record exceptions and follow them up before retiring the source.
What is a DNS cutover in email migration?
It changes DNS records, such as the MX record, to direct incoming mail to the new route. It does not move historical messages. The required change depends on your mail routing and any email security gateway in use.
Can we keep using email while we migrate?
Yes, during the initial copy. Staff may need to sign in again, reconnect Outlook or phones, or pause activity during part of the change. We agree the expected disruption, staff instructions and support arrangements before cutover.
Do contacts and calendars move too?
That depends on the source and method. IMAP migration moves email only, so contacts and calendars need another approach. Shared access, rules, signatures and local archives also need checking and may require separate setup.
Can you migrate email to Microsoft 365?
Yes. Exodesk moves mailboxes into Exchange Online from on-premises Exchange, hosted and IMAP mailboxes, Google Workspace and other Microsoft 365 tenants. We check the source, licences, data, mail flow and staff setup before agreeing the work. Wider files, Teams or tenant changes are scoped separately.
Do we need a backup before migrating email?
Agree a usable backup or recovery arrangement before starting and the backup needed after the move. Migration is not backup. Confirm which data is protected, how it can be recovered and when the old service can be closed.
Can we keep our existing email addresses?
Yes, when the business controls its domain and can arrange the necessary changes. Addresses supplied under the domain of another provider may not be transferable. We check domain control, aliases and routing before committing to the move.
How much does an email migration cost?
The quote depends on mailbox count and size, source access, archives, separate setup and the change window. Project charges are separated from recurring licences, backup and management, with inclusions and exclusions agreed before work starts.
Next step
Discuss your email migration
Tell us your current email provider, how many users and shared mailboxes you have, and whether archives or business systems rely on email. We can then discuss the scope and timing for a move to Microsoft 365.
Get in touch
Talk to us about your email
Tell us about your current email setup and what needs to move, and we will be in touch to arrange a time that suits.
Prefer to talk?
Christchurch
Level 1, 85 Riccarton Road
Christchurch 8011
03 343 3124
Dunedin
Level 3, Bartons Building
2 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016
03 479 2941