Case Study: HFMC Wealth, Exchange 2013 to Office 365 Migration

Overview

Leading Investment Wealth firm HFMC, based in Surrey and London, needed to modernise its legacy on-premise Exchange 2013 environment to deliver enhanced functionality and superior productivity to their users.

As HFMC Wealth’s long-term strategic technology partner, Krome was instrumental in the recommendation, planning and phased hybrid implementation of the Office 365 migration.

In order to achieve a seamless, but staged migration for HFMC users, we configured a hybrid deployment between Exchange Server on-premises and Exchange Online. We did this using Azure Active Directory synchronisation to help with recipient administration.

In the Office 365 migration process, Krome migrated up to 140 mailboxes and implemented Veeam Cloud Backup for Microsoft Office to ensure their Office 365 data was securely protected.

Staff at HFMC Wealth have become more productive thanks to instant upgrades and new features. The solution is also cost-efficient due to combined licensing.

“All of these niggly little issues, things that we had been trying to find a fix for some time, all just seem to disappear once we had migrated. Office 365 is obviously constantly kept up to date by Microsoft, they are regularly patching issues or making enhancements, which has made a huge difference.”

IT Manager, HFMC Wealth

Business Challenge

HFMC Wealth’s on-premise Exchange environment was out of support. This caused disruptions, including cross-device email management problems, and the loss of key features. The expiry of Microsoft licenses was approaching. At the same time, the Covid pandemic began. These factors made the need for a robust, future-proof solution urgent.

The Solution: Office 365 Migration

Krome Technologies recommended a phased hybrid migration to Office 365, enabling seamless coexistence between on-premise Exchange and Exchange Online. Over 10 weeks, 140 mailboxes were migrated in batches, ensuring zero downtime and uninterrupted service for users.

Key Solution Highlights

• 140 Mailboxes Migrated
• Hybrid Exchange setup for smooth transition and ongoing connectivity
• Active Directory synchronisation for unified login and administration
• Microsoft Authenticator, replacing legacy 2FA, reducing costs
• Veeam Cloud Backup for Microsoft Office 365, ensuring data retention and compliance

Business Profile

Financial services and wealth management firm, with approximately 105 employees based at offices in Surrey and London.

Office 365 Migration Benefits

The Office 365 migration delivered immediate benefits. Productivity and staff satisfaction improved thanks to new features and instant upgrades. The move resulted in cost savings by switching to all-inclusive licensing and retiring legacy tools. Data backup became secure and compliant, with flexible retention options. The transition was seamless, with no disruption to users; many didn’t even notice the change.

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