The recent outage of Rackspace, the cloud service based on MS Exchange servers, prompted some customers to start searching for ready-to-use alternatives. IceWarp Cloud is an alternative to Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365 (Office 365). This brief article is meant to help with easier and faster processing of migration requests by customers searching for a Rackspace alternative or a hosted exchange replacement.

How to start using IceWarp:

1. The easiest way is to open https://www.icewarp.com/cloud-order-trial/start-subscription/ and fill out the information required to start the trial. After testing this environment, production deployment can be started by simply adding a credit card number.
2. As an alternative, request help from IceWarp Sales or Support via LiveChat, which is directly embedded on the IceWarp website (the icon in the bottom right corner).

How to migrate your domain (e.g. yourcompany.com):

You can use your own domain or several domains with IceWarp Cloud. By default, IceWarp instance is created under its internal onice.io domain, e.g. yourcompany.onice.io. Don’t let this scare you. Anyone can add unlimited domains for free. All you need to do is configure DNS. Since DNS configuration can be tricky for non-IT personnel, IceWarp team is ready to help with these configurations for free. This applies to any orders made before December 15, 2022.

How to migrate data from your original solution (e.g. emails withinmailboxes):

Under the current situation known to the IceWarp Support Team, some or all the data hosted on Rackspace service is missing or unavailable. As far as we know, the best way to approach this is to set up the domain on IceWarp first and migrate the old data afterwards when (if) they are available. If the data is available later and the customer moved to IceWarp before the 15th of December 2022, this additional migration will be performed for free as well (must be requested before March 1, 2023).

Hints for technicians:

Depending on the amount of data to be migrated, there are several possible approaches to the migration. Just a few highlights:

• The migration of emails can be done using IMAP Sync, simply employing the IMAP protocol. No assistance from the IceWarp team is necessary.
• The migration can also be done as a direct upload of emails. This is a secure way that requires cooperation with the IceWarp team. 
• The onice.io domain and hostname is only a pre-configured option. No need to use it at all. DNS records can point to onice.io domain, not IP address.
• IceWarp has a built-in mechanism for automated renewal of Let's Encrypt certificates.
• Distributed domain is possible. That means IceWarp can run as part of a hybrid deployment with e.g. Exchange server using the same domain. Suitable in the current crisis to mitigate the impact.
• We can offer migration training for free in our training portal.
• Please keep in mind that the minimum limit for IceWarp Cloud is 10 users. If an instance has less users, 10 users are still billed.

Searching for something else? You can always email us at sales@icewarp.com.