Skip to main content

How to migrate from Signature Manager Outlook Edition to Exclaimer Cloud for Microsoft 365

Payal Arya
  • Updated

Scenario

You currently use Signature Manager Outlook Edition and want to migrate to Exclaimer Cloud for Microsoft 365.

Resolution

Please go through the steps listed below to migrate from Signature Manager Outlook Edition to Exclaimer Cloud for Microsoft 365.

Click on the required options to go through the detailed description:

Step 1: Create an AD group to which users migrated to Exclaimer Cloud will belong (Cloud users group)
Create a mail-enabled security group containing the users who have been migrated from Signature Manager Outlook Edition to Exclaimer Cloud.

You can use any of the two options listed below for creating a mail-enabled security group:
  1. Use Microsoft Exchange Admin Center (on-premises) to create the mail-enabled security group.

  2. Use Microsoft Exchange Online Admin Center (Microsoft 365) to create the mail-enabled security group and enable Group Writeback to synchronize the group back to your on-premises Active Directory.
NOTE: After you create the group, please make sure that it is synchronized in both your on-premises and Microsoft 365 environments.
Step 2: Configure Exclaimer Cloud
This involves running through the Exclaimer Cloud configuration.

If you wish to configure server-side signatures, you should enter the Cloud users group when setting up Apply to email from all devices including mobiles (AKA server-side signatures).

Example:


If you wish to configure client-side signatures, deploy the Exclaimer Outlook Add-in to the Cloud users group.

When you add the Outlook Add-in, specify the Cloud users group in the Add users window.

Example:

Step 3: Create your signatures in Exclaimer Cloud
Please see how you can create signatures for more information.

NOTE: It is not possible to import signatures which were created in the Signature Manager Outlook Edition into Exclaimer Cloud. There are two possible options you can perform:
  1. Manually re-create your Signature Manager Outlook Edition signatures in Exclaimer Cloud's user-friendly drag-and-drop editor.

  2. Contact the Exclaimer Sales Team about our Template Design Service requesting a quote for your Signature Manager Outlook Edition signatures to be converted for use in Exclaimer Cloud.
When specifying Signature Senders, feel free to pick any senders - there is no need to restrict this to the Cloud users group as this is managed by the server-side and client-side configurations in the sections above.
Step 4: Stop Exsync.exe running for migrated users
If you used Group Policy to configure ExSync.exe to run at startup:
  1. Open Group Policy Management.

  2. Select your group policy for running ExSync.exe

  3. Navigate to the Delegation tab.

  4. Click Advanced...

  5. Click Add...

  6. Add the Cloud users group.

  7. In the Permissions section, select Deny for Full control (all permissions should now show as Deny).

  8. Click OK to save your changes.

    Example:
If you are using a logon script via the Active Directory user's profile page (NETLogon)

- As you migrate users from Signature Manager Outlook Edition to Exclaimer Cloud, you need to manually change the logon script to a new logon script which does not run ExSync.exe
For more information about NETLogon scripts, please see How to assign a logon script to a profile for a local user.
Step 5: Add the Cloud users group as an exception to Signature Manager Outlook Edition policies
NOTE: The steps described below are (technically) optional as stopping ExSync.exe from running on the user's machines will stop their Signature Manager Outlook Edition signatures from applying; however, these steps will help you keep things tidy in the overall decommissioning of the Signature Manager Outlook Edition.

On the machine where Signature Manager Outlook Edition is installed:
  1. Open Signature Manager Outlook Edition.

  2. For each Signature Policy, Campaign Policy, Disclaimer Policy and Mail Format Policy:
    - Select the policy.
    - Navigate to the Exceptions tab.
    - Check the option Outlook user is a member of an Active Directory group.
    - In the pane below, specify the Exclaimer Cloud users group.

  3. Once you have changed all policies, click Save to save the changes.

    Example:
Step 6: Add users to the Cloud users group when they are being migrated from Signature Manager Outlook Edition to Exclaimer Cloud
This process will finalize the migration for added users from Signature Manager Outlook Edition to Exclaimer Cloud. You can repeat this process as many times as required whilst migrating users, or you can do this all at once - it depends on your specific requirements for the migration.
  1. Add the required users as members of the group in Active Directory Users and Computers within the group's properties.

    Example:


  2. After making any changes, please ensure they are synchronized in both your on-premises and Microsoft 365 environments.

  3. If you have used the Cloud users group in any signature policies, Start a manual data synchronization in Exclaimer Cloud to synchronize the group membership changes to Exclaimer Cloud.
(Optional) Once you have finished migrating all users, re-configure the mail flow rule to apply to all users
NOTE: These steps only apply if you are using server-side signatures.

Removing the group condition will make future management of users in Exclaimer Cloud easier, as you will only need to manage this from Exclaimer Cloud and not have to add new users to the Cloud users group going forward.

After making this change, the only condition is that the sender of the email is inside the organization. All users emails will flow to Exclaimer Cloud; however, you can still manage which (if any) signatures apply to the users within Exclaimer Cloud.
  1. Log into the Exchange Online admin center.

  2. Navigate to Mail Flow > Rules.



  3. Select the rule named Identify messages to send to Exclaimer Cloud.

  4. Click Edit rule conditions.

  5. Delete the condition The Sender is a member of this group.

  6. Click Save to commit your changes.

    Example:


(Optional) Once you have finished migrating all users, change the Outlook Add-in deployment to apply to all users
NOTE: These steps only apply if you are using client-side signatures.

Changing the Outlook Add-in to deploy to all users will make future management of users in Exclaimer Cloud easier, as you will only need to manage this from Exclaimer Cloud and not have to add new users to the Cloud users group going forward.

After making this change, the Outlook Add-in will be available to all users in Outlook; however, you can still manage which (if any) signatures apply to the users within Exclaimer Cloud.
  1. Log into the Microsoft 365 admin center and navigate to Integrated apps.

  2. Select the app Exclaimer Cloud for Outlook.

  3. Navigate to the Users tab.

  4. For Assign users, select Entire organization.

  5. Click Update.

    Example: