How to Import Your Organization’s PST Files to Office 365

Importing PST files to Office 365 is not a hectic task. To import your organization’s PST files to Office 365 requires proper planning for its implementation. There are some traditional approach and professional approach which can be used to complete the task. Traditional approaches are free to perform a task but have many technical limitations. The professional approach guaranteed a 100% result with proper data safety. So, choose wisely because your Organization’s data is more important than cost-cutting. In this article we will provide, best methods for the import task.

Traditional Approach to Import Your Organization’s PST Files to Office 365

First, we have look at manual approaches for the importing PST files. You can use the Microsoft Import service in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center to import your Organization’s PST files to Office 365 account. There are two manual methods to import PST files to Office 365:

1. Network Upload Option to Import PST Files
2. Drive Shipping Option to Import PST Files

The complete process of above mention manual method is well defined in Microsoft website. We are going to explain the basic steps which you have to follow to complete the importing process.

How to Use Network Upload Option to Import PST Files

Here are the step by step command required to use Microsoft Security & Compliance Center network upload to import your organization’s PST files to Office 365:

1. Step 1: Copy the SAS URL and install Microsoft Azure AzCopy
2. Step 2: Upload your Organization’s PST files to Microsoft Office 365
3. Step 3: View a list of PST files which uploaded to Office 365 Account
4. Step 4: Create the PST Import Mapping file in CSV format
5. Step 5: Create a PST Import Job in Microsoft Office 365 Account
6. Step 6: Filter the Data and Start the PST Import Process

These are the basic steps to import PST files into Office 365 mailboxes. The network upload method requires high-technical skills and command-line knowledge for its execution. Additionally, some mistakes can lead to the corruption of PST file. So, it is recommended to perform this operation in the supervision of an expert or use an alternative method which is Drive Shipping.

How to Use Drive Shipping Option to Import PST Files

Alternative of Network upload is to use drive shipping to import your organization PST files to Office 365 This method is recommended for those user’s who do not have proper knowledge of Office 365 administration. All the crucial steps are performed by Microsoft itself. You need to save all the PST files in a drive and ship it to the Microsoft data center. Microsoft will charge 2$/GB of the PST file for importing. Follow the steps with proper attention:

1. Step 1: Download Secure Storage Key and Microsoft PST Import Tool
2. Step 2: Copy the PST files to Local hard drive
3. Step 3: Create the PST Import Mapping file in CSV format
4. Step 4: Create PST Import Job in Microsoft Office 365 Mailbox
5. Step 5: Ship the Local Hard Drive to Microsoft
6. Step 6: At last, Filter Data and Start the PST Import Process

The above method is simplest for any other method for the import task. But, the charges taken by Microsoft is too high. You need to pay this amount for all user’s PST file and every time you need to perform this task.

Professional Software to Import Your Organization’s PST Files to Office 365

To secure the migration process you must opt for a professional method like Office 365 Import Tool. The software will make your hectic job effortless and save your time. Additionally, the automated tool is a one-time purchase tool, an organization can perform the import process of a lifetime. Have a look at the tool features to import your Organization’s PST files to Office 365:

1. Import Multiple Outlook PST File to Office 365 Account
2. Migrate Emails, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks to Office 365
3. Include Folders Option to Import only Specific PST Folder
4. Incremental import feature to skip already imported data from PST file
5. Date Filter Option to Move Selective PST Data into Office 365
6. Option to Include / Exclude Deleted or Sent Items Folder

Now, take a look at the software working, how the tool import PST files to Microsoft Office 365 mailboxes.

How to Import PST Files to Office 365 via Professional Tool

Here is the step by step guide to import Your organization’s PST files to Office 365 account:

1. Download, Install and Open Tool in your Computer.
2. Click on ‘Is Admin’ & login with your Admin Credentials.
3. Choose Add Files or Folder Option to import organizational PST file.
4. Enter the user account id for PST file and authenticate (or use Add CSV).
5. Click on Next for Further Process.
6. Select Categories: Mails, Calendars, Tasks, Contacts & Various Filters: Date, Include Folders, Attach Outlook PST File, Incremental Import, Exclude Deleted or Sent Items.
7. Click on Import Button to Start the Process.
8. Import all your PST Files into Office 365, Save Report.
9. Preview Your Imported PST File’s Data on Office 365.
10. Preview Imported PST File Calendars on Microsoft O365.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explained manual (Network Upload & Drive Shipping) as well as automated tool (Office 365 Importer) methods to import your Organization’s PST files to Office 365. Now, the choice is yours, choose the write method for your organization for the fast and secure import process. For testing of the tool, we recommended to first use its demo version. It will allow you to import 25 items per folder from PST files.