“Recently, many IBM employees could not access their email for a few days. It happened because of a technical fault in Lotus Notes. Also, IBM is shifting to a new communication environment. They assure to provide better communication tools to eliminate the problem faced by Lotus Notes users.”
Considering the information, we suggest you migrate Lotus Notes to Office 365. IBM sold the Lotus Notes to HCL Technologies, so it is now known as HCL Notes. Also, because of various bugs and outdated features, most users are looking for an advanced email provider that delivers premium features at minimum cost.
In this write-up, we describe how you can effectively migrate your emails from the Lotus Notes mailbox to Office 365. Also, you will explain why it is necessary to export your data to another email provider. So, read the article.
Why Should You Export IBM/HCL Notes to Office 365?
Here, we explain the prominent causes to migrate from Lotus Notes to Office 365. As the HCL Notes has various limitations, it is unable to fulfill modern user’s requirements. The following are its main drawbacks.
- HCL Notes does not have an interactive user interface. Beginners are not able to find the required options. However, Office 365 has such a simple layout that even a naive user can easily use it.
- Another most common problem with HCL Notes is mailbox synchronization. The email provider fails to establish a client-server connection. Hence, you cannot see new changes you made or new emails you receive.
- The Lotus Notes is quite expensive as its installation and maintenance cost is high. So, users are migrating to Office 365 because it provides all the latest features at a minimum price.
After knowing all the limitations of Notes, we explain various methods for Lotus Notes to Office 365 migration.
Methods to Migrate HCL Notes to Office 365
You can migrate the HCL Notes to Office 365 by performing manual steps. These steps are effective in exporting the mailbox, and you do not need any additional tools. There are two standard methods available for migrating emails from HCL Lotus Notes.
- Using MONTI.exe
- Using IMAP Connector
#1. Migrate HCL Notes to Office 365 Using MONTI.exe
MONTI or Microsoft Online Notes Inspector is an 86 page guide by Microsoft describing the complete procedure to use MONTI.exe for HCL Notes to Office 365 migration. The link to download MONTI.exe is available in the manual. However, the technique is complicated. It is advised to read the guide carefully and then perform the steps.
#2. Migrate Lotus Notes to Office 365 Using IMAP Connector
Another manual technique to migrate the data is through IMAP Connector. It is comparatively easier than the previous method. To export the mailbox using IMAP Connector, you have to perform four steps.
Step 1: Backup Lotus Notes Mailbox Data
The first step is to create a backup of the Lotus Notes mailbox data. As there are chances
of file corruption during the process, you have to create a backup of NSF files into a suitable file format to restore the mailbox files. You can convert NSF to PST file format to protect your valuable data from losing.
Step 2: Create New Mailbox of Lotus Notes Users
The next thing to export Lotus Notes to Office 365 is to create a mailbox in Office 365 for every Lotus Notes profile. The Office 365 mailbox should be created with the same name as in Lotus Notes.
Step 3: Enable the IMAP TCP/IP Port in Lotus Notes
Enable the IMAP settings for all user accounts by following the steps below.
- Open Domino Administrator in HCL Notes.
- Select the Configuration
- Choose the Server Document to activate the IMAP Service.
- After that, click on the Ports
- Next, select Internet Port and then the Mail tab.
- Now, enable the TCP/IP Port in the Mail (IMAP)
- At last, click on the Save button and close the application.
Step 4: Use IMAP Connector
The last step to migrate the Lotus Notes to Office 365 is to use the IMAP Connector to synchronize the Lotus Notes mailbox to Office 365. After completing this step, you will have successfully migrated your mailbox.
Both the above methods are manual procedures. They are effective but they have some limitations.
Limitations of Manual Techniques to Migrate HCL Lotus Notes to Office 365
The manual method is not the ideal solution for email migration. It has various significant limitations that make it necessary to search for a better option. The main drawbacks of the manual procedure are as follows.
- The proxy server of the HCL Notes hinders the Internet connection. So, it becomes difficult to use other applications with this email client.
- It has a file size limitation as it cannot migrate a file of more than 1GB size.
- You cannot migrate the calendar items through manual operations.
- The manual procedure is complicated and time-consuming. Any beginner cannot perform the steps.
- There is always a risk of file corruption in the manual methods.
Because of these limitations, you should migrate the Lotus Notes mailbox by using professional software.
Automatic Solution to Migrate the Lotus Notes Emails to Office 365
DRS NSF to PST Converter is an ideal Lotus Notes Migration tool. It can convert NSF files into PST file format in a fast and effective way. It is third-party software that eliminates the complicated manual steps and migrates the data in a few simple steps. The tool provides various advanced features that customize the migration. Apart from that, the user interface is interactive such that even a beginner can easily export the files.
Conclusion
The IBM Lotus Notes Migration is possible either through a manual procedure or a professional tool. The manual procedures require technical expertise and are time-consuming. Therefore, third-party software is the ideal option. DRS NSF to PST converter is the simplest and most reliable method to migrate Lotus (HCL) Notes to Office 365. Every user can export the files without any difficulty.
