One tenant, set up properly
Most small businesses came to Microsoft 365 in pieces: a few mailboxes bought with the domain, Teams added during a busy year, files still sitting on a shared drive or scattered across personal OneDrive folders. Licences drift, former staff keep mailboxes, and global admin rights end up with whoever set things up first. The tools are capable, but without a plan they create confusion about where files live and who can see them.
We review your tenant first: domains and DNS records, users, licences, admin roles, sharing settings and sign-in security. Then we fix the foundations, migrate what needs moving and build a SharePoint and Teams structure around how your departments really work. After that we can keep it tidy as part of managed IT support. It suits offices moving off Gmail, old hosting mailboxes or an in-house Exchange server.
What’s covered
- Tenant review and clean-up Unused licences, stale accounts, risky sharing links and over-privileged admins found and put right.
- Staged email migration We copy mail, calendars and contacts across in stages, then switch delivery at an agreed time so nothing bounces.
- Domains and DNS MX, SPF and DKIM entries plus a DMARC policy configured so your mail reaches inboxes and spoofed messages get rejected.
- Teams and SharePoint structure Sites per department or client group, with permissions that match who should see what, so shared files stop living in personal folders.
- OneDrive for every user Known folders such as Desktop and Documents redirected to OneDrive, so staff reach their files on any device and laptop swaps become routine.
- Sign-in security MFA for everyone, conditional access where your licence supports it, and legacy sign-in methods switched off.
- Licensing advice Business Basic, Standard or Premium assigned role by role, and revisited whenever your team changes.
- Shared mailboxes and calendars Addresses like info@ and bookings@, plus room or vehicle calendars, set up without buying extra licences.
Plans and pricing
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Tenant review | Free |
| Microsoft 365 setup or email migration | $299 + $99 per mailbox |
| Google Workspace setup or migration | $299 + $89 per mailbox |
| Teams and SharePoint setup | Quoted per project |
| Day-to-day administration | Included in managed IT plans |
| Microsoft licences | Itemized separately in your quote |
Prices are in CAD. Every engagement starts with a short call and a written proposal.
Common questions
How long does it take to move our email to Microsoft 365?
Most small offices move in 1–3 weeks, depending on how many mailboxes you have and how much mail they hold. We copy older mail in the background first, switch delivery at an agreed quiet time, then sync the final changes, so staff keep working throughout.
Is Business Premium worth it over Business Standard?
For many offices, yes. Premium adds Intune device management, conditional access and stronger email and endpoint protection, which are the controls cyber insurers increasingly ask about. Not every user needs it, though. Front-desk or warehouse staff may only need Basic, so Premium goes where its extra protection earns its cost.
Should our shared files live in SharePoint or OneDrive?
Use OneDrive for an individual’s working files, and SharePoint, usually through Teams, for anything the business owns or several people edit. Files in SharePoint stay put when someone leaves, permissions follow the team rather than the person, and you avoid the classic problem of the only copy sitting in a former employee’s account.
Can you take over a Microsoft 365 account someone else set up?
Yes. We start by confirming who holds global admin access and recovering it if needed, then review security settings, licences and DNS. If a previous provider controls your tenant through a partner relationship, we help you remove or transfer that access so your business holds the keys.
Does Microsoft back up our email and files?
Microsoft keeps the service running and offers recycle bins and retention settings, but that is not the same as an independent backup you control. Deleted items age out, and ransomware or a bad sync can damage files quickly. We recommend a separate Microsoft 365 backup; see backup and disaster recovery.