How to Migrate to Google Apps

This guide brings up the main considerations of performing a migration of any size, and describes the tools Google has provided for migrating.

Migrating your Email

Every legacy system is different, and as such, they all have different ways of converting or exporting data to be used on other systems. Google has created a tool for migrating Microsoft Exchange/IMAP servers and Lotus Notes to Google Apps, and some tools for other systems are available for purchase from third parties. However, understand that even with these tools performing migrations is almost always a lengthy and involved process, regardless of which system you’re currently using. There will be problems and errors, so be prepared to troubleshoot.

Server Side Options

Google’s email migration options for administrators include:

• Migration for Microsoft Exchange, a tool for Exchange Server 2003 and 2007, as well as IMAP servers like Novell Groupwise.
• Cloud Google Migrator, a tool built specifically for use when migrating from Novell Groupwise to Google Apps
• Migration for Lotus Notes, a database program that migrates data from Notes accounts.
• Email Migration API, an interface for migrating data that requires programming to work with other email clients.

Client Side Options

Individual end-users can migrate their own email with these tools available from Google:

• Migration for Microsoft Outlook, a utility for migrating data from Outlook to a Microsoft Exchange profile or PST file.
• Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook, a plugin for using the Outlook client with Google Apps at the backend that will also sync data up to Google Apps.
• Mail Fetcher, a tool that fetches mail from other Gmail and non-Gmail POP accounts.
• Google Email Uploader for Mac, a desktop client that uploads email from Apple Mail, Eudora, Thunderbird, Entourage, and Maildir accounts to Google Apps mailboxes.

Note that there are few automated options for migrating contacts and calendars from many systems.

Skip the Hard Part, Work with a Reseller

If you’d rather not deal with the large time investment, troubleshooting, and manual processes associated with a migration, Cloud Sherpas offers complete, professional, and fast migration services. We have migrated organizations of every type and every size to Google Apps. We’ve worked with every type of system out there, new and old. When Cloud Sherpas handles your migration, you leverage our expertise and best practices to make sure all of your data—including contacts and calendars—transitions flawlessly to the cloud. Contact us today and we can discuss how to move your business to the Cloud.