Prepare for the New Office 365 Upgrade
With the official release date for new version Office 365 set to Feb 27 the upgrade to a new version for existing Office 365 customers is expected to follow soon. Here we have addressed some of the concerns existing Officer 365 customers will have about the upgrade and help them to better prepare.
When will the upgrade happen?
There is no fixed date given for the upgrade although some select Office 365 customers have already had the opportunity to Upgrade. The upgrade timeline depends upon your region. US customers will be upgraded first, followed by the UK, Europe, Africa and then Asia.
When will customers get notified if they are selected for an upgrade?
Office 365 upgrade notifications will be sent about a month in advance to the upgrade date.
What communications will be sent from Microsoft about the upgrade?
You will receive three emails from Microsoft once your upgrade has been scheduled. The first one will be sent after your upgrade has been scheduled. The second email will confirm your upgrade date. The final email will be sent once the upgrade is complete.
Will there be any downtime?
No there will not be a downtime. Mailboxes, Lync or Mobile setup will not be affected.
Will there be pricing changes?
No, the existing service agreements, prices and billing cycle will stay the same.
Do the Users have to reconfigure settings on computers and mobile devices after the upgrade?
During and after the upgrade, email, instant messaging and sites will keep working, and you don’t have to reconfigure computers and mobile devices. However, if your users are using older versions of browser you will have to upgrade them to the latest version.
Can I do a pilot upgrade for some users?
Yes. Once you’ve received the initial upgrade scheduling email, you can select up to 100 people to have their email, instant messaging and conferencing upgraded immediately to the new version
Can I postpone the upgrade date if the date selected by Microsoft for the upgrade is inconvenient for me?
Yes. Once your service upgrade has been scheduled you will have 3 weeks to postpone the upgrade. You will be able to postpone the upgrade only once.
What things can I do to better prepare for the upgrade?
1. If you are users are using Internet Explorer 7 or older version of chrome or safari browsers get them upgraded to the latest version of the browsers.
2. When you receive an upgrade invitation choose the early upgrade option and do a pilot.
3. Work with Microsoft Cloud Partner like IOTAP to get Office 365 support and advice on upgrade process and options.