San Francisco Mortgage Company: Post-Acquisition GSuite Migration
How a San Francisco mortgage lender successfully migrated 85 employees and 680GB of email data from GSuite to Google Workspace in 8 days following a strategic acquisition
Executive Summary
- Client:
- San Francisco-Based Mortgage Loan Company (NDA Protected)
- Industry:
- Financial Services - Mortgage Lending
- Migration Partner:
- Iron Cove Solutions
- Project Date:
- Project Duration:
- 8 Days
- Users Migrated:
- 85 mailboxes (15 existing + 80 acquired)
- Data Migrated:
- 680 GB of email plus files, calendars, and contacts
When a San Francisco-based online mortgage company with 15 employees acquired an 80-person firm, they needed a seamless way to integrate all employees into their existing Google Workspace (GSuite) tenant. The challenge? Migrate 680GB of historical email data, along with calendars, contacts, Drive files, and groups—all while keeping business operations running smoothly. Iron Cove Solutions delivered a turnkey migration solution in just 8 days.
The Challenge
"We didn't have the time or internal resources to handle this migration ourselves. We needed a trusted partner who could migrate 80 employees' worth of historical data quickly and flawlessly."
Project Highlights
About the Client
Company Overview
Our client is a rapidly growing online mortgage lending company based in San Francisco, California. With innovative digital-first mortgage solutions, they had successfully built a lean, efficient team of 15 employees operating on Google Workspace (GSuite).
The Acquisition
To accelerate growth and expand market reach, the company acquired a well-established 80-person mortgage firm. This strategic acquisition nearly 6x'd their employee count overnight, creating an immediate need for IT infrastructure integration.
Technology Environment
- Existing Platform: Google Workspace (GSuite) for 15 employees
- Acquired Platform: Legacy GSuite tenant for 80 employees
- Total Data Volume: 680GB of email data plus files
- Industry Requirements: Financial services compliance and data security
- Business Criticality: Mortgage operations cannot tolerate email downtime
Business Challenge
The Post-Acquisition Dilemma
The acquisition created an immediate technology integration challenge. The mortgage company needed to:
- Consolidate Email Systems: Merge two separate GSuite tenants into one unified platform
- Preserve Historical Data: Maintain 680GB of critical email history for compliance and business continuity
- Minimize Disruption: Keep mortgage operations running without interruption during migration
- Fast Timeline: Complete integration quickly to realize acquisition synergies
- No Internal Resources: Small IT team lacked capacity for complex migration project
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure financial services data security and compliance throughout migration
Why They Chose Iron Cove Solutions
Their Requirements
- Turnkey migration solution
- Experienced consulting firm
- Fast execution timeline
- Zero data loss guarantee
- Minimal internal IT involvement
- Financial services expertise
Our Capabilities
- Proven GSuite migration methodology
- 15+ years of experience
- Rapid deployment capabilities
- 100% data integrity track record
- Full-service project management
- Regulatory compliance expertise
Migration Scope
What Was Migrated
| Component | Details | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Email Mailboxes | Complete historical email data backfilled into active mailboxes | 85 mailboxes |
| Email Data | All historical messages, attachments, and folder structures | 680 GB |
| Calendars | All calendar events, recurring meetings, and appointments | 85 calendars |
| Contacts | Complete contact lists with all fields and custom properties | 85 contact lists |
| Google Drive | All files, folders, and sharing permissions | Historical files |
| Groups | Recreated all groups from legacy tenant in new environment | All groups |
Project Scope Details
Key Scope Items
- GSuite to GSuite Migration: Migrate mailboxes from acquired company's GSuite tenant to acquiring company's Google Workspace
- Active Mailbox Backfill: Target mailboxes were already activated and in use—we backfilled historical data seamlessly
- Contacts Migration: Complete transfer of all contact information
- Calendar Migration: Full calendar data including recurring events
- Drive Migration: Transfer of all Google Drive files and folders
- Group Replication: Ensure identical groups exist in new tenant
- MX Record Cutover: Coordinate DNS changes for seamless email flow transition
Critical Success Factors
- Zero Data Loss: Every email, contact, calendar entry, and file must be migrated successfully
- Zero Downtime: Mortgage operations continue uninterrupted throughout migration
- Data Integrity: Maintain folder structures, read/unread status, and metadata
- Fast Execution: Complete migration in days, not weeks or months
- Compliance: Maintain financial services regulatory compliance throughout
- User Experience: Seamless transition for end users
Our Solution
Google Workspace to Google Workspace Migration Methodology
Iron Cove Solutions deployed our proven GSuite-to-GSuite pull migration methodology, designed specifically for post-acquisition integrations. This approach focuses on lining up source and target mailboxes, then systematically backfilling historical data into active accounts.
