Files & Collaboration
Migrate off Google Drive and Dropbox to Nextcloud Hub with OnlyOffice editing.
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Mail & Calendars Architecture
Email Migration & Fastmail Deployment
Without Workflow Disruption.
Open Stack Forge migrates Canadian small businesses and growing teams away from proprietary Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 email lock-in to managed Fastmail on your own domain. We preserve your existing domains, message history, shared calendars, and desktop Outlook workflows while reducing per-seat software expenses.
A note on data residency:
Fastmail is our default for simplicity and deliverability. It is Australian-owned and hosts data in the United States. If Canadian data control is your priority, we offer a Canadian-hosted email option instead; we'll walk you through the trade-offs.
The Cost of Proprietary SaaS
Why Business Email Became a Predatory Recurring Tax
Corporate email used to be a simple, open utility. Over the past decade, Google and Microsoft converted corporate inboxes into closed ecosystems designed to enforce vendor dependence and extract aggressive annual price increases.
Between Google Workspace ($7.20 to $28.70 per user/month; Business Plus at $28.70 is the CAD list price, annual commitment, checked September 2026) and Microsoft 365 Exchange Online ($6 to $22 per user/month), an organization of 35 seats frequently spends over $9,000 annually solely for the privilege of routing standard business correspondence. Worse, these vendors continually bundle mandatory, unrequested features—such as generative AI data scrapers and opaque compliance tiers—while quietly deprecating open IMAP access in favor of proprietary API hooks.
When organizations attempt to renegotiate contracts, they find their business correspondence, contacts, and custom domain reputation are difficult to move out of proprietary administration consoles. Open Stack Forge provides an orderly, structured escape path.
SaaS Email Replacement Matrix
Open Standards
Fastmail: The Practical Alternative
Legacy Providers Replaced
Microsoft 365 · Google Workspace
Open Tooling & Protocols
Fastmail · JMAP · IMAP/SMTP · CalDAV
Deliverability Hardening
Hardened SPF · DKIM · DMARC · DNSSEC
Staff Compatibility
Works with Outlook, Apple Mail and phone mail apps
Read our technical analysis:
Why Managed Fastmail Beats DIY Mail Servers →
Zero Retraining Required
Compatibility-First Design: What Stays Exactly the Same for Your Staff
The primary reason business migrations fail is user friction. If your staff must abandon familiar email clients or relearn basic daily habits, productivity plummets. We engineer migrations so staff experience zero disruption.
Microsoft Outlook Desktop
Staff who rely on Outlook on Windows or macOS continue using Outlook. We configure dedicated application passwords, calendar sync, and contacts via open CardDAV/CalDAV connectors.
Mobile Devices (iOS & Android)
Native Apple Mail, Gmail app, and mobile operating systems sync seamlessly using standardized profiles. Fastmail also offers an optional, lightweight native mobile application.
Domain Aliases & Groups
Your custom domain routing (e.g. sales@, billing@, info@) and distribution aliases function identically. We preserve all existing mailbox forwarding and group permissions.
Search & Message History
Every historic folder, nested archive, sent message, and attachment is preserved with original timestamps and read/unread metadata intact.
Email Migration Process
How We Move Your Email to Fastmail
Your mail keeps flowing the whole time. Fastmail is set up and loaded with your history before a single MX record changes, so nobody loses a message.
1
Map Every Mailbox, Alias & Sender
We list every mailbox, alias, shared inbox and distribution group, plus the apps that send mail as your domain (invoicing, CRM, website forms), and lower DNS TTLs ahead of the move.
2
Build Fastmail & Lock Down Your Domain
We create your Fastmail organization, turn on two-factor sign-in for every user, and publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so your mail lands in inboxes, not spam folders.
3
Copy History, Then Switch MX After Hours
Years of folders, attachments and calendars copy across in the background over IMAP. Once the copy is verified, we switch MX records after hours and run a final catch-up sync.
4
Connect Outlook & Phones, Watch Deliverability
We connect Outlook, Apple Mail and phones, review DMARC reports for the first few weeks, tune spam filtering, and handle new mailboxes and departures as your team changes.
Privacy & Data Control
Your Correspondence Belongs Exclusively to Your Business
Proprietary SaaS vendors have updated terms of service to allow automated telemetry collection and machine-learning models to analyze enterprise email data.
