Moving Email to Microsoft 365: What It Means for Your Business
Moving email to Microsoft 365 means transferring your business email accounts, messages, contacts, and calendars from an existing email system into Microsoft Exchange Online. For UK businesses, this improves email security, reliability, and integration with tools like Microsoft Teams, while reducing the risk of data loss and downtime when handled correctly.
Email is critical to day-to-day operations, which is why a structured, secure migration approach is essential.
Why Do UK Businesses Move Email to Microsoft 365?
Many businesses move away from traditional email hosting because it no longer meets modern security or reliability standards.
Common reasons include:
Poor spam and phishing protection
Limited mailbox storage
No multi-factor authentication
Frequent outages or slow performance
Lack of compliance controls
No integration with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or OneDrive
Microsoft 365 provides enterprise-grade email through Exchange Online, designed specifically for business use.
What Email Systems Can Be Migrated to Microsoft 365?
Most business email platforms can be migrated safely, including:
cPanel or web hosting email
Google Workspace (Gmail)
Hosted Exchange
On-premise Microsoft Exchange
ISP-provided email services
The migration method depends on your current platform, number of users, and the size of each mailbox.
What Gets Moved When Migrating Email to Microsoft 365?
A professional email migration includes more than just emails.
Typically migrated data includes:
Existing email messages
Folder structures
Contacts
Calendars
Shared mailboxes
Distribution groups
Email aliases
User permissions, security policies, and passwords are usually reviewed and improved during the process.
How Does Moving Email to Microsoft 365 Work?
Email migrations are usually completed in stages to avoid disruption.
A typical migration process includes:
Reviewing your existing email environment
Setting up Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online
Verifying your business domain
Creating user mailboxes
Synchronising email data in the background
Updating DNS records
Completing a final sync and validation
When handled properly, users can continue working with minimal impact.
Will There Be Any Email Downtime?
In most cases, downtime is minimal or completely avoided.
Emails continue to flow during the migration, and the final switch-over is usually completed outside business hours. Any disruption typically lasts minutes rather than hours.
Downtime is almost always caused by poor planning or incorrect DNS changes.
How Long Does It Take to Move Email to Microsoft 365?
The timeline depends on several factors:
Number of users
Size of mailboxes
Internet connection
Current email platform
Typical timeframes:
1–10 users: 1–2 days
10–50 users: 2–5 days
Larger environments: phased migration approach
Is Microsoft 365 Email Secure for Businesses?
Yes. Microsoft 365 offers significantly stronger security than most traditional email platforms.
Key security features include:
Advanced spam and phishing protection
Multi-factor authentication
Conditional access policies
Encryption
Audit and activity logging
However, security configuration is just as important as the platform itself.
Does Microsoft 365 Include Email Backup?
This is a common misunderstanding.
Microsoft 365 includes data retention features, but it does not provide true backup for scenarios such as accidental deletion, ransomware, or long-term recovery.
Many UK businesses use a third-party Microsoft 365 backup solution to ensure emails can be fully restored when needed. This is especially important for compliance and business continuity.
What Are the Risks of Moving Email Without Professional Help?
DIY email migrations often result in:
Missing or lost emails
Broken folder structures
Incorrect DNS configuration
Email delivery failures
Security gaps
Extended downtime
Because email is business-critical, mistakes can quickly impact operations, sales, and customer trust.
How Much Does It Cost to Move Email to Microsoft 365?
Email migration costs vary depending on:
Number of users
Current email system
Mailbox sizes
Complexity of the environment
Most migrations are a one-off project cost, separate from Microsoft 365 licensing. For most small businesses, the cost is far lower than the impact of a failed migration.
Do Businesses Need Ongoing IT Support After Migration?
While Microsoft 365 is easy to use, ongoing support helps ensure it remains secure and efficient.
Ongoing support typically includes:
User management
Security monitoring
MFA enforcement
Licensing optimisation
Day-to-day user support
Many businesses combine Microsoft 365 with managed IT support to maintain reliability and security.
Is Microsoft 365 Suitable for Small Businesses?
Yes. Microsoft 365 is widely used by UK SMEs and scales easily as businesses grow.
It offers:
Professional business email
Built-in security features
Collaboration tools
Predictable monthly costs
This makes it suitable for organisations of all sizes.
Should Your Business Move Email to Microsoft 365?
If your business relies on email daily, struggles with security concerns, or uses outdated email hosting, moving email to Microsoft 365 is often the most practical long-term solution.
The key is ensuring the migration is planned, secure, and disruption-free.
Need Help Moving Email to Microsoft 365?
Cyber United helps UK businesses move email to Microsoft 365 safely, securely, and with minimal disruption.
We assess your current setup, manage the migration process, and ensure your email environment is protected from day one.
FAQ: Moving Email to Microsoft 365
What does moving email to Microsoft 365 involve?
Moving email to Microsoft 365 involves migrating mailboxes, emails, contacts, and calendars from your existing email provider to Microsoft Exchange Online, while updating DNS and security settings.
Will there be downtime when moving email to Microsoft 365?
When planned correctly, downtime is minimal or avoided entirely, with most migrations completed in the background.
Is Microsoft 365 email secure for businesses?
Yes. Microsoft 365 includes advanced email security features such as phishing protection, MFA, and encryption.
Does Microsoft 365 include email backup?
Microsoft 365 does not provide full backup. Many businesses use third-party backup solutions for complete protection.
How long does it take to move email to Microsoft 365?
Most small business migrations take between one and two days, depending on data size and user count.
Need Help Moving Email to Microsoft 365?
If your business is planning to move email to Microsoft 365, doing it correctly is essential to avoid downtime, data loss, or security issues.
At Cyber United, we help UK businesses migrate email safely, securely, and with minimal disruption. Our team will assess your current setup, plan the migration, and ensure your email environment is fully protected from day one.
Get in touch with us today to discuss your migration needs: Contact Cyber United