Why Our Approach Works
Unlike basic migration tools, our methodology addresses the unique challenges of Google Workspace migrations:
- Active Mailbox Support: Backfill data into mailboxes already in use without disruption
- Intelligent Data Handling: Navigate limitations around old, inconsistent, or corrupted email data
- Flash Sync Technology: Rerun migrations to catch any missed or new data
- Comprehensive Validation: Multi-stage verification ensures 100% data integrity
- Minimal User Involvement: Users continue working while migration happens in background
- Compliance-Focused: Maintain audit trails and security throughout process
Key Technical Differentiators
Smart Data Mapping
Intelligent mailbox alignment ensures each user's data goes to the correct destination, even when email addresses differ between tenants.
Historical Data Expertise
We handle the challenges of old email data—inconsistent formatting, legacy attachments, and data corruption—that often break standard migration tools.
Flash Sync Verification
After initial migration, we rerun all mailboxes to catch any items that were missed, ensuring absolute data completeness.
Zero-Impact Cutover
MX record changes coordinated precisely to ensure seamless email flow transition with no user-visible disruption.
6-Step Migration Process
Step 1: Super Admin Access
Objective: Secure necessary permissions in both source and target Google Workspace tenants.
Obtained Super Admin privileges in both the legacy GSuite tenant (acquired company) and the target Google Workspace tenant (acquiring company). This high-level access is essential for comprehensive data migration including mailboxes, calendars, contacts, Drive files, and administrative configurations.
Step 2: Mailbox Alignment
Objective: Map each source mailbox to its corresponding target mailbox.
Created detailed mapping spreadsheet aligning all 85 source mailboxes with their target destinations. This critical planning step ensures data goes to the correct user, accounting for any email address changes, name variations, or organizational restructuring resulting from the acquisition.
Step 3: Data Migration
Objective: Execute primary migration of all email, calendars, contacts, and Drive data.
Initiated migration of 680GB of email data plus calendars, contacts, and Google Drive files. Used specialized migration tools designed for Google Workspace environments to handle large data volumes efficiently. Migration ran continuously with active monitoring to address any issues immediately.
Step 4: Data Confirmation & Flash Sync
Objective: Verify data integrity and capture any missed items.
Performed comprehensive validation of migrated data, checking for completeness, accuracy, and proper folder structure preservation. Executed "flash sync" rerun of all 85 mailboxes to capture any emails that arrived during initial migration or were missed due to API limitations or data inconsistencies.
Step 5: MX Record Cutover
Objective: Transition email flow to new Google Workspace tenant.
Coordinated DNS MX record changes to redirect email flow from the old GSuite tenant to the new consolidated Google Workspace environment. Monitored mail flow closely during DNS propagation period to ensure no message loss. Provided clear communication to users about the cutover timing.
Step 6: Project Completion
Objective: Validate success and close out migration project.
Conducted final validation with client IT team and key stakeholders. Verified all data successfully migrated, users can access historical emails, calendars function properly, and email flow is normal. Provided documentation of migration activities and post-migration support guidance. Project completed on schedule July 18, 2024.