- ✓Zero Advertising & Zero AI Scanning: Fastmail has operated for over 25 years with a business model based solely on customer subscriptions, never ad monetization or inbox scanning.
- ✓Customer-Owned DNS & Domain Authority: You own the accounts, the data and the keys. Your organization retains full legal ownership of your domains and DNS records. You are never trapped in a closed registrar.
- ✓Complete Data Portability: Download your full mailbox archives at any moment in open MBOX and EML formats. Zero proprietary export hurdles.
- ✓Supports your PIPEDA obligations: Access controls, audit trails and documented data handling that support your Canadian privacy and confidentiality commitments.
Transparent Investment
Email Migration Scope & Maintenance
Included in every Big Tech Escape package
Starter $1,500 for 1-5 users, Core $2,500 for 6-10, Growth $4,500 for 11-25. Complete end-to-end migration including DNS deliverability audit, historical IMAP mirroring, and user onboarding.
- Complete SPF, DKIM, and DMARC deliverability hardening
- Parallel IMAP delta synchronization so no mail is lost
- Customized staff onboarding guides for Outlook & mobile clients
- 30-day fix-it period included
Recommended ongoing support: Pair with our Escape Care Basic ($299/mo) or Standard ($549/mo) plans.
Scope Honesty & Transparency
What Is Included & What Is Explicitly Excluded
We believe in transparent architectural boundaries. Here is exactly what we deliver in our fixed-scope engagements, and what lies outside our scope.
Full Delivery Scope
What Is Included
- Full audit of current email architecture, mailboxes, and DNS records
- Provisioning and hardening of your Fastmail business organization
- Configuration of SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and DNSSEC security records
- Background delta synchronization of all emails, folders, contacts, and calendars
- Scheduled cutover window with tested rollback procedures
- Configuration documentation for Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and mobile clients
- 30-day fix-it period included after launch
Clear Boundaries
What Is NOT Included
- Hosting unpatched, self-hosted on-premises Microsoft Exchange servers
- Bulk outbound marketing newsletter or cold email blast infrastructure
- Purchasing third-party desktop Outlook software licenses on your behalf
- On-site physical hardware repair (on-site work is limited to the Halifax area; all migration work is remote)
Integrated Open-Source Stack
Pair Email Migration with Sibling Infrastructure
Email is often the first step in an Big Tech escape plan. Connect your mail to file storage you own and credential management.
Business Password Manager
Protect business credentials with self-hosted Vaultwarden and FIDO2 hardware keys.
Explore Password Management →Managed Maintenance Plans
Ensure continuous uptime monitoring, security patching, and restore drills under a written service agreement.
Explore Managed Care →Expert Technical Guidance
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear, direct answers about compatibility, migration timelines and ongoing operations.
Will our team be able to keep using Microsoft Outlook and their mobile mail apps?
Yes. Fastmail natively supports Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, iOS Mail, and Android via open JMAP, IMAP, SMTP, CardDAV, and CalDAV standards. Your staff can continue using the desktop and mobile mail clients they already know, while also enjoying Fastmail's ultra-responsive web interface and dedicated mobile app.
Will we lose any emails or calendar invitations during the migration cutover?
No. We utilize background IMAP delta synchronization that pre-stages historical mailboxes, folders, and archives while your existing Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenant remains live. Cutover occurs during a scheduled low-traffic maintenance window with adjusted DNS TTLs, so no messages are lost and disruption is kept to a minimal, after-hours cutover.
Why do you recommend managed Fastmail instead of running an in-house Postfix or Dovecot mail server?
Email is the single highest-risk communications protocol in business. Running DIY mail servers requires constant IP reputation warming, fighting spam filter blacklists from Outlook.com and Gmail, and maintaining round-the-clock reverse DNS and deliverability monitoring. Fastmail is built entirely on open standards, supports modern JMAP protocols, respects user privacy without scanning message content for ads or AI training, and provides world-class deliverability without the massive overhead of self-hosting raw SMTP servers.
How are company-wide shared calendars, aliases, and distribution groups handled?
We recreate all shared team calendars, booking resources, domain aliases, and distribution lists inside Fastmail prior to launch. Permissions are mapped directly to your organizational hierarchy so project teams retain full visibility into client schedules and group inquiries.