Microsoft 365 set up properly. And migrated without turning the move into unnecessary disruption.
Microsoft 365 is easy to buy. The difference is what happens next: identity, mail, security, domains and ownership need to be structured properly from the beginning, rather than untangled two years later when something breaks.
Setup and migration are not the same piece of work.
They are often sold as one thing. Treating them as one thing is how projects overrun.
Setup means establishing the Microsoft 365 environment properly: tenant configuration, identity and access, mail readiness, security baseline and the core policies that govern how it works day to day. For a new business or an organisation starting cleanly, that may be the whole job.
Migration means moving existing users, mailboxes, files, collaboration content or an entire tenant into that environment. The scope depends on what is already there: how much needs to move, where it sits, how old it is and what depends on it.
That is why the pricing is different. Setup has a fixed price where the scope is known. Migration is priced after we have seen the environment — anything earlier would be a guess.
Setup
Tenant, identity, mail and core policies configured properly from the start. Fixed scope, fixed price.
Migration
Moving existing mail, files, users or an entire tenant into the new environment. Scoped against what already exists before any work begins.
The decisions that are cheap to make now and expensive to unpick later.
None of this is exotic. These are simply decisions that are often left to defaults or made as the environment grows — which is why some tenants need remediation before they need support.
Tenant configuration
The tenant is the foundation everything else inherits from. Region, naming, organisational settings and the defaults that govern sharing and access should be decided deliberately at the beginning, rather than discovered later.
Identity and access
How accounts are created, who holds administrative rights, and whether those rights are separated from the accounts people use every day. Getting this structure right early makes access considerably easier to govern as the organisation grows.
Security baseline and MFA
Multi-factor authentication applied consistently across the environment, with conditional access and sign-in policies configured deliberately rather than left at their defaults.
Mail and mailbox readiness
Mailboxes, shared mailboxes, distribution and permissions structured so that mail behaves predictably, ownership is clear and later changes do not require unpicking decisions made during setup.
Core policies
Sharing, retention and device policies set to match how your organisation actually works. Microsoft defaults are a starting point; the environment should reflect the way your business intends to operate.
Domain and DNS, where applicable
Where mail routing or domain records form part of the work, delivery and verification records are configured carefully and documented so that future changes can be made with confidence.
Teams and collaboration, where required
Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint given a sensible structure before content accumulates, so collaboration can grow without every team or department developing its own way of working.
Licence and platform guidance
Practical guidance on which licences fit what you are actually doing, so you are not paying for capability you do not need or missing capability the environment depends on.
Ownership and admin structure
A named owner, a documented administrative position and a clear answer to who can change what. That makes the environment easier to manage, review and hand over without relying on knowledge held by one person.
Most organisations are not starting from nothing.
If you already have users, mail, files or collaboration content that needs to move, this is migration work rather than straightforward setup. The existing environment needs to be understood before the scope, approach and price can be agreed.
Existing email moving into Microsoft 365
Mail currently sitting with a hosting provider, an older Exchange environment or another email service, where mailbox content and history need to move across intact.
Google Workspace to Microsoft 365
Mail, calendars, contacts and Drive content moving into Microsoft 365, usually alongside changes to accounts, permissions and the way people collaborate.
Tenant-to-tenant transition
Moving between Microsoft 365 tenants, typically after an acquisition, separation or reorganisation. These moves need careful handling because identities, permissions and dependencies do not transfer as simply as the content itself.
Files moving into OneDrive or SharePoint
Content moving from file servers, personal drives or scattered storage locations into a structure that people can understand and continue using after the move.
Business or domain changes
A new trading name, domain change or mail-routing change where addresses, identities or services need to move without creating unnecessary disruption for users.
Consolidation after organisational change
Two environments that need to become one, with duplicate identities, overlapping licences, different policies and competing conventions to resolve before consolidation.
An existing tenant that needs restructuring
A Microsoft 365 environment that has grown without a deliberate structure and now needs remediation and reorganisation rather than a clean build.
Understand it first. Move it second.
SoftExponent leads the engagement and remains accountable for the outcome. We understand the environment, dependencies and risks before deciding how the move should be structured, bringing in specialist capability where the work requires it.
Understand the existing environment
What is running now, how it is configured and what has accumulated around it. This is where most hidden dependencies appear, and where the decisions that shape the migration begin.
