Cloud IT: Microsoft 365 and Azure for New Zealand Business
Microsoft 365 and Azure, done properly
Quick answer: IT Live is a New Zealand managed service provider and a Microsoft partner that designs, migrates, secures and runs Microsoft 365 and Azure for small and medium business. Most IT Live Microsoft 365 migrations run over one to a few weeks in five defined stages, and IT Live holds every tenant it manages above a 70% Microsoft Secure Score afterwards.
IT Live is certified to SMB1001 Gold, an independent standard covering 27 specific security controls, so the cloud tenant IT Live hands back is one you can evidence to an insurer or a customer.
How long does a Microsoft 365 migration take, and how does IT Live run it?
Quick answer: IT Live runs a Microsoft 365 migration in five stages – discovery, design and build, pilot, cutover and aftercare – and most small-business migrations run over one to a few weeks from first workshop to old server switched off. The cutover itself is short, usually a Friday evening or a weekend, because the data pre-syncs in the background for days beforehand.
Stage 1 of 5 – Discovery. IT Live documents what you’ve got: where email lives now, what’s on the file server, which apps talk to which, and who actually needs what. This is where IT Live finds the things nobody mentions in the first meeting – the shared mailbox everyone uses as a filing system, the one machine that runs the accounting job.
Stage 2 of 5 – Design and build. IT Live builds the new Microsoft 365 tenant before moving anything into it. Security settings, conditional access, MFA, licensing right-sized to what people actually use, and the SharePoint structure decided in advance rather than left to grow wild. This is the stage rushed migrations skip, and it’s why people end up with hundreds of Teams sites and no idea where anything lives.
Stage 3 of 5 – Pilot. IT Live moves a small group first, across different roles, and they use the new Microsoft 365 tenant for real work for a week or so. Whatever breaks, breaks for five people instead of fifty.
Stage 4 of 5 – Cutover. IT Live pre-syncs the data in the background beforehand, so the final switch is short – usually a Friday evening or a weekend, with mailboxes and files landing before Monday. The old system stays available as a safety net until everyone’s settled.
Stage 5 of 5 – Aftercare. An IT Live engineer is on the phones the first Monday. Then IT Live tidies up: retires the old server, closes the old licences, and hands over documentation of how it is all put together.
You get the timeline upfront, so your team knows exactly what changes and when. IT Live has run this same five-stage sequence on every managed business it looks after.
How should SharePoint be set up so files stay findable?
IT Live designs the SharePoint structure before any file moves, because SharePoint only works as a file home if the structure is deliberate. Dumping a mapped drive into one document library is how you end up with a search that never finds anything.
IT Live maps your folders to sites and libraries first, sets permissions at library level rather than folder-by-folder, and turns on version history so a wrong overwrite is a two-click fix.
How does Microsoft Teams relate to SharePoint?
Microsoft Teams sits on top of SharePoint – every Team quietly creates a SharePoint site behind it, which is why IT Live treats the two as one design job rather than two.
Left alone, staff spin up Teams for one conversation and abandon them, and within a year nobody knows which is current. IT Live sets naming, ownership and expiry policies so it stays navigable.
What is Entra ID, and how does IT Live configure it?
Entra ID (Microsoft’s identity service, formerly Azure AD) is the front door to every Microsoft 365 and Azure service, and it is the first thing IT Live locks down on a new tenant.
IT Live configures Entra ID with MFA on every account, conditional access rules that block sign-ins from countries you don’t operate in, admin accounts separated from everyday accounts, and joiners and leavers handled through one process instead of five. That configuration is a large part of how IT Live gets a tenant past a 70% Microsoft Secure Score.
When is Azure worth it, and when is it not?
IT Live recommends Azure in two cases: a server that genuinely can’t move to a SaaS product, and a business that would rather not replace a physical server every five years. Outside those two cases IT Live will usually tell you not to bother.
Azure is not automatically cheaper – a lifted-and-shifted server running 24/7 in Azure can cost more than the box it replaced. IT Live models the monthly Azure run cost before you commit, and will tell you if the honest answer is to keep the hardware another two years.
Does Microsoft back up your Microsoft 365 data?
No. Moving to the cloud does not mean your data is backed up, and it is the single most common gap IT Live finds when taking over someone else’s Microsoft 365 tenant. Microsoft keeps the service running; protecting your content from deletion, ransomware or a departing staff member stays your responsibility, and retention periods run out faster than people expect.
IT Live adds Datto backup across Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, and IT Live tests restores rather than trusting a green tick on a dashboard.
Does moving to Microsoft 365 make a business secure?
No, not on its own. A Microsoft 365 tenant has to be hardened – MFA on everyone, conditional access, legacy authentication switched off, mailbox rules monitored – and then it has to be watched.
IT Live runs Huntress, a 24/7 security operations centre with human analysts, across every business IT Live manages, and IT Live is certified to SMB1001 Gold against 27 controls. See how IT Live handles cyber security, or email info@itlive.co.nz to talk through a Microsoft 365 or Azure move.
Testimonials
IT Live has been our IT partner for over 8 years. They've been fantastic since day 1. We love their sense of humour - in this industry, you need IT!
Nicki Paramore
nsaTax
Thank you for the concerted effort and great service from all at IT Live during the changeover, it wasn’t a 5-minute job that’s for sure. Very professional, helpful in explaining things and prompt in sorting things out – as indeed Brandon was again today.
Bill Collins
Director,
LouvreTec
Frequently asked questions
What is cloud IT?
Cloud IT means running your systems - email, files, apps and backups - on secure internet-hosted platforms like Microsoft 365, instead of a server sitting in your office. It usually means lower hardware costs, work-from-anywhere access and easier scaling. IT Live plans, moves and manages the whole thing for you.
How does a Microsoft 365 migration work?
IT Live plans first - what email, files and apps you are on now, and where they need to land. IT Live sets up Microsoft 365 properly (security and backup included), then moves your data in a staged cutover, usually after hours or over a weekend. IT Live tests before go-live and keeps the old system as a safety net until everything is settled.
How long does a cloud migration take?
It depends on your size and how much data you are moving, but most small-business migrations run over one to a few weeks of planning, with the actual cutover done in a single evening or weekend. IT Live gives you a timeline upfront so staff know exactly what changes and when.
Is my data safe and backed up in the cloud?
The platform is reliable, but Microsoft does not back up your data against deletion, ransomware or a departing staff member - that responsibility stays with you. IT Live adds third-party backup (Datto SaaS Protection) plus security like MFA and Huntress, so your email and files can be restored fast if something goes wrong.
Can you support our existing Microsoft 365?
Yes. Many clients come to IT Live with Microsoft 365 half set up and no one really managing it. IT Live tidies the licences, locks down security, sorts out Teams and SharePoint, and takes ongoing management off your plate - you do not have to migrate again to work with IT Live.