Microsoft 365 Implementation Professional Service

The vendor is required to provide a comprehensive and structured migration strategy to transition county government from its legacy, on-premises Microsoft exchange environment, traditional Microsoft office deployments, and decentralized file storage systems to a fully integrated, cloud-native Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
- This transformation include the need for centralized administration, enhanced data accessibility across departments, reduced technical debt, and the implementation of modern identity and device management frameworks using Microsoft Entra id and Microsoft InTune.
- The initiative is designed to modernize the county’s IT infrastructure, streamline operations, improve employee collaboration, and enforce enterprise-grade security standards.
- Strategic objectives
• Modernize core IT infrastructure: transition from legacy systems to a resilient, cloud-based Microsoft 365 platform.
• Enhance collaboration and communication: empower employees with tools like teams, outlook, and SharePoint to improve cross departmental collaboration.
• Optimize data accessibility and management: centralize user and shared data through OneDrive and SharePoint with robust metadata, access control, and search capabilities.
• Increase operational efficiency: reduce system management overhead and improve uptime through cloud automation, service standardization, and simplified maintenance.
• implement enterprise-grade security and compliance: leverage Microsoft Entra id for identity and access management, Microsoft defender for threat protection, and Microsoft InTune for comprehensive endpoint management.
• enable future scalability and innovation: create a flexible and scalable platform that supports future IT initiatives, compliance mandates, and smart government services.
- Migration Approach
1. Pre-migration planning and assessment
• A foundational phase that involves detailed discovery and design activities:
• Conduct a comprehensive audit of the existing infrastructure, including exchange, active directory, office deployments, and file storage systems.
• Inventory all hardware, software, and licensing to identify compatibility and optimization opportunities.
• Assess network topology, connectivity, and bandwidth readiness for cloud services.
• Identify potential migration blockers, legacy system dependencies, and application integration risks.
• Provision and configure the Microsoft 365 tenant within Microsoft community cloud to meet compliance standards.
• Develop a detailed migration roadmap, project timeline, communication plan, and risk mitigation strategy in collaboration with the selected professional services vendor.
2. Microsoft exchange migration strategy
• Implement a hybrid migration model to maintain coexistence and reduce service disruption.
• Phase the migration of mailboxes, calendars, and contact data to Microsoft exchange online.
• Apply security configurations such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), exchange online protection (EOP), and defender for office 365.
• Conduct validation testing for email routing, calendar syncing, and retention policies.
3. Microsoft office license and configuration management
• Analyze current office license utilization and identify areas for cost optimization.
• Migrate users to Microsoft 365 apps for enterprise or government g5licensing.
• Preserve user profiles, settings, and templates during deployment.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to schedule deployment and training across departments.
4. Employee and shared file migration and modernization strategy
• Plan and execute the migration of user files to OneDrive for business and shared data to SharePoint online.
• Ensure metadata, access control lists (ACLS), and sharing permissions are preserved.
• Implement data validation and reconciliation processes to ensure zero data loss.
- This migration project aims to deliver the following measurable outcomes:
• Successful migration of all exchange mailboxes, calendars, and public folders to exchange online.
• Migration of individual user files to OneDrive and shared departmental data to SharePoint online.
• Full deployment and configuration of Microsoft 365 applications including word, excel, outlook, teams, and OneNote.
• Implementation of Microsoft Entra id for identity and access management.
• Deployment of Microsoft InTune for mobile device and endpoint management.
• Delivery of end-user training materials, live and virtual sessions, and post-migration support.
• Formal decommissioning plan for legacy infrastructure.
• Comprehensive documentation covering configuration, security, user adoption, and operational procedures.
- Services include:
1. Assessment and planning
• Conduct interviews with key stakeholders to capture business and technical requirements.
• Analyze existing active directory, exchange, file storage systems, and office deployments.
• Review third-party applications, data integrations, and compliance considerations.
• Develop the migration roadmap, risk management plan, and stakeholder communication strategy.
• Set up and configure the Microsoft 365 community cloud tenant, including Entra id policies and baseline security settings.
2. Exchange online migration
• Configure domains, connectors, policies, and mail flow within exchange online.
• Select and implement the appropriate migration protocols, processes, and scripts necessary to complete the migration.
• Execute phased mailbox migration with DNS cutover scheduling.
• Implement email hygiene enhancements and routing validation testing.
3. File migration (OneDrive and SharePoint)
• Design logical structure and folder taxonomy for departmental collaboration in SharePoint.
• Migrate user and shared files with metadata preservation and minimal user disruption.
• validate permissions, document libraries, and file version history during post-migration testing.
4. Microsoft 365 application deployment
• Schedule deployment of Microsoft 365 apps across user workstations and mobile devices.
• Configure teams for internal collaboration and integrate necessary third-party services.
• Implement baseline policies for mobile access, data sharing, and content retention.
5. Microsoft Entra id and Microsoft InTune
• Migrate identity services to Microsoft Entra id, enabling SSO, MFA, and conditional access.
• Integrate with active directory (ad connect) and enforce password and access policies.
• Deploy Microsoft InTune for mobile and endpoint device enrollment, compliance enforcement, and app management.
• Support advanced authentication mechanisms (e.g., Microsoft authenticator, YubiKey).
6. User training and support
• Create and distribute digital user guides, quick-start materials, and FAQ sheets.
• Conduct 10–15 interactive training sessions (onsite or virtual) tailored to different user roles.
• Provide 30-day post-migration support with helpdesk escalation.
• Offer 6-month access to virtual training platforms for continued learning and adoption.
7. Decommissioning on-premises infrastructure
• Provide recommendations for decommissioning on-premises infrastructure including servers and storage. 
• The decommissioning will be performed independently by county IT staff.
• Provide guidance for safe decommissioning of on-premises servers, storage, and exchange environment.
• Ensure full data backup, archival, and audit documentation.
• Assist with compliance-focused data retention policies before server shutdown.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year