Service
Microsoft 365 management
Most businesses use a fraction of what they already pay for, and run a tenant configured for convenience rather than security. The work here is mostly configuration and licensing review rather than purchase, which makes it some of the best value available in the first month.
Most common gap found
Backup
of Microsoft 365 data
Microsoft protects the platform. Your content remains your responsibility under the shared model.
Six areas under management
| Area | What is managed |
|---|---|
| Tenant hardeningDefault tenants are convenient, not secure | MFA enforcement, conditional access, legacy protocol shutdown, admin role review |
| IdentityDetermines who can reach what, everywhere | Entra ID configuration, group structure, guest access governance |
| Device managementThe only practical control over laptops off the network | Intune enrolment, compliance policy, encryption, remote wipe |
| Email securityHighest volume attack surface in any tenant | Anti phishing, impersonation defence, safe links and attachments |
| Data protectionMicrosoft protects its platform, not your content | Third party backup, retention policy, sharing controls |
| LicensingOverlicensing and underlicensing are both common and both expensive | Annual review against actual usage and requirement |
Five licensing traps
Licensing review usually pays for a meaningful share of the first year, and it takes an afternoon.
- Paying for Business Premium features while running security tooling that duplicates them
- Leaving licences assigned to leavers, sometimes for years
- Buying the higher tier for the whole business when only a subset needs it
- Assuming the built in retention window is a backup, which it is not
- Missing that some compliance features only exist in specific tiers
The most expensive of these is duplication: paying for a tier that includes endpoint protection and email security, then paying again for third party products doing the same job. Consolidating one way or the other is almost always cheaper than running both.
The shared responsibility model
This is the sentence that catches people out. Microsoft is responsible for the availability and integrity of the platform. You are responsible for your data, your configuration, your identities and your access decisions.
In practice that means Microsoft will keep the service running and will not lose your tenant. It does not mean they will restore a mailbox somebody emptied last quarter, undo a sharing link that exposed a folder externally, or notice that an account has been signing in from an unusual location at three in the morning.
Every one of those sits on your side of the line, and each is addressable with configuration and tooling that most businesses are already licensed for.
Common questions
Answered before you ask.
Is Microsoft 365 secure out of the box?
It is capable of being secure, which is different. A new tenant ships with settings chosen for compatibility and ease of setup rather than for defence, and legacy authentication protocols that bypass multi factor authentication are frequently still enabled. Hardening a tenant is mostly configuration rather than purchase, which makes it one of the highest value pieces of work available in the first month of an engagement.
Do we really need a separate backup for Microsoft 365?
Yes, and this is the single most common gap we find. Microsoft operates a shared responsibility model: they guarantee the platform, you remain responsible for your data. The native retention window handles a deletion noticed within days. It does not handle a deletion discovered six months later, a compromised account clearing a mailbox, or a misconfigured retention policy. Third party backup is standard practice and inexpensive relative to what it protects.
What is Intune and do we need it?
Intune manages devices: enforcing encryption, requiring a compliant configuration before a device can reach company data, pushing applications and wiping a lost laptop remotely. If your staff work from anywhere other than one office on one network, it is the practical way to keep control of company data on machines you cannot physically reach. It is included in several common licence tiers, so many businesses already own it without using it.
Should we be worried about Copilot?
The main risk is not the model, it is permissions. Copilot surfaces content the user already has access to, which means an organisation with over permissive sharing suddenly finds that information genuinely discoverable rather than merely technically accessible. Files everyone could reach but nobody knew about become searchable in plain language. The work before deploying it is a permissions and sharing review, not an AI project.
Related
What sits alongside this.
Cybersecurity services
Endpoint detection, email security, monitoring and user training.
Backup and disaster recovery
Immutable backups with tested restores and a defined recovery window.
Cloud services and migration
Azure, hybrid environments and planned server retirement.
What is included in managed IT services
A line by line scope, including the exclusions most contracts hide.
What managed IT services cost in Tacoma
Per user pricing bands, what moves the number up, and how to read a quote.
Get your tenant reviewed.
The assessment includes a Microsoft 365 security and licensing review. Most businesses find both an exposure and a saving.