Service · Cloud & Microsoft 365
Cloud and Microsoft 365 management for the tenant your business actually runs on.
Most M365 tenants are set up once and never revisited. Licenses auto-renew at last year's headcount. Conditional access is off. Teams channels proliferate without governance. SharePoint is a maze. We administer the tenant as a live service, right-size the licenses, lock down identity, and document every configuration so the next person who joins your team inherits a system, not a mystery.
Helix Stax manages Microsoft 365 tenants and cloud infrastructure as ongoing services inside a Managed IT engagement or as a standalone program. M365 administration covers license management, Entra ID configuration, Exchange Online, Teams governance, SharePoint structure, and OneDrive permissions. Cloud work covers migration planning and execution: workload assessment, cost modeling, sequenced cutover, and post-migration validation. Everything we touch is documented.
This is the Technology pillar of the CTGA framework in practice. A well-run M365 tenant and a documented cloud posture each contribute directly to the 100-900 Helix Score. The work we do in this program feeds the quarterly re-score that tells you whether the investment is paying off. If you are on a Managed IT engagement, M365 and cloud work is already part of the program; this page covers the same scope for businesses that want it as a standalone service.
Key service areas
What the work looks like.
- License audit and right-sizing, cut unused seats, consolidate overlapping plans, and flag the annual renewal before it auto-renews at last year's headcount
- Entra ID and Azure AD configuration, conditional access policies, MFA enforcement, guest access controls, and privileged identity reviewed on a quarterly schedule
- Exchange Online administration, shared mailboxes, distribution lists, mail flow rules, and spam filter configuration kept current and documented
- Teams governance, channel structure, retention policies, and guest access reviewed on a documented schedule so Teams does not become a filing cabinet nobody uses
- SharePoint structure, folder taxonomy, site permissions, and external-sharing controls audited and documented
- OneDrive permissions review, sync settings, known-folder move, and version history configured correctly across managed devices
- Cloud migration planning and execution, workload assessment, three-year cost model, sequenced migration plan, and post-migration validation for Azure and hybrid environments
Named engagements inside this capability
How this shows up as a scoped engagement.
M365 Tenant Administration
The day-to-day administration work that keeps an M365 tenant secure and usable. License inventory reviewed monthly, security defaults enforced, and every configuration change documented. This is the work most IT generalists defer until something breaks. We put it on a schedule.
- License audit monthly: every seat, every plan, every user confirmed active, unused licenses flagged for removal or reassignment
- Entra ID health check quarterly: conditional access policies, MFA coverage, guest account inventory, and privileged role assignments reviewed and documented
- Exchange Online configuration: shared mailboxes, distribution lists, mail flow rules, and spam filter reviewed and updated on a standing schedule
- Teams and SharePoint governance: channel list reviewed, permissions audited, retention policies confirmed, and external sharing controlled on a documented schedule
Identity and Email Security
Identity is the attack surface M365 attackers use first. Conditional access, MFA enforcement, and privileged access controls stop the most common breach paths before they start. Email security, DMARC enforcement, and anti-phishing configuration close the next layer. We configure both and document the state so the next audit has evidence, not promises.
- Conditional access policy design: policies written for your user population, tested before rollout, and reviewed quarterly against the current threat posture
- MFA enforcement audit: every user checked for MFA enrollment, gaps named, and a remediation plan written before the next renewal
- Email authentication configuration: DMARC enforcement, SPF alignment, DKIM signing, and DMARC reporting reviewed and confirmed
- Privileged access review: admin roles audited, emergency access accounts documented, and least-privilege applied where the configuration allows it
Cloud Migration
Cloud migrations go wrong when they are sequenced wrong. We assess every workload, produce a cost model your CFO can use, sequence the migration in the order that reduces risk, and do not call the engagement closed until every workload is confirmed running and the backup is validated in the new environment.
- Workload assessment: every server and application catalogued, cloud-readiness scored, and a lift-and-shift vs re-architect recommendation written per workload
- Three-year cost model: total cost of the proposed cloud architecture versus the on-prem status quo, including licensing, compute, storage, and egress
- Migration sequence: network connectivity first, non-critical workloads before critical, tested rollback plan before each cutover window
- Post-migration validation: every workload confirmed running, backup confirmed operational, access confirmed correct, and a 30-day performance baseline collected before the engagement closes
How we engage
M365 administration at every engagement level.
Microsoft 365 management runs inside the Managed IT program or as a standalone service. The depth of administration and the cadence change by tier; the documentation discipline does not.
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vCIO Retainer
Quarterly M365 health review, license count sanity-check before renewal, and advisory on the Entra ID or Teams governance decision your team is wrestling with. We advise; your internal team or MSP executes the configuration changes.
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Helix Engagement
A defined-scope sprint: M365 tenant cleanup, Entra ID hardening, Exchange configuration, Teams governance rollout, or cloud migration. We own the work, document the environment, and hand off a configuration your team can maintain.
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Helix Operate
Ongoing M365 administration inside the Helix Operate retainer. Monthly license review, quarterly Entra ID health check, Teams and SharePoint governance on a standing schedule, and cloud cost review every quarter. The tenant is a managed layer, not a one-time project.
What you walk out with
Concrete deliverables.
- A license audit with a right-sizing recommendation, unused seats flagged, and the renewal date flagged 30 days in advance
- An Entra ID configuration review: conditional access policies, MFA coverage, guest access, and privileged roles documented
- An Exchange Online health check: shared mailboxes, distribution lists, mail flow, and spam filter confirmed current
- A Teams and SharePoint governance document: channel structure, permissions, retention policies, and external-sharing controls
- A cloud migration plan for workloads in scope: assessment, three-year cost model, migration sequence, and post-migration validation report
- A quarterly CTGA Technology sub-score with the M365 and cloud configuration gaps ranked by cost and risk
Honest scope
What we do not do.
We do not resell Microsoft licenses or collect referral fees from Microsoft or any cloud vendor. We do not manage Microsoft 365 for personal accounts or consumer subscriptions. We do not run 24/7 monitoring of M365 service health; for real-time incident alerting, that is a vetted partner function inside the Operate retainer. We do not build Power Platform apps or custom Power Automate flows at this tier; that is IT Projects and Automation scope at /services/it-projects-automation.
Industries we apply this to
Where this service shows up most.
- Government Contracting The flow-down email wants your CMMC posture by the next option year. The audit floor is closer than you think.
- Legal Practice management, a document portal, and the spreadsheet your senior partner will not give up.
- Healthcare EHR, billing, scheduling, and patient comms in four systems that almost talk to each other.
- Distribution A WMS that only talks to the ERP through a nightly export that breaks every other Friday.
- Manufacturing The ERP you picked a decade ago no longer fits how you ship, and the shop floor runs on a clipboard.
- Hospitality POS, online ordering, a loyalty app, and a scheduling tool the kitchen never opens. The assistant GM is the integration layer.
You can have the number by Friday.
The free call is free, and the only thing you walk out with is your CTGA score and the three gaps that cost you the most. If we are not the right fit, you keep the score and we both move on.