Microsoft 365 gives a two-person business the same email, file storage and video calling that large companies use, paid per user, month by month. It is also easy to set up badly and then live with for years. We handle the licences, move your email and files across, and make sure everyone can still find their work the next morning.
Choosing the right licence
Microsoft sells several business plans and the differences between them matter. Some include the desktop Office apps, some do not. Some add device management and extra security, which a business with staff laptops out of the office may well need. We work out what you are actually going to use, quote it in Rand per user, and register the subscription in your name so you own it.
Moving your email across
Email migrations are where things go wrong publicly. We move mailboxes, contacts and calendars from an old provider or an existing server, sort out the domain records so mail keeps arriving during the changeover, and set devices up on both sides. Shared mailboxes such as info@ or accounts@ get configured as shared mailboxes rather than passed around as one password.
Files in OneDrive and SharePoint
Files stored in OneDrive and SharePoint are available from any device, kept in version history when someone overwrites the wrong thing, and still there when a laptop is stolen. We set up a folder structure that matches how your business already works, move your existing files in, and configure syncing so people carry on using File Explorer as they always have.
Teams and day-to-day work
Teams is useful when it is set up around your business and confusing when it is not. We create the channels and groups that reflect how your staff actually work, connect calendars, get meetings and screen sharing working, and show people the handful of things they will use every day.
Other cloud services
Not everything belongs in Microsoft 365. We also set up cloud backup for servers and workstations, remote access for staff working from home, and hosting for the systems that suit it. Where keeping something on your own hardware is the better call, we will tell you that instead.
Common questions
Which Microsoft 365 plan do I need?
The plan you need depends on two things: whether your staff need the desktop Office apps installed, and whether you have laptops leaving the premises that need device management and extra security. Microsoft sells several business plans and the differences between them are real. We work out what you will actually use, quote it in Rand per user, and register the subscription in your name so you own it rather than us.
Will we lose email while it is being moved?
No. Mail keeps arriving throughout a properly run migration. We move mailboxes, contacts and calendars across first, then change the domain records so new mail routes to the new mailboxes, and set devices up on both sides while the changeover settles. The usual experience is a short period where mail is running behind, not a gap where messages go missing. We schedule the switch for a quiet time and stay reachable while it happens.
Can staff work from home on this?
Yes, that is one of the main reasons small businesses move to Microsoft 365. Email, files in OneDrive and SharePoint, and Teams calls all work from any internet connection, so someone at home is signing in to the same accounts they use at the desk. We set up multi-factor authentication before anyone works remotely, because an account reachable from anywhere needs more than a password on it. Remote access to an office machine is also possible where the work requires it.
What happens to our files if a laptop is stolen?
Files kept in OneDrive or SharePoint survive the theft, because the laptop was only a window onto them. The account gets signed out remotely, the password is reset, and the person carries on from another machine. Files that only ever existed on that laptop are gone with it unless it was backed up. This is why we encrypt laptops that leave the premises, so a stolen machine costs you hardware and nothing else.