Before we start, it's important to analyze certain factors while moving your users to a new cloud directory service. Considerations include the type of user data you want to import, the migration method, and the risks involved in migration. Risks can include users getting locked out of their account due to potential data loss. For instance, if the employees' passwords are leaked somehow, their account may be hacked. This will ultimately result in employees losing access to their accounts. Proper planning and understanding of the migration process can help you avoid these risks. In this guide, we will guide you through the migration process to export your user data into Zoho Directory seamlessly.

Analyzing the following considerations will help you prevent or reduce any issues that can occur while exporting your user data:

Next, check what type of directory service you are currently using. This will help you decide how you can import your users' passwords and other data into Zoho Directory. For example, if you use AD as your directory service, you can choose to auto sync your AD passwords in Zoho Directory. If you use a cloud directory service, you can bulk import user credentials using CSV or other supported format files.

Analyze your organization's data such as account information and passwords. If you are using any on-premise directory service, check what data you need to import to ZD and what data you can retain on-premise. You can ensure whether to import passwords. If you are planning to import your users' passwords to Zoho Directory using CSV file, make sure to save and manage the file in a secure system. For example, if your employees' passwords are stored in a local system or device, make sure that the firewall is enabled while handling and migrating your data. Once you move your users to Zoho Directory, it is recommended to enable Multi-Factor Authentication for all your users to enhance security for your organization.

Once you have analyzed your data requirements and considerations, you can decide on how you can start migrating your data in to ZD.

Based on your requirements, you can export your data in the following ways:

If you are currently using a cloud directory service for managing your data, you can import them in bulk using one of the following supported file formats:

If you have to import multiple email addresses for your users, make sure you mention them in separate columns before importing. Passwords must have at least eight characters containing at least one capital letter, number, and special character. If you have created mandatory custom fields in the Zoho Directory admin panel, they must also be mapped to a column.

The bulk import method lets you add users directly to Zoho Directory once you have imported all their details. This import method is simple and creates separate Zoho accounts for all the imported users at once. To prevent any unauthorized access to your employees' accounts in case of any password leaks during importing, it is recommended that you enforce your employees to reset their account passwords when they try to sign in initially.

To import users using CSV or any supported files, follow the template that Zoho Directory provides. You can check the sample file by clicking the Download Sample File in the import screen.

To learn how to import data from your IdP to Zoho Directory, check out our detailed step-by-step guides:

If you are using Active Directory or any LDAP server-based directories to store your organization data, you can sync your users easily with our sync tool. The sync tool performs one-way sync of user information from your AD or LDAP server to your Zoho Directory organization. If you are using Active Directory, you can also sync your existing users' passwords with Zoho Directory.

To have a seamless transition from your previous directory implementation to Zoho Directory, it is necessary to plan and educate your users so that they can adapt to using Zoho Directory. To learn more on how to use Zoho Directory, check out our detailed admin guide. If you have any queries or issues related to migrating your data to Zoho Directory, contact our support at support@zohodirectory.com.