Source environment and target
Discovery records users and roles, domains, mailboxes, distribution lists, files, Teams, SharePoint sites, endpoints and local directories. Retention, guest access and business owners are included. The result is a target design for tenant, identities, groups, permissions and any necessary hybrid components.
User count alone does not determine effort. Data volume, source system, permission quality, endpoint management and specialist applications shape migration waves. A published M365 reference therefore needs confirmed user scope, source estate and our contribution; a generic cloud project is not migration evidence.
Migration and rollout
A representative pilot checks sign-in, mail flow, calendars, delegation, files, Teams, mobile devices and business applications. Further users move by department or site only after documented acceptance. Each wave has an issue list, named owners and a fallback or recovery plan.
Training follows roles: employees practise daily collaboration, key users learn governance and support, and administrators cover identity, policy and diagnostics. Approvals and notifications can be connected through Power Automate workflows where the process warrants automation.
Privacy controls and ongoing support
Technical controls may include MFA, Conditional Access, endpoint compliance, guest rules, retention, DLP and logging. Data classes, user roles and the relevant business or legal assessment determine which policies are required and permitted. Selecting Microsoft 365 alone does not make processing GDPR compliant.
After rollout, tenant administration, Microsoft support, internal IT and our tasks are separated in writing. Permission reviews, licence checks, incident paths and onboarding can continue through managed IT services. Copilot adoption starts with a separate permissions and rollout assessment.
Why do mid-market firms move to Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 combines Office applications, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Whether these services fully replace local mail, communications or file systems depends on business applications, permissions, retention and hybrid requirements.
We compare current operating and licence costs with the target architecture, migration effort and ongoing administration. This produces a project-specific business case instead of a generic payback promise.
Poor planning causes data loss, downtime and user rejection. We structure rollouts: analysis, migration, training and hypercare—so staff become productive quickly and IT is relieved. See also cloud migration and IT consulting; ERP/API connectivity via API integration. As an IT service provider with a full range of services, we combine Microsoft 365 with custom development, data and support where it helps.
Project references
Selected case studies from our project work
Documented examples with transparent evidence types — browse matching references or open the full case study.
Our Microsoft 365 services
Exchange Online migration
Cutover, staged or hybrid—mailbox migration with pilot checks, data reconciliation and an agreed cutover window.
Microsoft Teams
Team structure, optional Teams Phone and user training for fast adoption.
SharePoint & OneDrive
Information architecture, file-server migration and permissions—structured and GDPR-aware.
Security & compliance
MFA, Defender, Conditional Access and DLP—M365 configured for secure cloud operation.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Microsoft 365 rollout cost for a mid-market company?
Licences run roughly €6–22 per user/month (Business Basic to Premium). One-off migration consulting typically €5,000–25,000 depending on user count, legacy mail/file servers and hybrid complexity.
Organisations with 100+ users or hybrid Active Directory often budget €15,000–40,000 for guided migration, onboarding and admin training.
Funding programmes may subsidise consulting—ask us for a transparent fixed-price scope. [Source: Microsoft 365 business plan pricing, retrieved September 2026; consulting ranges: Groenewold IT Solutions project experience.]
- How does a Microsoft 365 migration work?
In five phases. Inventory (systems, mailboxes, files), planning (cutover vs staged vs hybrid), pilot with a small group, main migration by department or site, then hypercare for two weeks so users become productive quickly.
We cover all phases and train your admins and key users.
- What is the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 365?
Office 365 was renamed Microsoft 365 in 2020. M365 is the umbrella for Office apps, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and—on Premium plans—security and endpoint management (Defender, Intune). Business Standard is the most common plan for desktop Office plus cloud collaboration.
- Can Microsoft 365 connect to on-premise IT?
Yes. Azure AD Connect syncs on-prem Active Directory for single sign-on. Exchange hybrid supports phased mailbox moves. SharePoint and file servers can bridge via Azure File Sync or gateways.
We design hybrid architectures so you migrate at your own pace without downtime spikes.
- How do we secure Microsoft 365 against phishing and data loss?
Baseline: MFA for all users, Conditional Access, Defender for Office 365, DLP policies and regular permission reviews. Business Premium includes the security features most SMEs need. We harden tenants before broad rollout.
