Microsoft 365 Consulting Services That Make the Tools You Pay For Work
Files scattered across OneDrive, SharePoint and email attachments, Teams channels nobody can navigate, and a nagging feeling your security is still on defaults. We turn the Microsoft 365 you already pay for into an organized, secure workspace your team actually uses.
Our Microsoft 365 consulting services cover the whole lifecycle: assessing your current tenant, migrating email and files, structuring Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive around how your team works, securing sign-ins and devices, and training people so the tools get used. The result is one organized, secure workspace instead of a pile of half-configured apps. If you still call it Office 365, it is the same suite: Microsoft renamed its small-business Office 365 plans to Microsoft 365 in April 2020, so an Office 365 consultant and a Microsoft 365 consultant do the same work.
It is practical, senior-led work. You deal directly with Edward Pinela, MBA, principal consultant with 20+ years of experience and 200+ projects delivered, from the first assessment to the last training session. The starting point is a free 30-minute review call; Microsoft 365 work has no fixed package price, so after the call you get a written scope and quote before anything in your tenant changes.
Why does Microsoft 365 still feel messy after the switch?
Because installing it is not the same as setting it up. Many businesses buy licenses, move mailboxes and stop there. Teams get created on the fly, files land wherever someone saved them, sharing links go out without review, and security stays on whatever the tenant started with.
The cost shows up even before anything goes wrong: time lost hunting for the current version of a file, new hires who wait days for access, former employees who keep it, and a subscription whose security and automation features you pay for every month but never switched on.
- The same file saved in email, OneDrive, SharePoint and a personal drive
- Teams and channels with no naming or ownership rules
- External sharing nobody has reviewed
- Security features included in your plan but never configured
- Manual approvals and handoffs that could run in Power Automate
What can a Microsoft 365 consultant set up for you?
Engagements start from where you are today, whether that is a tenant set up in a hurry years ago or a move from Google Workspace or on-premises servers. The work spans migration, structure, security, automation and training. Take the full program, or only the part you need right now.
- Assessment and roadmap: a review of your tenant, licenses, sharing, security settings and how people really work, turned into a plain-English roadmap in priority order.
- Migration: email, calendars, contacts, files and user accounts moved into Microsoft 365, scheduled so the work carries on while it happens.
- Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive structure: sites and teams that mirror your departments and projects, with naming, ownership, permissions and branding. More on our SharePoint implementation work.
- Identity and security: multifactor authentication for every user, Conditional Access where your plan includes it, protected admin accounts, device management, email protection policies, and encryption or sensitivity labels for confidential data.
- Governance and compliance: sharing and guest access rules, retention and compliance policies, and an offboarding checklist so access ends when employment does.
- Workflow automation: approvals, requests and notifications built with Power Automate, so routine handoffs stop living in email.
- Integrations: Microsoft 365 connected to the systems you already rely on, such as your CRM, ERP, HR platform or ticketing system.
- Training and adoption: short, role-based sessions and a one-page guide to where things live.
- Ongoing optimization and support: troubleshooting, updates, license reviews and improvements as your team grows.
Which Microsoft 365 plan do you have, and what should be set up?
Microsoft 365 for business is Microsoft's family of plans for organizations of up to 300 users: Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium. The plans differ most in security and device management, which is where most of the configuration work sits.
All three include Microsoft Entra ID security defaults, which turn on multifactor authentication for the organization, plus built-in email protection against malware, spam and spoofing. Business Premium adds Microsoft Entra ID P1 for Conditional Access, Microsoft Intune Plan 1 for device management, Microsoft Defender for Business for endpoint security, and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 for Safe Links and Safe Attachments.
Whichever plan you are on, the table shows what we configure. Moving up a plan is a decision we make with you on the merits, not a default upsell.
| Plan | Security included | What we configure |
|---|---|---|
| Business Basic | Entra ID security defaults (MFA), built-in email protection, Basic Mobility and Security | Mailbox migration, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive structure, sharing rules, MFA rollout, Power Automate workflows |
| Business Standard | Same security baseline as Business Basic | Everything above, plus deployment of the desktop Office apps (Business Basic has web and mobile versions only) |
| Business Premium | Adds Entra ID P1 (Conditional Access), Intune Plan 1, Defender for Business, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 | Everything above, plus Conditional Access policies, device enrollment and compliance, Defender onboarding, Safe Links and Safe Attachments |
| Copilot add-on | Licensed on top of your Microsoft 365 plan; Copilot works within each user's existing permissions | Oversharing cleanup in SharePoint, sensitivity labels, a pilot group and adoption tracking. See our Copilot rollout guide |
How does a Microsoft 365 project run?
