Microsoft 365 setup and support
Email, files and Teams for small offices, set up so that losing a laptop is an inconvenience rather than a crisis.
Migration
Moving email without losing anything
Most Microsoft 365 work starts with a migration from an older mail system or a hosting account that came with the website. The aim is that staff arrive one morning and their mail, calendar and contacts are simply there.
We handle the domain records, the mailbox moves and the device reconfiguration, and we keep the old system available until everyone is confident.
Setup
Setting it up properly the first time
Default settings are built for the widest possible audience, not for your office. We configure multi-factor authentication, shared mailboxes, OneDrive and Teams the way your business actually works, rather than leaving the defaults in place.
Multi-factor authentication in particular is the single highest-value change on most 365 tenants. See cybersecurity for how it fits with the rest.
Licensing
Licences that match what you use
Microsoft's plans overlap confusingly and most offices are on the wrong one in at least one direction. We go through what you are paying for against what you use.
Caveat
What 365 does not do
Microsoft 365 retains deleted items for a limited period. That is not the same as a backup, and it is a common and expensive misunderstanding. If your business data lives in 365, see backup and disaster recovery.
Teams and files
Shared files without the shared-drive problem
Most small offices have a shared drive that accumulated for a decade, where nobody is certain what is current. Moving to SharePoint or OneDrive is a chance to fix that, but only if it is done deliberately rather than by copying the mess across.
We help decide what moves, what gets archived and who should see what, which is a business conversation as much as a technical one.
Accounts
Joiners and leavers
When someone leaves, their mailbox usually still contains things the business needs, and their account is usually still active. We set up a routine for both: preserve what matters, disable the access, and stop paying for the licence.
Independence
You own your tenant
Your Microsoft 365 tenant belongs to your business, not to us. If you ever move to another provider, the data and the administrative control go with you. We mention it because it is not universally true of IT arrangements and it is worth asking any provider.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft 365 backed up automatically?
Not in the way most people assume. Microsoft retains deleted items for a limited window, which is not a substitute for a backup you control. We treat 365 backup as a separate item.
Can you move us from an old email system?
Yes. We handle the mailbox migration, the DNS changes and the device reconfiguration, and keep the old system reachable until everyone has moved across.
Do we need Teams?
Only if you will use it. Plenty of small offices do fine with email and shared files. We would rather configure the parts you use well than switch everything on.
Can you help us pick the right licence?
Yes. The plans overlap and most offices are over-licensed in one area and under-licensed in another.