Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007: Implementation and Administration

Chapter 6. Performing an Inter-Organization Migration

If you have been digging through the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 documentation, you may be a bit confused by a slightly different use of terminology. Most of the world refers to moving to a new system as a migration, and that is why I keep using that word. In Chapter 5, "Performing an Intra-Organization Migration," I covered moving existing services and data to Exchange 2007 servers from Exchange 2000/2003 servers in the same organization. This is what Microsoft officially refers to as a transition.

In this chapter, I will focus on migrating from either an Exchange 2000 or 2003 organization into a new or separate Exchange 2007 organization. This type of migration is somewhat more difficult than an intra-organization migration, may be more disruptive for your users, and often leaves you with fewer options than a transition migration. However, you may be faced with an organizational configuration that leaves you no choice.

In this chapter, I will cover the information and tools you need to make a decision about performing an inter-organization migration. The following topics are included:

• Determining if an inter-organization migration is right for you

• Maintaining interoperability

• Preparing for a migration

• Moving mailboxes

• Importing data from PST

Determining the Right Approach

An inter-organization migration is quite a bit more complex for both the person handling the migration and for the users. The transition migration is by far the ...