Workspace → M365 migration: why now?
Three reasons push Dakar SMEs to migrate Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 in 2026: (1) finance/audit hires demanding Excel + Power BI; (2) Workspace pricing up 20% since 2024; (3) local ERP (Sage 100, Wuro Compta) with native Outlook/Excel connectors but not Sheets.
Across the 14 Workspace → M365 migrations Kolonell has supported over 18 months, the standard planning is 6 weeks for 25-80 mailboxes. Here is the complete runbook.
H2: Reference planning (6 weeks, 25 mailboxes)
Week 1 — Audit and preparation. Inventory of active/inactive users, aliases, groups, distribution lists, shared calendars, shared Drives, external permissions. Drive volume estimation (typical: 200-800 GB for 25 users). Current MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC audit. M365 plan choice (Business Standard vs Premium). License purchase for minimum 30 days before cut-over.
Week 2 — M365 tenant setup. Microsoft 365 tenant creation at admin.microsoft.com, domain verification via TXT (without touching MX yet). Creation of 25 mailboxes in "to provision" mode. Azure AD Connect setup if on-prem AD sync needed (SMEs with internal file server). Mandatory MFA activation. Exchange retention policies configuration.
Week 3 — Mailbox migration (pilot wave 5 users). MigrationWiz or BitTitan in "delta sync" mode. Step 1: full Gmail → Exchange Online sync (24-72h depending on volume). Step 2: D-1 delta sync. Step 3: send/receive test. Pitfalls: Gmail labels → Outlook folders (mapping), starred → flagged, filters → Outlook rules (often manual recreation).
Week 4 — Mailbox migration (main wave 20 users) + Drive. Same MigrationWiz process. In parallel: Google Drive → OneDrive/SharePoint migration via Mover.io (Microsoft free) or ShareGate. Drive pitfalls: external shared permissions (to recreate), public links (break), native Google Docs (converted to .docx, advanced formatting loss 5-10%).
Week 5 — MX cut-over + calendars + training. Friday evening: MX records flip Workspace → M365 (TTL 300s 48h prior for smooth transition). Saturday: final mailbox delta sync. Monday: calendar migration via CalendarSync or ICS export. User training 2h × 5 sessions of 5 users. Short Outlook/Teams/OneDrive videos in Wolof/French.
Week 6 — Hypercare + decommissioning. Intensive 7-day support (Outlook questions, mobile, sync). Tickets <24h check. Workspace decommissioning in read-only mode for 30 days (archive retrieval if needed), then deletion. Workspace unsubscribe.
H2: Detailed costs for 25 users
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| M365 Business Standard licenses 25 × 7,750 FCFA × 12 months | 2,325,000 FCFA/year |
| MigrationWiz 25 × 15 USD = 375 USD | ~233,000 FCFA |
| Mover.io (Drive → OneDrive) | Free |
| External migration provider (Kolonell or equivalent) | 2,500,000 to 4,500,000 FCFA flat |
| User training 25 × 80 KFCFA | 2,000,000 FCFA |
| 30-day hypercare | 800,000 to 1,500,000 FCFA |
Year 1 total: 7.8 to 10.5 M FCFA. From year 2: 2.3 M FCFA/year recurring.
H2: The 8 pitfalls to absolutely avoid
- MX too early. NEVER flip MX before mailbox sync is 95%+ complete. Otherwise 48h of email loss.
- Aliases not recreated. Workspace multi-aliases → M365 must recreate manually (admin center > users > aliases). Forget = mails rejected.
- External shared Drive permissions. Mover.io does not migrate external permissions (clients, providers). To recreate in SharePoint.
- Mobile devices. Users don't know how to reconfigure their Android/iPhone mail app. Plan profile QR code + 2-min video + hotline.
- Gmail filters vs Outlook rules. No native migration. Gmail filters XML export + manual reentry or PowerShell script.
- Shared mailboxes. Workspace "shared mailbox" and M365 "shared mailbox" are conceptually close but not identical (M365 requires E3 license for advanced archiving).
- Distribution lists. Workspace Groups → M365 Distribution Lists or Microsoft 365 Groups (Teams). Structural choice to anticipate.
- Google Authenticator 2FA data. TOTP secrets do not migrate. Re-onboard MFA Microsoft Authenticator with QR code per user.
H2: Recommended tools 2026
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
- MigrationWiz (BitTitan): market standard. 15 USD/mailbox. Delta sync, rollback possible.
- CodeTwo Office 365 Migration: cheaper alternative (8-12 USD/mailbox).
- Mover.io: Google Drive → OneDrive, free Microsoft.
- ShareGate: enterprise, 6-15 USD/GB, ideal >100 users.
- AvePoint Cloud Migrator: complex enterprise (advanced governance).
- PowerShell + Exchange Online Management: for post-migration automation (aliases, rules, permissions).
H2: When NOT to migrate
- Team <10 people heavily anchored on Sheets/Meet: do not migrate to save 1 M FCFA/year, migration cost > savings.
- Critical workflows on Google Apps Script: Apps Script does not rewrite to Power Automate without full refactor.
- ERP/CRM with Google-only connector (rare in Senegal but exists).
FAQ
How much email downtime?
Zero if well planned. MX flip happens while both suites receive in parallel (Workspace forwarding to M365 for 24h). No mail lost if DNS TTL lowered to 300s 48h before.
Can we keep the old @gmail-domain address during transition?
Yes. M365 will accept all incoming mail for 30 days via Workspace forwarding. Comfortable grace period.
Should we redo all users' email signatures?
No, export them in HTML from Workspace and re-import into Outlook (web or desktop). Tools: CodeTwo Signatures, Exclaimer Cloud.
What about Google Chat / Spaces chats?
Not natively migratable. Archive in HTML/PDF if legal need, otherwise abandon. Teams starts empty. Plan specific Teams training in week 5.
How much does Kolonell charge for a 25-user migration?
3.2-4.5 M FCFA flat (including audit, setup, mailbox + drive migration, training, 30-day hypercare). For 50-100 users: 5.5-9 M FCFA. Personalized quote.
Let's talk about your case
If you want to migrate Google Workspace → Microsoft 365 for your Dakar SME, we can run the free audit and planning. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
