The Challenge
- Hosted Exchange provider sunsetting service with limited migration support
- No MFA, no conditional access, and shared admin credentials in use
- Files spread across personal drives, USB media, and an aging file server
- No independent backup of email or files outside of provider defaults
Environment
- Legacy hosted Exchange for email
- Existing Microsoft 365 tenant not yet in active use
- On-prem file server for shared documents
- Mixed Windows workstations across offices
Assessment
- Audited mailboxes, distribution groups, mailflow, and shared resources
- Reviewed identity, licensing, and existing Microsoft 365 tenant baseline
- Mapped file-server contents and proposed a SharePoint and OneDrive structure
- Modelled Microsoft 365 Business Premium licensing versus mixed Business plans
The Solution
- Cutover migration of mailboxes from hosted Exchange to Exchange Online during a planned weekend window
- Deployed Microsoft 365 Business Premium with MFA, conditional access, and Intune enrolment
- Stood up SharePoint sites for each practice area with retention and access controls
- Migrated file-server content to SharePoint and OneDrive with mapped permissions
- Rolled out Teams for chat and meetings with documented governance
- Added an independent Microsoft 365 backup solution with immutable cloud retention
Results
Successfully completed
Mailboxes migrated from hosted Exchange to Exchange Online during the planned cutover window.
Enhanced security posture
MFA, conditional access, and Intune management applied across the tenant.
Simplified management
Email, files, chat, and meetings consolidated into a single Microsoft 365 environment.
Increased resilience
Independent Microsoft 365 backup with documented restore testing.
Technologies Used
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Exchange Online
- SharePoint Online
- Teams
- Intune
- Independent Microsoft 365 backup
Supported technologies in this project
See what we support around each platform on our supported technologies hub.