Your Guide to Import PST to Office 365 Portal

"Hi!
My organisation is moving to Office 365 and so I am looking for a simple solution for transferring PST files to Office 365 which ensures no data loss. There are about 500 PST files which are to be migrated. Please provide me a sure shot solution to import PST to Office 365 portal.
Thanks in advance!"

As we know, these days every other organization is moving its entire database on the cloud. Due to the benefits a user experiences while storing their data on the cloud, like data integrity and security. It is quite common for a user to have a query like the one mentioned above. Here we have mentioned multiple solutions which can upload PST into Office 365  portal effortlessly.

These are the multiple methods to move PST to Office 365

Manual Methods

• Drive Shipping
• Network Upload

Automated Method

PST to Office 365 Import Tool

Tip – It is always preferable to create a backup of the entire data before proceeding with the steps as these methods for transferring PST files to Office 365 have high risks of data loss. In case of a disaster, the data could be recovered from the backup.

Note – The Import service in the Microsoft Office 365 Security & Compliance includes the methods mentioned below contains a lot of steps & sub-steps, so you need to follow carefully.

Drive Shipping

1. Download, install Microsoft PST Import Tool & Secure Storage Key
2. Copy PST files to a local hard drive
3. Create a PST Import Mapping file in CSV file format
4. In Microsoft Office 365 mailbox create a PST Import job
5. Ship the local hard drive to Microsoft
6. Now, filter data & start the PST import process.

The steps above include many sub-steps which become difficult to execute. In case you are willing to move PST to Office 365 portal using drive shipping check this link out - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/securitycompliance/use-drive-shipping-to-import-pst-files-to-office-365

Network Upload

1. Install Microsoft Azure AzCopy & copy the SAS URL
2. Upload the PST files to Office 365 & view the list of uploaded PST files
3. Create a PST Import mapping file in CSV file format 
4. Create a PST Import Job in Microsoft Office 365 account
5. Filter the data & start the import process.

The further substeps of uploading pst to office 365 using the Network Upload method are mentioned here - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/securitycompliance/use-network-upload-to-import-pst-files

Why Not Trust the Manual Methods to Import PST files to Office 365 portal? 

Even though these solutions are provided by Microsoft itself. They aswell recommend using an automated tool to carry out the transfer process of PST files to Office 365 for a sure shot & secure migration process.

1. No assurance of data integrity– As the methods include a lot of steps, thus there is always a  chance of executing the steps incorrectly leading to high chances of data loss.
2. Time taking process– The process to move pst to Office 365 is a combination of migration & time to execute steps which in all consumes a lot of time.
3. Requires technical expertise- The manual process to move Outlook PST to Office 365 cannot be executed by a novice user. As it needs the user to have technical knowledge.

Use PST to Office 365 Import Tool for Assured Migration Process

SysTools Office 365 Import Tool ensures that the entire process of transferring PST files to Office 365 is secure with no possibility of data loss. The software is compatible with all versions of Outlook. Thus, a user need not worry about the version of Outlook they are using for the import process.

Reasons for Using the Office 365 Import Tool

1. Speeds up the process to migrate PST files to Office 365.
2. Ensures data integrity.
3. A user need not have the technical expertise.
4. Few simple steps to be executed.
5. Executes complete Outlook PST data migration (which includes emails, calendars, contacts, tasks, etc.).
6. Provides advanced features like date filter & incremental import option.

The features provided by the PST to Office 365 Import tool makes the entire process to move pst files into Office 365 very simple. 

Verdict

Now, the final choice is on the user which method to choose for uploading PST to Office 365. The multiple methods which have been discussed so far it is quite clear that the manual methods do not provide data security while transferring PST files to Office 365. Thus, a user should prefer an automated solution discussed here for a foolproof process to import PST to Office 365 portal.