Absolute importance: Stable and secure operation of Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365, the cloud-based collaboration package that combines all the key solutions for the modern workplace such as Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, has been in use in many companies in Germany for years. Thanks to extensive configuration options, Microsoft 365 can be adapted to almost any requirement: Most companies use Exchange Online, not all use SharePoint Online. Microsoft Teams is used in a variety of ways, with or without integration of the telephony solution. Windows-based end devices are often managed using Intune, and a separate mobile device management solution is often also used to manage the applications. Documents are stored either on storage systems, file servers or in the cloud.

Challenges with Microsoft 365: updating and operation

Most SME customers have one thing in common: there is often a lack of resources, capacity and time to manage their environments.

Sycor often experiences in customer situations that the possibilities for maintaining knowledge and the opportunity for training and certification in the companies are also limited. In addition, Microsoft is continuously developing the functional scope of Microsoft 365 solutions with adaptations and enhancements. In addition, there are requirements from the specialist departments regarding devices, applications, access regulations and organized identity management. Finally, industry or legal regulations also ensure that Microsoft 365 must be hardened in order to protect the company, data, patents and thus the DNA of the company.

It is therefore a challenge for many companies to operate Microsoft 365 to the extent actually required with their own resources and the expertise of their employees.

The Microsoft 365 tenant - compliant and secure?

Sycor is currently piloting Microsoft CoPilot for M365 with its customers. This introduction introduces the responsible IT managers to topics that have often only been rudimentarily addressed during the Microsoft 365 implementation: Compliance, policies, tenant base configuration, access rules for external and guests and many other aspects.

The question of whether the current Microsoft 365 setup would pass an audit is a good challenge for any IT department that likes to be up to date.

The mapping of legal requirements requires additional technical measures such as the legal obligation to retain various documents, NIS2 affects companies from all sectors of the economy.

These are further aspects that need to be taken into account when operating Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 Operation

The Sycor Managed Service for the operation of Microsoft 365 covers the components contained within Microsoft 365 and ensures that the customer is up-to-date across the board. Depending on the selected license model, the scope is extended, for example, by additional security options (E5 license).

In order to be modular, Sycor has clustered its offering in such a way that a basic service is provided first, the lowest common denominator, so to speak. This includes the following operating services:

Access management using Entra-ID
The M365 basic configuration (tenant)
OneDrive - file storage for employees, groups and external parties
Intune for application and device management
Maintenance of licenses

In addition, the actual Microsoft 365 functionalities are operated for the customer, such as Exchange Online, Enterprise Apps, Defender for O365, Mobile Application Management as well as Teams and optionally SharePoint.

Other Microsoft 365 applications such as PowerBI, Viva, CoPilot or the extended SharePoint Online can also be added for customers on a project-specific basis.

What makes the Sycor Managed Microsoft 365 Service special?

Before taking over the service, we analyze the configuration of the tenant together with the customer. More specifically, we start the service process with a detailed assessment of the customer's current infrastructure. This first step allows us to identify specific optimization potential. Among other things, we assess the following in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Settings / Services
Security and data protection
Organization profile
Release settings
Partner relationships

and for Entra ID:

Groups - Naming policy
Roles and administrators
Azure AD Connect configuration
Password reset
User settings
User properties
Settings for notifications
Security settings

The settings made by Sycor are based on Microsoft best practices and experience gained from many years of IT operations by Sycor customers.

Sycor Managed Microsoft 365 from the service perspective

Depending on customer requirements, it can be decided how the service is divided between the customer and Sycor. The Sycor Microsoft 365 Managed Service integrates seamlessly into the customer's service management organization. This means that first level support can also be provided directly by the customer organization's service desk after training by Sycor.

The administration of the system can be split by location, country or organizational area. This is interesting for the first level if it is organized by location, for example. Sycor takes over the 2nd level support and also takes care of the 3rd level service for M365. Our Sycor Service Desk is permanently available as an entry point for this. The delivery of standard requests as well as the processing of incidents are an elementary component of Sycor Managed Microsoft 365. A central Sycor Service Manager is responsible for the fulfillment of the service for the customer. As part of service reviews, this manager introduces possible improvements and provides service reporting.

As an option, Sycor provides a dashboard that offers comprehensive visualizations of Microsoft 365.

As an example with regard to the Conditional Access Policies
Device Compliance

The data is further segmented by clicking on the diagrams. The detailed data from the dashboard can be analyzed in greater depth in other systems such as Power BI if required.