Project Timeline: 8-Day Execution
Rapid Deployment Schedule
Start Date:
Completion Date:
Total Duration: 8 Days
Day-by-Day Breakdown
| Day | Activities | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (July 10) | Project kickoff, Super Admin access verified, mailbox mapping completed | ✓ Complete |
| Day 2-5 (July 11-14) | Primary data migration: 680GB email, calendars, contacts, Drive files | ✓ Complete |
| Day 6 (July 15) | Data validation and flash sync execution | ✓ Complete |
| Day 7 (July 16) | Flash sync completion, final verification, MX record preparation | ✓ Complete |
| Day 8 (July 17) | MX record cutover, email flow transition, monitoring | ✓ Complete |
| Day 8 (July 18) | Final validation, documentation delivery, project closeout | ✓ Complete |
Results & Benefits
Migration Success Metrics
Immediate Benefits Achieved
Unified Email Platform
- Single Google Workspace tenant for all 95 employees
- Consistent email policies and security
- Simplified IT administration
- Reduced licensing costs
Complete Data Preservation
- 680GB of historical email preserved
- All calendars and contacts intact
- Drive files accessible in new environment
- Full compliance with retention policies
Business Continuity
- Zero disruption to mortgage operations
- Users continued working throughout
- No lost productivity
- Seamless transition for customers
Fast Time to Value
- 8-day project timeline
- Rapid acquisition integration
- Quick realization of synergies
- Minimal internal IT resources required
Long-Term Strategic Benefits
Post-Acquisition Integration Success
- Unified Communication: All employees on same platform enabling collaboration
- Simplified Management: Single Google Workspace tenant reduces administrative overhead
- Cost Efficiency: Consolidated licensing and reduced IT complexity
- Scalability: Platform ready for future growth and acquisitions
- Enhanced Security: Consistent security policies across entire organization
- Regulatory Compliance: Maintained financial services compliance throughout migration
- Employee Satisfaction: Seamless transition with no productivity loss
- Historical Access: Complete email history available for business intelligence and compliance
Client Testimonial
"Iron Cove Solutions made our post-acquisition email integration completely painless. We were concerned about migrating 680GB of data and 80 users in a short timeframe, but they executed flawlessly. Our team didn't miss a beat, and we had complete confidence in the data integrity throughout the process. This was exactly the turnkey solution we needed."
— IT Director, San Francisco Mortgage Company
Technical Details & Challenges
Migration Challenges & Solutions
Challenge: Large Data Volume
Issue: 680GB of email data requires significant bandwidth and processing time
Solution: Deployed parallel processing migration tools with optimized API usage to maximize throughput while respecting Google API rate limits
Challenge: Active Mailboxes
Issue: Target mailboxes already in use and receiving new emails
Solution: Used backfill methodology that migrates historical data without impacting current email flow, followed by flash sync to capture new items
Challenge: Old/Inconsistent Data
Issue: Historical email can have corruption, formatting issues, or metadata problems
Solution: Implemented intelligent error handling and data cleansing processes to manage problematic data without halting migration
Challenge: Google API Limitations
Issue: Some data elements have pull limitations in Google Workspace API
Solution: Used multiple migration approaches and flash sync rerun to ensure comprehensive data capture despite API constraints
What Gets Migrated vs. What Doesn't
| Item | Migration Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Email Messages | ✓ Migrated | All historical emails including attachments |
| Folder Structure | ✓ Migrated | Label hierarchy preserved in new tenant |
| Calendars | ✓ Migrated | All events including recurring meetings |
| Contacts | ✓ Migrated | Complete contact lists with all fields |
| Google Drive Files | ✓ Migrated | Files, folders, and sharing permissions |
| Groups | ✓ Recreated | Group memberships replicated in new tenant |
| Email Filters | ⚠ Limited | Some user-created filters may need recreation |
| Chat History | ⚠ Limited | Google Chat history has API limitations |
Key Technical Considerations
Google Workspace Migration Specifics
- API Rate Limits: Google imposes API rate limits that affect migration speed—we optimize within these constraints
- Data Consistency: Old email data can be inconsistent or corrupted—requires intelligent handling
- Active Mailbox Migration: Backfilling data into active mailboxes requires specialized approach
- Large Attachment Handling: Files over certain sizes require special processing
- Metadata Preservation: Maintaining read/unread status, flags, and other metadata
- Permission Mapping: Drive file sharing permissions must be properly translated
- Group Synchronization: Ensuring group memberships match between tenants