Have Compared three Exchange Migration Tools which can be used for Cross forest Exchange migrations .
This review is completely based on my thoughts.
| Exchange Migration Tools -> | Binary Tree | Quest | MigrationWiz |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration Infrastructure | Need to build migration infrastructure | Need to build migration infrastructure | Complete web based migration |
| Cost per Mailbox | High(worth it) | Medium | Low |
| Hardware Requirements | Physical/VM are required. | Physical/VM are required. | No Physical/VM are required |
| Time Duration | Depends on Migration Server Performance | Depends on Migration Server Performance | Approximately 2 hours for migrating 1 GB mailbox |
| Source Environment Configuration | The tool will act as integrator from the Source Environment | The tool will act as integrator from the Source Environment | Service account requires permissions. |
| Post Migration Action | Outlook re-configures automatically using auto-discover | Outlook re-configures automatically using auto-discover | Outlook Re-Configuration needs to be done manually |
| Rollback Plan in case of failures | Available | Available | Available |
| Co-existence Tool | Available | Available | Not available |
| Support | Available | Available | Available |
| Migration Performance | High performance | Low compared to Binary Tree | Medium |
| Back-end Tasks | Naming conversion, folder formatting happens automatically. | Naming conversion, folder formatting happens automatically. | Naming conversion, folder formatting happens automatically. |
| Throttling Policy | Can migrate 1 mailbox per server at a time | Can migrate upto 8 mailboxes per server at a time | No limit |
| Preservation of Existing OST file for Outlook | Available | Not available | Not available |
| Directory Synchronization Tool | Available | Available | Not available |
| Public Folder Migration Support | Available | Available | Available |
| Supported Source Platforms | Exchange 2003 – 2013 | Exchange 2003 – 2013 | Exchange2003-2013 |
| Additional Source Platforms | None | None | Office 365/Google Apps/Gmail/Groupwise/LotusNotes/Zimbra/IMAP/POP |
| Destination Platforms (Skipped legacy Platforms) | Exchange 2010-2013 | Exchange 2010-2013 | Exchange 2010-2013 |
| Additional Destination Platforms | Not available in this product | Not available in this product | Office 365/Google Apps/Gmail |
Overall Review -
Binary Tree -
Cross forest Exchange to Exchange migrations happens with Ease .
OST Preservation is Unique.
It can provide rich Co-existence. (Note: This review covers only E2E (Exchange to Exchange Migration product from binary tree)
Quest -
It can does the job perfectly for Exchange to Exchange migrations.
Lacks in user friendly interface but fits within the criteria for migration.
Migrationwiz -
Can be used only for data migration.
Pre and Post migration activities needs to be taken care manually.
Best Suitable solution for Service Providers and Small/medium businesses who can do a Cutover Migration
(Same tool can be used for many platforms)
Exchange MVP , Publisher of CareExchange.in
I have been supporting/Deploying/Designing Microsoft Exchange for some years . If you any Questions ?. Please share you thoughts via Comments.
