Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for Northeast Ohio organizations

Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and cloud

We set up and manage Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace with the security settings turned on, not left at defaults. That includes conditional access, controlled external sharing, mailbox protections and an organized file structure in SharePoint, Teams or Shared Drives so people stop emailing attachments back and forth.

When you are ready to move off an old in-house server, we migrate files and email in planned stages. For shops that rely on an on-premises ERP or CAD license server, we work out what can move to the cloud and what is better left local, and we explain the reasoning. Nothing is moved until there is a tested way back if something does not behave as expected.

Retiring the file server in the back room

Many Cleveland businesses still keep their shared files on a Windows server installed when the company moved into its current building. Mapped drive letters, folders nested twelve levels deep and permissions granted to individuals rather than groups are all typical. Moving that to SharePoint and Teams is worthwhile, but copying the mess across unchanged just relocates the problem to a more expensive address.

We start by sorting what is active, what is archive and what can be deleted, then design SharePoint sites around departments or customers. Permissions are rebuilt using groups. Files that must stay local, such as CAD libraries that need fast access or data used by an on-premises ERP, are identified early and left where they work best, with the reasons written down so the decision is not second-guessed later.

Security settings Microsoft leaves to you

A new Microsoft 365 tenant works out of the box, but many protective features start off or loosely set. We enable MFA for every account, block legacy sign-in methods, set conditional access rules for managed devices and trusted locations, and turn on audit logging. Mailbox protections against spoofing and malicious links are configured, along with alerts for suspicious forwarding rules and unusually large downloads.

For law and accounting firms downtown and in Independence, we add retention policies and sensitivity labels so client documents are kept as long as required and cannot be shared outside the firm by accident. For clinics, encrypted email is set up for messages that contain patient information. Each setting is recorded in a short configuration document, so a future auditor or IT person can see what was done and why.

Nonprofits and mixed-platform organizations

Cleveland's philanthropic tradition, which includes the Cleveland Foundation, founded in 1914 as the first community foundation, supports a large nonprofit sector. Microsoft and Google both offer donated or discounted licenses to eligible nonprofits, but the eligibility checks, paperwork and license mix can be confusing. We help organizations apply, choose the right plans and avoid paying commercial rates for features available through a nonprofit program.

Some organizations run both platforms, perhaps Google Workspace for a program team and Microsoft 365 for finance. We manage either or both to the same security standard, set up calendar and file sharing between them where needed, and advise when consolidating would genuinely save effort. Volunteers and board members get guest or limited accounts so they can collaborate without full access to staff files.