How to Prepare for Corporate Email Migration: A Company Checklist

What is a corporate email inventory

A corporate email inventory is a list of addresses, users, data, and connected systems. It answers key questions: who reads the emails, where they are sent from, where they are stored, and who makes decisions. Even a small company needs this list if multiple people and apps use email.

Assign a single coordinator on the company side. They collect answers, note gaps, and escalate disputed issues to leadership. A system administrator knows the settings, but might not know why accounting keeps a former employee's emails. The process owner must confirm how that data is handled.

Note the source of information for each entry. It helps to supplement the list from the admin panel with input from departments. The admin list might miss a personal mailbox once configured to send website notifications. If the purpose of an address is unknown, state that clearly. Do not assign an owner based on a similar name.

The broader context and migration options are covered in the guide to Mail.ru business email migration. The task here is narrower: gather details about your company and identify questions that require internal decisions.

How to compile a list of mailboxes and owners

Create a separate entry for each email address. Write down the exact spelling, the name of the employee or department, its purpose, and the current platform. Indicate the status: in use, stores archive, or owner unknown. These notes help distinguish active communication from addresses that simply lingered on the list.

Distinguish between the owner and users. The owner is responsible for the mailbox purpose and approves decisions. There may be multiple users. For a procurement address, this includes the department head and employees working with vendors. Specify who should read incoming mail and who needs permission to send on behalf of the department.

For former employees, get decisions from department leadership. Determine whether the address is needed for incoming inquiries, who has permission to access the archive, and who owns pending matters. Do not remove these entries from preparation just because the person is no longer on staff. The address may still be listed in contracts and partner correspondence.

Add estimated data volume if known, along with any critical folders. If the volume is unknown, mark it as 'to clarify'. Separately ask about emails stored locally on work computers. Stating that 'everything is in the browser' versus 'the archive is stored in an email client' represents completely different starting points.

Ask departments to verify address spelling. A single-letter typo can make it look like a mailbox does not exist. If you have multiple domains, indicate which one each address belongs to. Note former company names and subsidiary addresses that still receive inquiries after a rebranding or website update.

Aliases, shared mailboxes, and forwarding

An alias is an additional email address linked to a mailbox. Do not automatically treat it as a separate user. A shared mailbox is an address for collaboration across several employees. Specific permissions and collaborative capabilities depend on the chosen platform.

Email forwarding routes incoming mail to another address based on a set rule. Document the source address, the recipient, and the business reason. You need to know whether to keep this rule and who approved it. Pay special attention to forwarding rules pointing to employees' personal email accounts.

Do not lump different items into an 'additional email' entry. An address might be an executive alias, a separate department mailbox, or a distribution list. The contractor needs to understand the underlying connection, and your company needs to decide how that address will be used going forward.

In a hypothetical scenario, a company receives inquiries at the sales department address. Two managers review requests, a department head monitors replies, and an address for promotional materials points to that same mailbox as an alias. In your inventory, these should be linked entries with distinct purposes. This example is for illustration and does not describe any studio client.

Specify who replies from the shared address and where team members see sent replies. If employees currently forward emails to each other manually, describe this routine. This is a collaboration requirement you should discuss before selecting a platform.

Which phones and email clients to consider

An email client is software used to manage messages. It can be installed on a computer or a mobile phone. Record browser-based webmail access as well, but keep it separate from desktop clients. Working access via webmail does not verify the state of a client on another device.

For each employee, record their device, app name, and the addresses they use. There is no need to log every computer hardware specification. It is enough to map out managed workstations. Note personal laptops or secondary phones if used for business correspondence and approved by the company.

Ask about local archives. A user might only see old emails on a single computer. Note this in the registry and name the employee who can show the relevant correspondence. Do not treat a folder in an app as proof that the same data exists in the web version of the email.

Clarify contacts for employees who will need help with the app. For branches in Almaty, Astana, and other cities in Kazakhstan, it is helpful to specify a local lead. This allows you to collect responses from each office and understand in advance who needs to be guided through the new email setup.

Websites, CRM, 1C, and other senders

Compile a separate list of systems that send emails. Include website forms, the online store, CRM, 1C, booking services, printers, and scanners. Ask employees what notifications they receive automatically. An answer like "requests come from the website" must be supplemented with the website name and the person responsible for it.

SMTP is an email transmission protocol. Sender settings in an app are tied to a specific email service. Switching platforms on its own does not determine what happens to these connections. Each system must be included in the discussed scope of work.

For each sender, record the purpose of the email. Notifications to a manager, invoices for a customer, and access recovery serve different purposes. Specify the sender address, recipients, system owner, and support contact. If the settings are unknown, note the person who can provide them.

