M3
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 setup, migration and support in the UAE
Email, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and Office apps, set up properly, migrated without disruption and secured with the protection many businesses already pay for but never switch on.
About Microsoft 365
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity platform. It combines professional email (Exchange Online and Outlook), the Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more), collaboration tools (Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive), and, in higher plans, security and device management features. Because it’s delivered from Microsoft’s cloud, staff can work from any device, and Microsoft keeps the service updated.
Office 365 vs Microsoft 365: what’s the difference?
Office 365 was the original name for Microsoft’s cloud subscriptions combining Office apps, email and collaboration. In 2020, Microsoft renamed most small business and consumer plans to Microsoft 365, reflecting that they include more than Office: security, device management and other services. Some enterprise plans still use the Office 365 name, such as Office 365 E1, E3 and E5, while Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 add Windows licensing, device management and advanced security. In everyday conversation, people often use both names for the same thing.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium: security many businesses already own
Business Premium adds a powerful set of security and management tools to the standard productivity suite, including Microsoft Defender for Business for endpoint protection and EDR, Defender for Office 365 against phishing and malicious attachments, Intune for managing laptops and phones, Entra ID P1 for conditional access, and data protection features such as sensitivity labels. For many SMEs, Business Premium provides most of the security stack they need in one licence. The catch is that these features need to be configured properly; out of the box, much of the protection isn’t active.
What ITConnect does
Licensing advice
The right plan for each user type
Tenant setup
Domains, users, groups, policies and branding
Email migration
From any provider, including Google Workspace and hosted email
File migration
File servers and drives to SharePoint and OneDrive
Security hardening
MFA, conditional access, Defender, Intune and Secure Score
Teams rollout
Channels, meetings, calling and governance
Backup
Independent backup for email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams
Ongoing support
User help, admin tasks, joiners and leavers
Microsoft 365 business plans
| Plan | Main features | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Business Basic | Email, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, web and mobile Office apps | Staff who work mainly in the browser or on mobile |
| Business Standard | Everything in Basic plus desktop Office apps | Most office workers |
| Business Premium | Everything in Standard plus advanced security and device management | Businesses wanting strong security |
| Enterprise (E3/E5) | Advanced compliance, security and management at scale | Larger or regulated organisations |
Business plans are designed for organisations up to a set user limit.
Microsoft 365 data in the UAE
Microsoft offers UAE data storage for many core Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint and OneDrive, for eligible tenants. This helps organisations with UAE data residency expectations. Some features and add-ons may store data elsewhere, so we review your tenant’s data location as part of setup. See UAE Data Residency
How we work
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Review
Current email, files, devices, users and security.
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Plan
Licences, tenant design, migration approach and timeline.
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Set up
Tenant, domains, users, security baseline and policies.
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Migrate
Email, calendars, contacts and files moved in the background.
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Cut over
DNS switched, devices configured, users supported.
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Secure and manage
Security tuning, backup and ongoing support.
Not sure which hosting fits?
Tell us what you run and who uses it. We’ll recommend the right option for each workload.
The security settings every Microsoft 365 tenant needs
Microsoft 365 accounts are one of the most targeted assets in any business, because one stolen password can expose email, files and Teams chats. Every tenant we manage gets a security baseline: MFA for all users, legacy authentication blocked, conditional access policies, a minimal number of global administrators using separate admin accounts, anti-phishing and impersonation protection, Safe Links and Safe Attachments where licensed, alerts for suspicious sign-ins and forwarding rules, restricted external sharing, audit logging and a regular Secure Score review. See Microsoft Defender
Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive done right
Without structure, Teams and SharePoint quickly become cluttered: dozens of duplicate teams, files shared everywhere and nobody sure where the latest version is. We plan a simple structure, such as departmental teams, project teams and a company intranet, set naming conventions and ownership, define sharing rules, and train staff on where to save what. OneDrive is used for personal working files, SharePoint and Teams for shared work.
Device management with Intune
With Business Premium, Intune lets you manage company laptops and phones from the cloud: enforce encryption, passwords and updates, deploy apps, separate work data on personal phones, and wipe company data from lost devices. New laptops can be set up automatically when a user signs in for the first time, which saves IT hours for every new starter.
Copilot and AI
Microsoft offers Copilot AI features that work across Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and other apps. Before enabling Copilot, permissions and sharing must be tidy, because AI tools can surface any content a user already has access to. We help you prepare data access, pilot Copilot with selected users and set usage guidance.
Who uses Microsoft 365 with us
Startups setting up their first professional email, SMEs moving from hosted email and file servers, growing companies needing better security, organisations consolidating tenants after mergers, and businesses adopting Teams for hybrid work.
Moving to Microsoft 365 without disruption
We create users and mailboxes in Microsoft 365 first, then copy email, calendars and contacts in the background while staff keep working. Files from Google Drive, file servers or other storage are mapped to SharePoint and OneDrive with permissions preserved where possible. On cut-over day, usually a weekend, we switch DNS records, run a final sync and help users connect Outlook, Teams and OneDrive on their devices. Our team stays available for the first days to answer questions.
Ongoing Microsoft 365 administration
After setup, many organisations want someone to look after the tenant: adding and removing users, assigning licences, managing shared mailboxes and groups, handling permissions, reviewing security alerts, applying new Microsoft features safely and supporting users. We provide this as an ongoing service, with monthly reports on licences, security posture and activity.
Choosing a Microsoft 365 partner in Dubai
Look for a partner who configures security, not just mailboxes; who plans Teams and SharePoint structure; who migrates carefully with minimal disruption; and who supports you afterwards. Make sure the tenant and licences are in your company’s name with full admin access.
Case study
A Dubai trading company moved from hosted email and a local file server to Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Email, files and Teams now work from anywhere, and devices are managed through Intune.
Part of a solution
Hybrid Workplace
Making remote and office work equally productive and secure.
Microsoft 365 questions, answered
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft’s cloud productivity platform: email, Office apps, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and, in higher plans, security and device management.
What's the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?
Office 365 was the original name; most business plans were renamed Microsoft 365 in 2020. Some enterprise plans still use the Office 365 name.
What does Microsoft 365 Business Premium include?
Everything in Business Standard plus advanced security and management such as Defender for Business, Defender for Office 365, Intune and conditional access.
Can you migrate us from Google Workspace?
Yes, including email, calendars, contacts and Drive files.
Is Microsoft 365 data stored in the UAE?
Many core services can store data in the UAE for eligible tenants.
Do we need to back up Microsoft 365?
It’s strongly recommended, as built-in retention isn’t a full backup.
Can you manage our Microsoft 365 for us?
Yes, including users, licences, security and support.
Can different users have different plans?
Yes. You can mix plans, for example Business Basic for frontline staff and Business Premium for office staff.
How long does a Microsoft 365 migration take?
Small teams can move within days; larger organisations are planned in phases.
Do you support Microsoft 365 in Arabic?
Yes. Microsoft 365 apps support Arabic, and we can configure language settings and bilingual templates.
Can you help with Teams phone calling?
Yes. Teams Phone can replace traditional phone systems where available; we plan numbers, devices and call routing.
Do we keep control of our tenant?
Yes. The tenant is in your company’s name, and we use delegated, auditable admin access.