Delivered
Two Exchange migrations across 150+ countries, with zero critical issues
A global premium automotive manufacturer brought Preeminent Solutions in to upgrade its email, then hired us again for the next upgrade. We scripted the build so each server role was configured the same way.
- 150+countries with users on the migrated email
- 2consecutive enterprise Exchange migrations
- 0critical issues
- Client
- Global premium automotive manufacturer
- Size
- Users in 150+ countries
- Industry
- Automotive
- Duration
- Consecutive migrations over several years
- Area of expertise
- Technologies
- Exchange ServerActive DirectoryF5
The challenge
The manufacturer had to move its email twice, from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010 and then from Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2016, the current version at the time. Other applications depended on Exchange, and thousands of users around the world had to stay online throughout.
Each upgrade had to run alongside the Microsoft and third-party systems already in place, improve security and availability, and keep costs down.
What we did
Assess:Assessment and design
We benchmarked performance, designed a locked-down Exchange architecture with room to grow, planned how it would connect to Active Directory and third-party systems, and planned backup and recovery.
Design:Automation framework
We wrote reusable build scripts for each Exchange server role, so each region was configured the same way and rolling back stayed simple.
Develop:Lab and pilot
We built a lab that mirrored production, set up high availability with Database Availability Groups, load-tested with Jetstress and LoadGen, and integrated F5. Then we ran a controlled two-week pilot in the live environment.
Implement:Full rollout
The production migration ran with the old and new systems side by side, under live monitoring. Then we documented the environment and trained the in-house team to run it.
“Preeminent’s automation approach brought unprecedented consistency to our rollout process and saved us valuable time.”
Results
On schedule and within budget
Across both migrations.
Zero downtime
Employees around the world kept working through both migrations.
Stronger security and auditing
Locked-down servers, stronger encryption, and logging that supports audits.
Read about the service: Exchange and Microsoft 365 Migration
