Built for the way north Fulton works
Plenty of Alpharetta staff live in Cumming, Johns Creek, Roswell or Canton and split their week between home and the office. Some firms gave up a floor of their Windward lease after 2020 and now share a smaller suite. Others have consultants on client sites around the metro all week. All of that depends on Microsoft 365 or another cloud platform being set up with care: files where people expect them, safe access from any network and laptops that can be replaced in an afternoon.
Microsoft 365, configured properly
Most businesses already pay for Microsoft 365, but a default tenant leaves a lot switched off or wide open. We set up and manage:
- Exchange Online: shared mailboxes for billing and support, sensible retention, anti-phishing policies and the DNS records that protect your domain.
- SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive: a file layout that mirrors your departments or client work, with permissions set by group instead of one person at a time.
- Entra ID and conditional access: sign-in rules that require MFA, block risky locations and limit access from unmanaged devices.
- Intune and Autopilot: a new laptop shipped straight to an employee's home sets itself up with your apps and policies. A lost one can be locked or wiped remotely.
- Defender for Business: endpoint protection that comes with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, tuned and monitored.
- Teams Phone and meeting rooms: where it fits, a replacement for an aging phone system, and conference rooms that join a call with one tap.
Licensing without waste
License mixes drift as companies grow. We often find firms paying for full licenses on old accounts, or buying separate security tools that their plan already includes. Microsoft 365 Business Premium, for example, covers Intune, Defender for Business and Entra ID P1 for up to 300 users. We review licenses at least quarterly and match each person to the plan they actually need.
Windows 10 is past its end date
Microsoft ended regular support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Machines still running it no longer get free security fixes unless they are enrolled in paid Extended Security Updates. If your office still has Windows 10 PCs, we inventory them, check which can move to Windows 11 and plan replacements for the rest, spread over a budget you can live with.
Cloud, colocation or both
Not every workload belongs in Microsoft 365. An accounting database, a design file archive or a line-of-business app may run better on a server. In Alpharetta that server doesn't have to sit in your closet. Several colocation data centers operate along Windward, North Point and Westside parkways, and Azure is always an option. We look at each application, talk to its vendor and recommend where it should live based on cost, speed and how hard it would be to recover.
A move typically runs in stages. We copy data in the background, test with a small group, then switch everyone over after hours. A rollback plan is ready in case something misbehaves, and staff get a short guide on where things went.
Google Workspace and mixed setups
Some Alpharetta startups began on Google Workspace and grew into a client base that expects Microsoft. Others prefer to stay on Google. We support both and can migrate mail, calendars and files in either direction without losing history.
Day-to-day management
Microsoft changes features and admin settings every month. We track what affects you, review Secure Score and sign-in alerts, add and remove users, and keep the tenant tidy. When someone joins, they get the right mailbox, groups, apps and a configured laptop on day one. When someone leaves, their access ends that day and their mail and files are kept as your policy requires.
Connectivity still matters
When email, files and phones all live in the cloud, the internet connection becomes the most important wire in the building. In multi-tenant offices we work with property management on circuits and riser space. Where downtime would hurt, we add a second connection from another carrier or a cellular backup so work continues if one line fails.
Questions about microsoft 365 & cloud
Which Microsoft 365 plan should we use?
For most offices under 300 users, Business Premium is the best fit because it includes Intune, Defender for Business and conditional access. Some staff may only need a lighter plan.
Can you move us off our file server?
Usually, yes. We move files into SharePoint and Teams in stages, test with a small group first and switch everyone over after hours.
