using VBO365 for tenant to tenant migration

[dirkdigs]

Hello, I have a small O365 tenant with about 20 users and 100 GB of mailbox data.
I would like to backup this data and then restore it to another tenant account. (essentially us VBO365 for tenant to tenant migration)
Can this be done using VBO365? Could I use a free trail of this product for this purpose?

[Mildur]

It should be possible for Exchange Online Data.
Sharepoint Data cannot be restored in an other tenant.

Instead using Veeam, I recommend to look at the new Feature from Microsoft for Cross Tenant Mailbox Migration:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/micros ... -worldwide


Veeam Limitation:
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=50

Cross-tenant restore to Microsoft Office 365 is only possible for Exchange Online objects, not for SharePoint sites.

[dirkdigs]

why do you recommend that over Veeam? That seems way more complicated with the involvement of scripts etc. .
Veeam has a nice GUI. We do not have any SharePoint data to move.

[johan.h]

Veeam can only be used to backup and restore Exchange Online Data to a different tenant, and does not help with the account creation/migration piece.

Considering Microsoft 365 consists of SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and more, it is likely you will need to use either the built-in Microsoft 365 tooling to help with the migration, custom scripting or some other solution to help solve your migration needs.

[dirkdigs]

no we just need to move mailbox data nothing else.

[johan.h]

Ok, well, if you've already created the users in the new tenant and are able to restore this data using VBO, then I don't see any issues.

[dirkdigs]

as far as backing up the existing tenant mailbox data. i had a question .
could i setup a nightly backup job(daily) and then on cutover time (example 5 PM Friday night) I would take one last (incremental) backup and then use that for restore to my new tenant?
I guess another way of asking my question would be for my last backup before cutover can i take an incremental backup or does it need to be a full?

[Mildur]

Vbo Backups are always incremental Backup.
I would say, it depends on your VBO365 Backup Repo.
If you have a Snapshot Based Backup Repo, an incremental Backup is enough.

If you have an Item Level Retention, then please create a new Backup Repo with the Type „Snapshot Based Retention“ and do a Full Backup with a new Job for the migration. With the Item Level Backup Repo, there is no guarantee, that all elements are migrated with your methode. Especially if you have configured a small Retention.

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=50

[dirkdigs]

Do i need to add/use a veeam Proxy?, How critical is this?? I plan to do all of this from a single box.
(This includes using a data partition for a backup REPO )

[Mildur]

Your installed VBO 365 server is already the default Proxy Server. For the installation and configuration, you will need to have knowledge about your Office 365 and what authentification methods you can use. Then, it is absolutely no critical, what you want todo.

You will have to:

1. Add a Backup Repo with the Type „Snapshot Based Retention“
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=50

2. Add a Office 365 Organization
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=50

3. Add a Backup Job
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=50

4. Run the Backup Job

Everything can be find in the Guide.

[Mildur]

An other thing, which you have to plan carefully, is the mail domain transfer from one Tenant to another.
This transfer can last 5 or if you are unlucky longer than 30-60 minutes.
It depends on Microsoft with their cloud performance and your TTL on your DNS Servers.

You will have to remove the mail domains from the user in the old tenant and configure them on the new users in the new tenant.

0. Export MailboxPermissions, SendAs Permission, MailboxFolderpermissions, Alias Mailadresses from each mailbox to excel or another document
1. delete mailaddresses with the maildomain from users in old tenant, make @tenant.onmicrosoft.com their new Mailaddress/Username
2. remove maildomain from old tenant
3. add maildomain in new tenant
4. add mailaddresses and aliasaddresses as documented in step 0 to the correct users in the new tenant
5. change MX on the DNS, so that the mails are send to the new tenant
6. add the new tenant as a organization to VBO365
7. create a backup from the users in the old tenant
8. Restore the data to the users in the new tenant
9. reconfigure every „MailboxPermissions, SendAs Permission, MailboxFolderpermissions“ which you have exported on step 0


Mailbox Migrations are funny, and there isnt a GUI for every step. The steps are to different and no software will take over for you the works which needs to be done
Data Migration is one thing, Metadata (Configurations) Migration another.

[Mike Resseler]

There might not be a GUI for every step, but there is @Mildur

Thank you for the step-by-step guidance!

[Mildur]

Haha, thanks Mike

[dirkdigs]

well this product definitely needs some work when it comes to VBO365 restore options to another ORG.

Would that be fair to say ?

[dirkdigs]

Does Veeam perform EWS-based migrations ?

(When restoring exchange data)

Just curious

[Mildur]

Yes, EWS will be used.
The required permissions for restore depends on your choosen authentification method:

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=50


It‘s possible, that with „Modern App-Only Authentication“, the restore is done directly over the Azure App. I have never tried it out:

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... 50#appcert

[Mike Resseler]

@dirkdigs

well this product definitely needs some work when it comes to VBO365 restore options to another ORG.

Can you tell us what you mean? I am not going to argue yes or no but I am always open to learn what is not OK for our customers

[dirkdigs]

well why cant i restore multiple mailbox from org1 to org2 at the same time? (and I'm talking about the gui version specifically . )

[Mildur]

The next time, it would be better to use "dedicated migration software" for such a task
VBO365 is a "Backup software". Not a "migration software". It works, but it has some disadvantages.

I'm doing my migration mostly with one of this two services:
https://migrationwiz.bittitan.com/app
https://www.codetwo.com/

[dirkdigs]

yes im aware of those 2 products . we prefer to give our business to veeam and always will.

[dirkdigs]

it would be nice if we could exclude other folders ?
not just drafts , deleted items and Hold items

[Mike Resseler]

Can you tell us if there is a specific reason for it? Is this intended to speedup restores? Or other reasons?

[dirkdigs]

yes , correct.
many users will organize and use outlook to store email data in folders. sometimes hundreds of folders.
this could be sub-folder of the primary Inbox folder.
Having the control to exclude specific folders could speed up restores.

[Mike Resseler]

I understand the request, but unfortunately, it isn't that simple because those folders we would need to identify and things will be very complicated. However, when you restore multiple mailboxes, to speed things up (meaning, to allow people to work faster) we have this built-in solution that allows you to restore the most recent items first: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbo36 ... tml?ver=50

Can you look at this and see if it can work for you?

[TBCuser1]

Hello, I have a small O365 tenant with about 20 users and 100 GB of mailbox data.
I would like to backup this data and then restore it to another tenant account. (essentially us VBO365 for tenant to tenant migration)
Can this be done using VBO365? Could I use a free trail of this product for this purpose?

we are planning for a similiar situation, but before we migrating, Teams will lose its Chat History, VBO cannot restore Chat history, will Veeam enable Chat History restores from one tenancy to another tenancy? are there any limitations?

[Polina]

Hi,

First, I'd echo my colleagues by noting that VB365 is not a migration software.
Next, VB365 protects only team's channel messages; it doesn't support 1-2-1 and group chats, as well as private channels' messages (the full list of limitations is available in our HelpCenter). When it comes to restores, channel posts can only be restored as an HTML file to a new tab in a team. Injecting posts back to the original conversation/back to the Posts tab is not yet possible.

Thanks!