Define what actually needs to move
Not everything should. Old mailboxes, dormant accounts and content nobody uses can often be left behind rather than carried into the new environment by default.
Identify dependencies and risk
Mail routing, shared access, line-of-business applications, integrations and anything authentication depends on. These are the details that turn a simple-looking move into a complicated one if they are discovered too late.
Agree scope and transition approach
A written scope, a clear sequence and an agreed approach to the transition before work begins, so responsibilities, dependencies and exclusions are understood.
Configure the target environment
Build and secure the destination properly before anything moves into it, using the same setup principles we would apply to a new Microsoft 365 environment.
Migrate in a controlled manner
Move in planned stages where appropriate, with disruption contained and a clear way back if something behaves unexpectedly.
Verify access, mail, data and security
Confirm that people can sign in, mail flows correctly, expected data has arrived and the security baseline is working as intended rather than simply assumed.
Establish the ongoing operating model
Define who owns the environment, who can make changes, how support works and what happens next. The migration should leave behind an environment that can be managed properly.
A fixed price where the scope is genuinely fixed.
Straightforward Microsoft 365 setup starts with our £995 fixed-scope package. Where an existing environment, migration or more complex requirement is involved, we review the environment first and agree the scope before work begins.
Migration is not included in the £995 package. Moving mail, files or an existing tenant depends on what is already there, so we establish that scope separately and price it accordingly.
straightforward setup
Tenant, identity, mail and core policies configured properly for a straightforward Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft 365 tenant configured with organisational settings and defaults set deliberately.
Identity and access established, including a clear administrative structure.
Mail and mailboxes made ready, with permissions and structure agreed.
Security baseline configured, including multi-factor authentication applied consistently.
Core policies configured to match how your organisation works.
Not included: mailbox or data migration, Google Workspace migration, tenant-to-tenant moves, OneDrive or SharePoint migration, or remediation of an existing environment. These are scoped separately.
What happens once the environment is live.
Nothing obliges you to buy support from us because we built it.
If you have an internal team, or an existing provider you are happy with, we hand over a properly documented environment and step back. That is a legitimate outcome and does not affect how we approach the project.
If you want ongoing ownership afterwards, Microsoft 365 administration and support can sit within our managed IT service. Retained support is scoped separately and does not turn the original project into an open-ended commitment.
Where security readiness is part of the wider requirement, our Cyber Essentials readiness support can help prepare the environment and evidence for assessment.
Later, once the environment has been operating for a while, a Cloud Health Check can provide a separate review of cost, resilience, access and governance. It is available when useful, not a required next step.
What people ask before committing to a move.
If your situation is not covered here, tell us what you are working with. A short conversation is usually enough to establish whether you need setup, migration or remediation.
Tenant, identity, mail and core policies configured properly, together with a security baseline including multi-factor authentication. The £995 package is for a straightforward new setup rather than an existing environment that needs to be migrated or remediated.
No. Mailbox and data migration, Google Workspace transitions, tenant-to-tenant moves and OneDrive or SharePoint migration are scoped separately. The work depends on what is being moved and the condition of the existing environment.
Yes. We can support the move of mail, calendars, contacts and Drive content into Microsoft 365. We review the existing environment first, then agree what needs to move and scope the migration accordingly.
Yes. Mail hosted with another provider or in an existing Exchange environment can be moved into Microsoft 365, including mailbox history where appropriate. The transition is planned around mail flow and user access to keep disruption contained.
Yes. We can move files from file servers, personal drives or other locations into OneDrive or SharePoint. We also consider the structure they are moving into, so an existing organisational problem is not simply recreated in Microsoft 365.
Yes, where it forms part of the Microsoft 365 work. Domain verification and the DNS records required for mail delivery can be handled as part of setting up or migrating the environment, with changes planned carefully to minimise disruption.
No. If you have an internal team or an existing provider, we can hand over the environment and step back. If you want ongoing ownership, Microsoft 365 administration and support can sit within our managed IT service as a separate engagement.
Often, yes. An existing tenant may need remediation and restructuring rather than a fresh build. We review it first and recommend whether it makes more sense to improve what is already there or rebuild specific parts properly.
Straightforward setup, or a conversation about the environment.
Starting cleanly? The £995 fixed-scope setup is the straightforward route. Already have Microsoft 365, email, files or another platform to move? Tell us what you are working with and we will scope the right approach first.