Add rarely used functions. A monthly report or sending a scan can go unnoticed when discussing day-to-day email. To prepare, simply list these dependencies and the people responsible.

Who manages the domain and access

A domain is the name a company uses, for example, in website and email addresses. Its management may reside in a different account and with a different vendor than the website itself. Find the registrar, the account owner, and the person who manages domain records. Record contact details and access status.

Separate knowing a password from the authority to make decisions. An employee may have technical access without the authority to approve changes. Management must name the person responsible on behalf of the company. If the account belongs to a previous contractor, address the access issue in advance and assign someone to resolve it.

In the working document, simply note whether access exists and who holds it. Do not put passwords in a shared spreadsheet for all employees. Coordinate the method of transferring required access with the designated specialist. Clarify who has access to recovery and login confirmation tools, especially if they are linked to a personal phone.

Migration requires working access to source mailboxes. Browser login and access for external apps may differ. If part of the access is unavailable, document the limitation honestly. According to media reports, Mail.ru changed the terms of free access via IMAP, POP3, and SMTP starting 12.06.2026. Check your plan terms in your account or with support. Do not apply this message to all corporate email.

What decisions the company must make

Choose the person who approves the data to retain and user permissions. Agree on contacts, calendars, and tasks separately. IMAP works with emails and folders. Calendars and contacts require separate work, so they cannot be hidden inside a general request to "migrate everything".

Specify required capabilities: working with a shared address, mobile access, archive search, and CRM integration. Separate mandatory requirements from employee preferences. To choose a service model, use the comparison of your own mail server and cloud email.

Agree on data storage and processing within your organization. For a company in Kazakhstan, requirements may depend on the industry and contracts. Check correspondence storage questions with legal counsel. Clarify availability and payment terms for foreign services with the vendor. These decisions cannot be replaced by a single user's preference for a familiar interface.

Determine who will sign off on the results for each department. Accounting checks its work addresses, sales confirms shared correspondence, and the website owner handles notifications. Describe the expected capabilities in plain words. This way, approval will be grounded in company priorities.

Checklist to copy and print

Copy the list into a document. Enter the responsible person and mark "done", "clarify", or "not used" next to each item. It is better to replace an empty field with an explicit question. The coordinator must see who can provide the answer.

1. Company and domains: ____________________. Coordinator and contact: ____________________.
2. All email addresses are listed. The purpose, owner, users, and status are specified for each.
3. Aliases are mapped to primary mailboxes. Additional domains and legacy addresses are accounted for.
4. Shared mailboxes are documented. The people who read emails and reply on behalf of the department are identified.
5. Email forwards are listed with recipients. The necessity of each forward is confirmed by the person in charge.
6. Former employee addresses are marked. Decisions regarding correspondence and access are approved by management.
7. Computers, phones, and email clients are listed. The people responsible for the devices are identified.
8. Local archives are marked. Contacts, calendars, and tasks are set apart as separate requirements.
9. Websites, CRM, 1C, and sending devices are listed. Owners and support contacts are specified for each.
10. Access to domain and email management is located. Holders and recovery methods are known.
11. Inaccessible mailboxes and unknown settings are listed. A responsible person is assigned for each gap.
12. Mandatory capabilities and retention rules are agreed upon. Department representatives for sign-off are designated.

Attach registries of addresses, devices, and senders to the checklist. Keep unresolved issues separately. This set of documents should reflect the company's current operations, and executive decisions must be clearly distinguished from employee assumptions.

Frequently asked questions

Can you start with an employee list?

Yes, use it as a foundation and supplement it with addresses for departments, former employees, and software. One person can have multiple addresses. Multiple people can share a single mailbox. Therefore, an employee list cannot replace an inventory of email and related systems.

Is an alias another mailbox to migrate?

An alias is an additional address linked to a mailbox. Document this link and the purpose of the address. Do not count it as a separate user without verifying. On the new platform, you need to align on how the address should behave and who has permission to reply on its behalf.

Should you collect passwords in a single spreadsheet?

In the shared document, specify the access holder, status, and unresolved questions. Discuss transferring the actual credentials with the designated specialist. Account for recovery methods and login verification. A list read by everyone involved in preparation must not become a shared password vault.

Should you include the website if employees send email manually?

Yes, check automated notifications separately. Forms, password resets, and documents can be sent without any employee involvement. List every website, the purpose of its emails, and the contact person maintaining it. If a feature is not used, confirm this with the website owner and document the decision.

What should you do if some of the information is unknown?

Leave an explicit note to clarify and assign someone to find the answer. Hand over the known details to the specialist along with the list of gaps. Do not invent settings or owners. An inaccessible source mailbox or unknown domain access should be flagged as a project constraint.