Migrating HOSTED Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2016 or 2019

Question

Hi, we have an old Microsoft HOSTED Exchange 2010 installation running on Server 2008R2 that we would like to migrate to Exchange 2016 or 2019 if this is even possible. Maybe this question has been asked before but it seems to be such a specific product that not many people use anymore.

Note that it is hosted exchange, not your traditional exchange installation. This means separated Organizations that cannot access each other even though they all reside in the same Active Directory.

I cannot find any good information online regarding this. Is this simply not possible or has nobody ever tried it because it's a job nobody wants to do? Our ultimate goal would be to get rid of the Exchange 2010 mailserver and replace that with a newer version, we already have multiple Domain Controllers running this AD so that should not be a problem. My goal would be to install a new Exchange Server. I feel like this is going to be impossible and we need to build everything from the ground up because the newer Exchange versions don't seem to have the same features as Hosted Exchange 2010 had.. This will force us to migrate 10 companies at the same time that work together closely. Could be a monster job. Hope you can point me in the right direction.

Answer 1

Hi @Caspar - ABO ,
Based on my knowledge, if you want to migrate Exchange 2010 with hosting to Exchange 2016, we need to create a new AD forest to install the Exchange 2016, then deploy cross-forest migration. Please following the steps to deploy cross-forest migration:

1. Run the Prepare-Moverequest.ps1 script, this script will be used to create Mail Enabled Users (MEU) in the target forest.
2. Then using ADMT to migrate user account.
3. Move Mailbox from the source forest to the target forest.
4. Using ADMT to migrate the computer account.
   For the specific steps you could refer to:Exchange 2013: Cross Forest Migration from Exchange 2010/2007 and Exchange 2010 Cross-Forest Migration Step by Step Guide
   Please Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

According to my research, the /hosting mode switch has been discontinued since Exchange 2013, and emphasizing the use of address book policies (ABPs) in combination with hosting management solutions and automation tools provided by approved Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).
For more information you could refer to: Multi-tenancy in Exchange 2013
In addition, if you want to deploy multi-tenancy in exchange 2016, you could refer to: Multi-Tenant Scalability Guidance for Exchange Server

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