The Migration Application requires two sets of user credentials:
- Source Credentials
- Office 365 (Destination) Credentials
Source Credentials
A successful migration to Office 365 requires access to the source mailbox for each user. In a migration, there are three primary methods to access source mailboxes:
- Password Reception: Can be used for all sources except Google.
- Source-Side Impersonation (SSI): Can be used for migrations from Exchange or from another Office 365 tenant.
- OAuth 2.0: Required for all Google migrations.
Choosing the right method to access Exchange
If migrating from Exchange or from one Office 365 tenant to another, source access can be performed by either Password Reception or Source-Side Impersonation (SSI). Understanding and selecting the right access method for each specific customer and scenario ensures the best experience for both customers and partners.
Method to access Exchange | Performed by | Advantages |
Password Reception | End Users | Simplest method |
Source-Side Impersonation | Partner | Ensures syncs from the source server begin as soon as possible. |
Office 365 (Destination) Credentials
Required scenarios
Destination Office 365 credentials are required for the following two functions. If either of these apply, destination credentials will need to be provided.
- The Skykick Outlook Assistant (SKOA) is being used to create Outlook profiles connected to Office 365
- SkyKick technology is creating accounts and setting passwords
Methods
Password Reception
For most migration scenarios, end-users providing access to the destination via the Password Reception process is recommended. The Password Reception process dynamically adjusts to the overall configuration of the migration. e.g. if source access is being provided via Source-Side Impersonation and SKOA is being deployed via MSI, the Password Reception process will only request destination credentials.
Manual entry in the Migration Dashboard
If a goal of the project is to remove all end-user involvement, the client will have to send Big Green destination credentials for each user.
Note: In Data-Only migrations, the destination password is not required as no Office 365 or Outlook configuration is performed.
When the Migration Application is creating the Office 365 user accounts and mailboxes, gathering of destination credentials is required, as otherwise the end-user will not have access to their Office 365 account. In this instance the Migration Application will gather the destination credentials as part of Password Reception and then set the password for the Office 365 account accordingly.
If the Migration Application is not creating the Office 365 accounts then gathering of destination credentials is still required for SKOA to be able to complete Outlook Client reconfiguration. Whether or not the Migration Application will set the destination password is optional in this instance.
Password Changes and Password Expiration Policies
If passwords are changed during a migration, it can delay the migration. Emails are sent to inform end-users to not change their passwords. However, if a client has a password expiration policy, the timing of it could impact the migration. The following are recommended best practices to reduce the likelihood of password changes during the migration for such clients.
- Request that the client disable the password expiration policy and remind users not to proactively change their passwords until the migration is complete.
- If disabling the password expiration policy is not an option, request that the client have all users change their passwords before placing the migration order and instruct them to not proactively change their passwords before the migration is complete. This will be successful as long as the migration is completed within the password expiration period.
