Managed Service Providers (MSPs) across Europe are increasingly handling email migrations for multiple clients at the same time. These projects often come alongside mergers, IT modernization efforts, or cloud adoption programs.
In fact, a recent report by McKinsey & Company showed that more than 90% of organizations are prioritizing cloud, and one-in-two are already in the middle of large-scale migrations.
At the same time, the landscape is now more complex. Across Europe, organizations are not just moving to the cloud, but rethinking where their data lives – driven by growing concerns around digital sovereignty, regulation, and non-European providers. Industry reporting suggests that cloud strategies are increasingly fragmented, with hybrid and multi-cloud environments more the norm than the exception.
For MSPs, it is creating a perfect storm: more migrations, more variation between client environments and far less room for error.
The pressure is real. Companies need everything to move across smoothly, with minimal disruption. A short outage, or data missing can quickly damage reputation.
The Issue With Scripts
Traditionally, email migrations have relied heavily on scripting – particularly Windows Powershell. It’s used for everything from moving mailboxes and setting up permissions to validating data.
In practice, however, that can slow teams down. Not every engineer is used to working with complex scripts, and even experienced technicians can run into problems writing them under time pressure.
This matters more now because migration projects themselves are becoming harder to deliver. Research shows that 38% of cloud migrations are delayed and exceed costs due to skill gaps and complexity.
It’s no wonder that many MSPs are starting to look for ways to reduce their reliance on scripting altogether.
A More Visual Approach
Graphical tools offer a different way of working. Instead of building running scripts, engineers can manage the migration through a structured interface.
Tools such as Stellar Data Recovery’s Exchange Migration Tool guide users through setting up, mailbox mapping, and tracking progress. This means that tasks which would require careful scripting – such as setting permissions in a cloud directory or aligning the source and target mailboxes – can be done more visually, through a step-by-step process.
Many of these platforms also include features to reduce risk during live migrations, such as pre-migration assessments, automated mailbox matching, and allowing the user to rerun specific batches without restarting entire jobs.
It’s not just about ease of use for MSPs, but also consistency. By standardising the migration process, graphical tools help reduce dependency on individuals and make outcomes more predictable.
For service providers working with small to mid-sized enterprises, this is especially useful where an in-house knowledge of Exchange or PowerShell isn’t always available, and the margin of error is much smaller.
Managing Complexity Without Adding To It
The benefits of visual, structured workflows are clear when you think of the variety of environments MSPs have to manage. Different versions of Exchange, hybrid setups, and tenant-to-tenant migrations each have their own quirks – and those differences begin to quickly add up.
One client, for example, may be running Exchange 2016 on-premises, another uses Exchange Online with a hybrid setup, a third is moving tenants after a big merger. Each of these has slightly different mailbox permissions, shared folders, or calendar configurations.
Without a consistent approach, teams can end up repeating the same processes for different clients, which often leads to errors along the way. Clear and repeatable workflows help bring order before facing migration chaos. And instead of starting from scratch each time, MSPs can follow processes that are easier to track, check and scale across several projects.
Many migration platforms, including Quest Software’s Migration Manager and Bittitan’s MigrationWiz are designed with this in mind, helping teams move between clients with less friction.
Migrations More Than Occasional Projects
Email migrations are no longer a one-off event for MSPs: they’re a day-to-day activity.
With cloud adoption surging, European businesses, small and large, are moving faster than ever. As such, MSPs increasingly need workflows that are repeatable, scalable and reliable.
Reducing dependency on scripting doesn’t mean losing control; it’s about using tools that make migrations faster, smoother and less risky. Scripting still has its place for specific cases, but for most cases, structured, replicable approaches get the job done.
Finding the balance between control, simplicity and flexibility is what keeps migrations running fluidly, and more MSPs, keeps the companies they support productive and confident.
Image source: Getty Images via Unsplash+
Disclosure: This article mentions clients of an Espacio portfolio company.
