Welcome to the Microsoft Online Services transition center

Access the information and resources you need before, during, and after your transition to Microsoft Office 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, or Lync Online. The tabs below provide detailed information and resources for each transition phase. Please familiarize yourself with the content on this page and make sure your email contact details are up to date.

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Choose your transition stage:

Be prepared to transition

Before the transition can occur, you must ensure you understand the transition process, your users are prepared and your systems are ready. It's important to make sure your computers meet the Office 365 system requirements, your environment is configured, and that you understand the transition process. In addition to the steps below, please review the Checklist for administrators to ensure you complete all the steps required to move to Office 365.

  1. Password change required
    Before you transition, all account administrators and end users must change their password in BPOS. By doing so, the updated password will be transitioned to Office 365 or the applicable service. Not changing passwords before the transition will result in users not being able to sign in to Office 365 — multiple steps will be required to make this change post-transition.
  1. Update your DNS records
    Office 365 relies on DNS records for connecting Outlook to Office 365 and for Lync services. You’ll have to create or update your DNS records:
    • Update your Outlook Autodiscover DNS record (see item #5 on the Admin checklist).
    • Update your Lync DNS records (see item #6 on the Admin checklist).
  1. Prepare users’ desktops
    The Office 365 desktop software requirements are different than the BPOS requirements. Review the complete description of Office 365 software requirements. The Office 365 desktop readiness tool can help ensure that you meet the requirements for Office 365. You’ll also need to run Office 365 desktop setup to configure your users’ PCs for Office 365.