Merger
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o365 not an option as DMS ( document management systems core application ) dont integrate with this too well so not an option at present.
o365 will only address the email side and still need to address the issue about moving premise and domain - AD - remote desktop - local computers, apps migration to company B etc ...
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@StefUk said:
Is there a way to get the two exchange server and mailboxes ready so that we can redirects emails to a single exchange and point the mx records to that server ?
That's actually quite easy, just set up the new Exchange (hopefully not on prem) and get it all ready. Point each MX there when ready. You don't have to do both at once, do one at a time.
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We do merger's all the time. as a very large company and we are always buying up little guys doing neat stuff.
#1 thing, is don't go to fast with the transitions. You never no what you are going to break do it in stages. Setup a domain trust first to get things going (after initial inspection to check for virus production, security etc). Also if you have a legal department check with them. In many cases they will want DATA separation for 1-3 years for legal reasons.
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Are remote apps in use currently? What about VPNs?
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if we could i would have suggested to do it slower but they made all the pre arrangement and I need to try and make it happen in two months . They are actually legal firms merging so no need to call the lawyers
they want to merge the data from company B to company A and work as company C , that's not a big deal as I can get this sorted. It's the integration of all the other infrastructure - services that is making me twitch ..
i m thinking on "mirroring" the two as best as I can then do the big switch over a long week end .. -
@scottalanmiller said
Sounds like two outdated IT departments that weren't being watched over too carefully spending money a bit recklessly.
How did you reach that conclusion?
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@scottalanmiller
remote app you mean cloud based ?yea each office has a VPN to connect the branch offices.
company A has 4 branch office connected via VPN
company B has 3 branch office connected via VPNthey access the main apps and services via RDP
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@Carnival-Boy said:
@scottalanmiller said
Sounds like two outdated IT departments that weren't being watched over too carefully spending money a bit recklessly.
How did you reach that conclusion?
ESXi for one... spending money or lacking capabilities in an SMB. We know the size of these companies, they are not big enough to even thing about getting the advantages that VMware can offer at scale. The cost of VMware licensing to be useful would be larger than we would expect the entire budget for IT for a company of this size to be. It's an order or magnitude off in this case. We don't know every detail, but this one is extreme. Sure it might be lingering from long ago, but that means that either people have not been overseeing the spending for years, investing in technical debt and/or just letting things age.
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@StefUk said:
@scottalanmiller
remote app you mean cloud based ?No, just remote apps in the general sense.
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@StefUk said:
they access the main apps and services via RDP
Then what is the purpose of the VPN? Why have a LANless design around app handling but then extend the LAN anyway? What's the goal and reason behind each?
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@StefUk said:
o365 not an option as DMS ( document management systems core application ) dont integrate with this too well so not an option at present.
have you checked into this? What's causing this problem? is this an outdated core dependency?
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@Carnival-Boy said:
How did you reach that conclusion?
Dependencies on on premises email for another. The dependency is possibly real, but how did it happen?
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@scottalanmiller
let's not start this .. this is not a character assassination on what could have been done better and why company use certain technologies nor other.. you can create an other post on best practices .. ( i m sure we have a few) -
yes the legal industry is what it is ... no option to change the DMS systems
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@scottalanmiller
i don t understand .. what you mean.
VPN's are there to connect offices to the main office where the main apps are hosted via rdp. again it is what it is .. at list they use the same way of connecting offices RDPs
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@StefUk said:
@scottalanmiller
let's not start this .. this is not a character assassination on what could have been done better and why company use certain technologies nor other.. you can create an other post on best practices .. ( i m sure we have a few)I was asked why.
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@StefUk said:
i don t understand .. what you mean.
VPN's are there to connect offices to the main office where the main apps are hosted via rdp. again it is what it is .. at list they use the same way of connecting offices RDPI understand that "it is what it is", but... why? I'm confused... is the goal here to "maintain the technical debt" in which case there is literally nothing to be done, just leave it all as it is. Or is the goal to "do the best thing going forward?" If the latter, then we must understand the reasoning and logic for the existing system to understand what makes sense to meet their needs in the future.
If we ever say "let's not go into this" then the entire point of trying to recommend anything for them is pointless, the decisions are made and this is a farce. We have to examine their past and their needs in order to find out what is a good solution for them.
So the question remains: what is the function of the VPN? Why does it exist? Does it have a purpose or is it just technical debt kept around because no one is evaluating needs until now?
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@StefUk said:
VPN's are there to connect offices to the main office where the main apps are hosted via rdp.
Would you add a VPN to look at a web site or get email? Why for RDP? I know that lots of companies do this, but I don't know why companies do this. More importantly, we don't know why these two do it.
What if you find that the VPN is in the way and causing problems? Wouldn't it be good to remove it now rather than after money is spend due to a false assumption?
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@aaronstuder said:
@scottalanmiller said:
You can have unlimited AD on a single LAN.
Not that you should, but you can
What is your reason for not? not that I disagree, I just wouldn't be in a huge hurry to get rid of company B's setup.
