Accounts preparation

Before starting migrations with VaultMe for Admins, the administrator should prepare both the source and destination accounts. Proper preparation helps avoid unexpected delays, throttling issues, and incomplete results.

To prepare accounts for migration, the administrator should:

1. Ensure all accounts are active. Verify that all Microsoft 365 source accounts are active and accessible in a web interface, and that all corresponding Outlook destination user accounts have been created and licensed.

For more information on what accounts can participate in a migration, see Migration setup prerequisites.

2. If migrating email, ensure that it is synced with the cloud in the source. VaultMe for Admins can only access email content that is synced with the mail server (i.e., is accessible in the cloud in the webmail interface).

Email clients may be configured to download sent and received emails to a hard drive and immediately remove them from the server. In cases like this, email is only stored locally and is inaccessible to VaultMe for Admins. Administrators should make sure that content is visible in the webmail interface before setting up a migration. To do so, sign in to each source user account in a browser.

3. Disconnect third-party apps. Remove or disable all non-essential third-party applications connected to the source or destination accounts. Examples of such applications include desktop clients, mailbox management software, and others. These tools may compete for API resources or interfere with VaultMe for Admins’ ability to access and migrate content efficiently.

You or the users will be able to reconnect the applications once you've verified the migration results and are ready for the cutoff.

4. Disable automated rules and filters in destination accounts. If destination accounts are already in use, instruct users to turn off all mailbox rules, filters, or automation that could move, duplicate, label, or delete migrated content in the destination Outlook.

5. Check storage availability.

Free Microsoft 365 accounts typically have 5 GB of OneDrive cloud storage and 15 GB of Outlook storage. If that is not enough for the migration, the plan should be upgraded beforehand.

For more information about current Microsoft 365 plans, see Find the cloud storage plan for your needs.

6. Review the technical limitations of Outlook. Outlook does not support extra-long path lengths or special characters, and uses a different approach to organizing email than Microsoft 365. Review the content in the source accounts and reorganize it if necessary.

For a full list of technical limitations and recommendations, see Compatibility concerns.

7. Maintain consistent credentials. Avoid changing user passwords or revoking access tokens after you've set up a migration. While you will be able to reconnect the accounts mid-migration, changes to credentials will interrupt the migration process and extend the migration time.

If users already have access to their destination accounts, instruct them not to make any changes to the accounts' settings, including setting up MFA, while the migration is running.

VaultMe for Admins uses encrypted connections, so changing the credentials after the migration for privacy reasons is optional.