Microsoft 365 · Vancouver, BC

Microsoft 365 Vancouver

Hexafusion provides Microsoft 365 support in Vancouver for businesses running on M365 or migrating from legacy email and file platforms. Full tenant management, security hardening, SharePoint governance, Teams deployment, and ongoing day-to-day support.

Complete Microsoft 365 Management for Vancouver Businesses

Microsoft 365 is the default productivity platform for most Vancouver small and mid-sized businesses. Hexafusion manages your tenant from licensing through day-to-day support: security configuration, migration, training, and ongoing operations.

Tenant Setup and Migration

New M365 tenant provisioning or migration from Exchange, Google Workspace, or POP/IMAP. Zero-downtime cutovers for email and files.

Exchange Online

Mailbox management, shared mailboxes, distribution lists, calendar governance, anti-phishing, DMARC/SPF/DKIM alignment.

SharePoint and OneDrive

Site architecture, permissions, sensitivity labels, retention policies, and file governance that actually matches how your team works.

Microsoft Teams

Calling, meeting rooms, Teams Phone, external federation, shared channels, and governance policies.

Entra ID (Azure AD)

Identity and access, multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforcement, conditional access, single sign-on (SSO) for third-party apps, guest access controls.

Microsoft Defender

Defender for Office 365, Defender for Endpoint, Safe Attachments, Safe Links, and attack simulation training.

Intune Device Management

Endpoint management, compliance policies, app deployment, and conditional access tied to device health.

Canadian Data Residency

Canada Central region configuration where available. Documented data flows for PIPEDA and BC's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) compliance.

M365 Licensing Optimization

Most Vancouver businesses we audit are over-licensed by 15 to 40 per cent. We review your licensing quarterly, right-size user assignments, and recommend the right plans (Business Standard vs Premium, E3 vs E5, add-ons) based on actual usage.

Security Hardening

Default Microsoft 365 security is not enough. Every tenant we take over gets the same baseline in the first ninety days: multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users, conditional access policies by location and device, legacy authentication blocking (basic authentication is the single biggest source of account takeover we see), Safe Attachments and Safe Links, impersonation protection for executives, sensitivity labels where the data model supports them, data loss prevention (DLP) policies for regulated industries, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integration on company-managed devices. We publish a before-and-after Secure Score so you can see the change.

Our migration timeline

A typical Vancouver business of 10 to 50 users takes three to six weeks end-to-end. The cutover itself is designed for zero downtime; the work before and after is what makes that possible.

Week 1 · Tenant setup

New tenant provisioning with security baseline applied from day one. Domain verification, DNS records staged, license assignment tested on pilot users.

Week 2 · Pilot & delta sync

Five to ten users move first. Mailbox sync runs in background against source system so the cutover weekend delta is small and fast.

Weekend · Cutover

DNS MX switchover, final delta sync, desktop Outlook reprofiling. Your team arrives Monday to a working new mailbox with zero missing messages.

Weeks 3-4 · SharePoint & Teams

File-share to SharePoint migration with documented permissions model. Teams deployment, training sessions, and meeting-room device provisioning.

Weeks 5-6 · Stabilise

Hypercare with direct engineer access, third-party backup configured, documentation finalised, secure hand-off into monthly managed operations.

Backup for Microsoft 365 (yes, you need it)

The single most common Microsoft 365 misconception we see in Vancouver: "Microsoft backs up our data." Microsoft runs the platform and guarantees uptime, but retention windows are short. Deleted email is kept for 30 days. Deleted OneDrive and SharePoint items are retained for 93 days. After that, the data is gone. For any business that might not notice a deletion or corruption for months, we add third-party backup: Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365, AvePoint, or an equivalent Canadian-hosted solution. Retention is configurable to your compliance needs (typically 7 years for professional services, 1 year minimum for all clients). Restore is tested quarterly.

Microsoft 365 Support Across Metro Vancouver

Frequently asked questions

Which Microsoft 365 plan does my business need?

For most small businesses of 5 to 25 users, Business Standard is the floor. Add Business Premium when you need endpoint management through Intune or conditional access. For 50-plus users or regulated industries, E3 or E5 make more sense. We audit licensing quarterly and right-size assignments, since most tenants we inherit are over-licensed by 15 to 40 percent.

How long does it take to migrate from Google Workspace or Exchange?

Three to six weeks end-to-end for a typical 10 to 50 user business. Tenant setup happens in week one. Mailbox delta sync runs in the background, so the actual cutover weekend has zero email downtime. SharePoint and Teams rollout follow on a scheduled wave plan.

Does Microsoft 365 back up my data?

Not the way most business leaders assume. Microsoft guarantees uptime, but retention is short. Deleted email: 30 days. Deleted OneDrive or SharePoint items: 93 days. After that, gone. We always add a third-party backup (Veeam, AvePoint, or equivalent) with documented retention.

Can our data stay in Canada?

Yes for core data. Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams chat can be pinned to Canadian regions at tenant creation. Some advanced features still transit US regions; we disclose those in writing for clients with PIPEDA, BC's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), or FINTRAC obligations.

What if we already have Microsoft 365 but no one is managing it?

That is our most common onboarding. We start with a free security assessment that reports where the tenant stands against Microsoft's Secure Score baseline. Typical findings: multi-factor authentication (MFA) not enforced, legacy auth still enabled, no conditional access, under or over-licensed, no backup. We fix the critical gaps in the first two weeks.

Do you handle Teams Phone?

Yes. Teams Phone with direct routing or Microsoft Calling Plans. We port numbers, configure auto-attendants, call queues, and meeting room devices. For Vancouver businesses coming off legacy PBX systems (Cisco, Mitel, Nortel) we do the full voice migration including number portability with Canadian carriers.

