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What does a Google Workspace migration involve?

A Google Workspace migration moves mail, calendars, contacts and files from your current system into Google Workspace, sets up your users and domain, and switches incoming mail to Gmail.

The tools depend on where you're coming from: the Admin console's data migration service for smaller moves, GWMME for Exchange and other mail servers, and Google Workspace Migrate for organizations over 1,000 users or with SharePoint and file shares. Most of the planning is around the data: mapping accounts so file sharing survives, rebuilding what doesn't migrate, and timing the MX change so mail keeps arriving.

Overhead view of a desk with a laptop, tablet, phone, coffee and printed spreadsheets

What's included

Email, file and calendar migration

Mail, calendars and contacts from Exchange, Microsoft 365, IMAP or another Google account, and files from OneDrive, SharePoint or file shares.

Directory sync, identity mapping, domain setup

Users and groups created before the MX change, and accounts mapped so file sharing comes across.

Communication & change-management programs

Stakeholder status updates and end-user communications for each group as it moves.

Admin console configuration

Gmail routing, sharing and security settings, configured in the Admin console.

End-user enablement and role-based support

On-site sessions, materials your team can share, and admin training.

A team meeting around a table in a bright office

How Century 21 Canada moved 10,000 users in 2018

Century 21 Canada's agents had been forwarding company mail to personal Gmail accounts to get around an unreliable system. Suitebriar managed the technical migration, routed the Century21.ca domain and mail, set up spam filters, and ran two days of on-site train-the-trainer sessions. After a 60-day implementation, the whole organization was on Google Workspace in February 2018.

Read the story
10,000users across almost 400 offices
60 daysto the whole organization on Google Workspace
“This was a kitten. It was one of the smoothest technology implementations in my 20-year career thanks to Suitebriar.”
Jack MillerChief Technical Officer, Century 21 Canada
“Collaboration between Homesale & Suitebriar and the migration process managed by Suitebriar was tremendous to our success in this migration.”
Sandra TroccoliVP of IT and Digital Platforms, Homesale Realty

How a migration runs

  1. Discovery CallThe first conversation: where your mail, calendars and files live today, and how many people are moving.
  2. Technical Scoping CallA review of your technology landscape and company culture. It produces a migration roadmap with a timeline.
  3. Migrate in phasesGroups move in turn, with stakeholder status updates, end-user communications and a review after each group that shapes the next.
  4. Cut over and supportAccounts are created before the MX records change, the switch is timed for low mail volume, and your project team is available through training and go-live.
A team lead helping colleagues at a laptop in an open office

What comes across from Exchange and Microsoft 365

With Google's own migration tools. The right-hand column is the list to plan for.

ItemMigratesRebuild or check after
MailMessages, folders as Gmail labels, read status, flags as starsOutlook rules (recreate as Gmail filters) and signatures
CalendarDefault calendar events, attendees, reminders and free/busyVideo meeting links, out-of-office status and event attachments
ContactsPersonal contacts with all their fieldsDistribution lists, contact groups and the Global Address List
Shared mailboxesArrive as regular mailboxesGmail delegation, turned on after the move
OneDrive filesFiles in their own format, with sharing mapped to Drive rolesEarlier versions, and files owned by people outside your organization

More migrations

Two more moves, from two starting points

Suitebriar has migrated more than 1 million users to the cloud.

Into the parent's tenantCentury 21 Canada and Real Property Management95 users moved into Century 21 Canada's existing Google Workspace tenant, with mailboxes, Drive content and calendars migrated and metadata and permissions kept. Completed on time.Read the story From RackspaceHomesale Realty1,300 real estate professionals across 36 offices. Suitebriar guided the deployment workstreams: data migration, staff training and ongoing technical support.Read the story
Customer story
“The migration was incredibly smooth. Suitebriar’s project management and technical expertise meant our team experienced zero downtime and could start collaborating in the new environment immediately.”
Sandy Deo, Marketing Manager, C21 Property Management Division · Read the success story

Google Workspace migration FAQ

What IT leads ask before moving to Google Workspace.

Moving from Exchange or Microsoft 365?

Tell us how many people are moving and where your files live, and we'll tell you which Google tools fit and what to plan for.

(888) 545-3685Plan your migration
Will we have downtime?

Mail doesn't stop during the cutover. Until the new MX records take effect, which can take up to 48 hours, messages keep arriving at your old system, and Google advises creating every account first and switching when mail volume is low. When Real Property Management's 95 users moved into Century 21 Canada's tenant, the case study reports zero downtime.

Can some people stay on the old system while others move?

Yes. Split delivery routes each person's mail to Gmail or to the old system, as long as your MX records point to Google, and each person lives in only one system. Dual delivery can send mail to both during a pilot. Either way, groups move in waves.

Will our file sharing survive the move?

When accounts are mapped, yes: OneDrive Writer access becomes Editor in Drive, Reader becomes Viewer, and "Anyone" links become "Anyone with the link". Earlier file versions and files owned by people outside your organization don't come across.

How long does a migration take?

It depends on the number of users, the data and where it lives. The Technical Scoping Call produces a roadmap with a timeline for your project. For scale: Century 21 Canada had 10,000 users on Google Workspace after a 60-day implementation.

Can we move from one Google Workspace account to another?

Yes. Smaller moves can use the Admin console's data migration service, and Google also offers Domain Transfer for moving between two Workspace domains, though it isn't self-service. Google doesn't merge two Workspace accounts directly: the data moves first and the old account closes after, which our M&A migrations page explains.

Who works on our migration?

A Suitebriar project team: a Project Manager, a Deployment Specialist, a Change Manager and Technical Support.

Related services

Digital Workplace & CollaborationMigration, adoption, training and email securityM&A MigrationsBring an acquired company into your Google WorkspaceChange Management & User EnablementCommunications, training and adoption trackingGoogle Workspace TrainingLive and on-demand Workspace trainingEmail Security & DMARCDMARC, DKIM and SPF for your domain

Plan your move to Google Workspace

Tell us where your mail and files live today and how many people are moving. The Discovery Call is the first step.

  • Google Cloud Premier Partner, working only on Google Cloud and Workspace for more than a decade
  • U.S.-based support team

Free AI starter kit

From your data to your first AI agents, in four steps

Google's AI starter kit for lean teams: your four-step guide from data to agents.

  • Four steps, from a first no-code win to a multi-step agent workflow
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