What to Get Right When Moving to Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 has become the default productivity platform for most Canadian businesses. But "migrating to M365" means different things to different organizations, and how you set it up from the start has long-term consequences for both usability and security.

Common Mistakes in M365 Deployments

The most frequent issues we encounter when inheriting an M365 environment:

• Default security settings left unchanged: Microsoft's defaults are not maximally secure. Conditional access, MFA enforcement, and legacy authentication blocking all need deliberate configuration.
• Licensing mismatches: Organizations paying for features they aren't using, or missing features in their plan that would solve real problems.
• SharePoint sprawl: No governance means team sites multiply uncontrolled, with inconsistent permissions that become hard to audit.
• No offboarding process: Former employees retaining access because there's no documented process for deprovisioning accounts.

What to Prioritize

Identity and access management first. Enforce MFA for all users before anything else. Set up conditional access policies that block legacy authentication protocols. Configure Azure AD (now Entra ID) properly.

Email security second. Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Enable Defender for Office 365 if your licensing includes it. Set up anti-phishing and safe links policies.

Data organization third. Establish a SharePoint and Teams governance model before users start creating sites and teams ad hoc.

Migration Isn't a One-Time Event

Your M365 environment needs ongoing management. New features, security updates, and license changes happen regularly. Treat it as a platform to manage, not a box to check.