Every step ends with something you can review, and nothing in your tenant changes before you approve the plan. Most of the work is remote, through your admin center and scheduled screen-share sessions, with cutovers timed for evenings or weekends so email and files stay available during the working day.
- 1. Free 30-minute strategy call: what is not working, what you are licensed for, and whether we are the right fit. Expect a reply within 4 business hours.
- 2. Assessment and roadmap: we review the tenant and agree the priority order with you.
- 3. Build and migrate: configuration and migration in stages, with cutovers scheduled outside your busiest hours.
- 4. Train and hand over: role-based training, admin documentation and a clear list of who owns what.
- 5. Optimize: follow-up reviews as your team grows, your licenses change or Microsoft ships new features.
Who this is for, and when you do not need us
Microsoft 365 consulting fits small and midsize businesses without a dedicated Microsoft 365 administrator, companies whose tenant grew without a plan, teams moving from another email or file platform, and businesses with in-house IT that want senior help on a migration, a security project or a Copilot rollout.
You do not need a consultant to buy licenses; you can do that directly with Microsoft. And if your environment is already organized and secured, a short review may be all you need. We will tell you that on the call rather than sell you a project.
Why work with Lightray on Microsoft 365?
Turning features on is not the goal. Making your team's day easier is, so we start from where people get stuck, such as lost files, access requests and repeated sign-in prompts, and configure the tools to fix that. Security and structure are built in together, rather than bolted on after a scare.
- Senior-led from start to finish: Edward Pinela, MBA does the work. No hand-off to junior staff.
- Security built in from day one: identity, device and sharing controls are part of the build, not something added after an incident.
- One Microsoft foundation: the same tenant supports the reporting and automation we build with Power BI and the Power Platform, so later projects build on work already done.
- Background you can verify: a 4.9★ rating on our Google Business Profile, with 20+ years of experience and 200+ projects delivered behind it.
Next step: a free Microsoft 365 review call
Tell us which plan you are on and what frustrates your team. In 30 minutes you will know what your plan already includes that you are not using, what to fix first, and whether a project makes sense. If a quick fix will do, you will hear that too. Send the form and Edward will arrange a time.
Further reading: Microsoft Learn: Microsoft 365 for business security overview (what Business Basic, Standard and Premium include).
Not sure what your Microsoft 365 plan already includes?
Book a free 30-minute call with Edward Pinela, MBA. You get an honest read on what to fix first — and if we are not the right fit, you will hear that on the call.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Microsoft 365 implementation take?
It depends on the size and complexity of your organization. A small tenant with little to migrate moves quickly; a larger environment with mailbox and file migration plus security work takes longer. You get a detailed timeline after the assessment, before any work begins.
How much does Microsoft 365 consulting cost?
There is no fixed package price. Cost depends on the number of users, how much data is migrating and from where, the security work your plan supports, and how much training you want. You receive a written scope and quote after the free strategy call. Microsoft licenses are separate from consulting fees.
Do we need Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
Not always. Business Premium adds Conditional Access, Intune device management and Defender for Business, which matter most when staff work on personal or remote devices or you handle sensitive client data. If Business Basic or Standard fits, we configure the security those plans include, starting with multifactor authentication for everyone.
Can you help us get ready for Microsoft Copilot?
Yes. Copilot is licensed as an add-on to your Microsoft 365 plan and can surface any content a user already has access to, so most of the preparation is permissions: fixing overshared SharePoint sites, applying sensitivity labels, then piloting with a small group before a wider rollout.
Is the work remote, and what do you need from us?
Yes. Microsoft 365 work is done remotely through your admin center, and training runs live over video. We need a Global Administrator account or delegated access you control and can remove, a list of users and shared mailboxes, and one decision-maker. If you have in-house IT, we work alongside them and hand day-to-day administration back when the project ends.
You Won’t Get Handed Off to Junior Staff.
At most consulting firms, the senior person who sold you shows up for the kickoff — then you get handed to a team of juniors learning on your dime. That’s not how we work.
When you hire Lightray Solutions, you work directly with Edward Pinela, MBA — a principal consultant with 20+ years of experience across Power BI, web development, SEO, and CRM systems. Edward architects every engagement personally, stays involved through delivery, and answers his own phone.
Read Edward’s Full Bio“Mid-market companies deserve senior-level expertise without paying enterprise-agency prices. That’s the gap Lightray fills.”
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