Ready to talk?

A Hexafusion consultant will review your environment and respond within one business day with a scoped proposal.

Request a free assessment

Related services

Managed IT VancouverCybersecurity VancouverIT ConsultingCloud ServicesGoogle WorkspaceNetwork SupportBackup & DRIT Supplier / Dell

Service areas across Metro Vancouver

VancouverBurnabyRichmondSurreyCoquitlamLangleyNorth VancouverWest VancouverNew WestminsterDeltaMaple RidgeWhite RockPort CoquitlamPort Moody

Related Hexafusion resources

Deep-dive pages on the cybersecurity and compliance topics referenced above.

EDR & MDR Multi-Factor Authentication PIPEDA & PIPA Compliance FINTRAC Compliance
Hexafusion at a glance. Vancouver-based since 2020 · downtown office at 997 Seymour Street · Dell authorized reseller · Microsoft Solutions Partner · founder is a former PCI DSS Internal Security Assessor · on-site service across 14 Lower Mainland municipalities · flat-rate managed plans with a 60-second initial ticket response and a 15-minute engineer reply during business hours.

Compliance baseline behind every Hexafusion engagement

Microsoft 365 administration and licensing is delivered against a documented baseline aligned to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security baseline controls and current cyber-insurance underwriting expectations. The same baseline applies whether you are a five-person clinic or a 200-seat manufacturer.

  • Identity and access: Microsoft Entra ID with Conditional Access, multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced on every account, compliant-device sign-in.
  • Endpoint protection: Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) on every device, deployed before the user receives the laptop.
  • Disk encryption: BitLocker on Windows, FileVault on Mac, with central key escrow.
  • Backup and recovery: Managed backups with documented retention and quarterly restore tests.
  • BC PIPA and PIPEDA aware: Audit logging, role-based access, and breach-notification process kept current with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada guidance.

Hardware lifecycle and responsible disposal

Hexafusion is a Dell authorized reseller with Canadian distribution channels for Lenovo, Apple, Microsoft Surface, and networking gear. At end-of-life, drive sanitization follows NIST Special Publication 800-88, every retired device generates a serial-numbered certificate of destruction for your PIPEDA records, and devices are recycled through programs accredited by the Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA Canada).

Who you actually work with

Hexafusion is led by founder Alex Barari, a former PCI DSS Internal Security Assessor with 15+ years in enterprise IT and cybersecurity. Every engagement is supported by the same Vancouver-based team that designs the security baseline, reviews the alerts, and shows up on-site when remote troubleshooting reaches its limit. Our quarterly business review (QBR) turns the relationship into a real strategic conversation with cited numbers, not a marketing newsletter.

What our Microsoft 365 engagement actually looks like

Every new Microsoft 365 client follows the same documented onboarding. Day one is an environment discovery call where we map every account, device, license, and dependency. By the end of the first week we have a written security baseline diff (what is currently in place, what is missing, what gets remediated in which order). By day 30 you have a complete documentation bundle: network diagram, asset register, license inventory, MFA coverage report, backup test results, and incident response runbook. None of that is sold as an extra; it is the starting condition for every managed engagement.

During steady-state operations you can expect a 60-second initial ticket response and a 15-minute engineer reply during business hours, with after-hours emergency coverage available on Professional and Enterprise plans. Every quarter we deliver a Quarterly Business Review (QBR) as a PDF: engagement health score, financial recap, onboarding progress, renewal calendar, and an AI-summarized executive paragraph. The QBR makes drift impossible to hide: if a metric slides for two quarters in a row, you see it before we do, and we are already working on it by the time you read it.

Commitments we make in writing

  • Flat monthly pricing. No hourly billing for in-scope work. The price you sign for is the price you pay until annual renewal.
  • Documented service level agreements (SLAs). Initial response, engineer engagement, and resolution targets in writing for every plan tier.
  • Transparent offboarding. If the relationship ever ends, you receive 30 days of transition support and full documentation handover. No hostage data, no exit fees.
  • No surprise project invoices. Work outside scope is quoted in advance, with the option to approve, defer, or decline before any billable time accrues.
  • Vendor-coordinated escalations. When the issue is on Microsoft, Telus, Rogers, Veeam, or any other vendor we manage on your behalf, we own the support case from open to resolved, not you.
  • Continuity of the same team. The engineer who onboards you is the engineer who answers your tickets in month 12, barring unusual staff changes that are communicated in writing in advance.

Microsoft 365 questions Vancouver businesses ask us

How long until we are fully migrated to the new Microsoft 365 setup? Most Microsoft 365 engagements complete environment discovery, security baseline, and the bulk of remediation work within the first 30 days. Larger or more regulated environments (legal, healthcare, financial services) may stretch baseline tasks into a 60- or 90-day window so audit-quality documentation is built alongside the changes.

What if our existing IT person stays involved? Co-managed engagements are common. We document the boundary in your Statement of Work (SOW): which tickets we own, which they own, what escalation looks like, and which systems we both have administrative access to. The split shows up in your monthly invoice as named workstreams so nobody pays twice for the same coverage.

How do you measure whether Microsoft 365 is actually working for our business? The engagement health score on every QBR rolls up signal from invoice payment timing, ticket response adherence, backup test pass rate, MFA coverage, patch latency, and renewal cadence into a 0-100 indicator. Green is above 80, yellow is 60 to 79, red is below 60. If your score drops below 80 for two consecutive quarters we trigger an internal review and reach out before you do.

Microsoft 365 management for Vancouver businesses by Hexafusion
Microsoft 365 management for Vancouver businesses by Hexafusion.