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PST migration keep it anyway just to be safe

PST Migration

“Let’s keep it anyway – just to be safe”

Even though Microsoft offers free tools to import your PST files into Microsoft 365, does anyone really relish the thought of migrating ALL of their PST files into Exchange?

Probably not, because:

  1. You end up moving old rubbish
  2. It will pound your network
  3. Users might not like it

Having worked with hundreds of customers to roll-out email archives, PST migration is always the painful final phase that often gets brushed under the carpet for the aforementioned reasons.

The over-arching requirements for anywhere, any device data accessibility and centralised data governance, however, may be the final nudge to get your PST migration project management backing.

So is it acceptable to filter out the rubbish before you siphon it into your shiny new Exchange environment?

At the very least it’s surely prudent to get a policy agreed that will define your PST migration including whether to migrate:

  • Content that outdates your email retention policy
  • Folders marked ‘Personal’
  • Content that pre-dates your switch on of Journal capture
  • Duplicate PSTs

A PST migration project means bracing yourself for decisions about what to migrate and no-one likes decisions! But we like the advice from Craig Ball, a Texan trial attorney and certified computer forensic examiner:

‘To Preserve broadly is safe, but expensive. To Preserve carefully is safe and cost-effective”.

The truth is, any enterprise-level PST migration exercise – even if you gather up everything – is not easy and you may struggle with free Microsoft tools.

PST Migration Challenges

Check out the top 6 PST Migration Challenges