Microsoft 365 services in Uganda, set up properly from day one

Microsoft 365, configured for how your organisation works

Microsoft 365 brings business email, file storage, online meetings and the familiar Office applications together under one subscription. For many Ugandan organisations it replaces a patchwork of personal Gmail accounts, documents saved on individual laptops and files passed around on flash disks and WhatsApp groups.

The subscription itself is only the starting point. A rushed Microsoft 365 setup can create as many problems as it solves. Think of the wrong plan, everyone as an administrator, and no multi-factor authentication. Generation Solutions helps organisations choose suitable licences, configure the tenant properly, migrate existing email and files, secure accounts and show staff how to use the tools day to day. Our Microsoft 365 work covers advice and consultancy, migration, integration, backup planning and ongoing support.

What Microsoft 365 includes

Exactly what you get depends on the plan, which is why licensing advice matters. The main components our clients use are:

Microsoft 365 licensing consultancy

Microsoft offers several plan families, and buying the wrong one is a common, expensive mistake. Either you pay for features nobody uses, or you find out later that your plan lacks a critical feature. For small and medium organisations, the choice usually comes down to the Microsoft 365 business plans:

Microsoft’s business plans are designed for organisations up to 300 users; larger organisations use enterprise plans. Microsoft also runs offers for eligible non-profits and educational institutions, and in some markets offers suites with and without Teams. Plan names, features, eligibility and prices change, so we confirm the current options at the time of your quotation rather than relying on a fixed list.

You don’t have to buy the same plan for everyone. Mixing plans — Business Standard for office staff, Business Basic or Exchange Online for field staff — is often the most cost-effective approach.

Microsoft 365 setup and tenant configuration

A good setup avoids the clean-up work we often do for organisations whose tenant grew without a plan. Our setup covers:

1. Tenant and domain

   We create or review your Microsoft 365 tenant, verify your domain and plan DNS changes so existing email isn’t interrupted.

2. Users and licences

   Accounts are created with a consistent naming scheme, licences are assigned to match roles, and admin rights are limited to the people who need them.

3. Email configuration

   Mailboxes, shared mailboxes, distribution groups and aliases are set up, along with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.

4. Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint

   We set up teams and document libraries that reflect your departments or projects, with sensible permissions.

5. Security baseline

   Multi-factor authentication, password policies and basic sign-in protections are switched on before staff start using the system.

6. Devices and onboarding

   Outlook, Teams and OneDrive are set up on staff computers and phones, and users are shown the essentials.

Migrating email and files to Microsoft 365

Most organisations come to Microsoft 365 with email somewhere else: cPanel hosting, Google Workspace, another provider or personal accounts. Their files are usually spread across laptops and external drives.

Email migration

We copy existing messages, folders and, where the source system allows, contacts and calendars into Exchange Online. Mail keeps arriving at the old system until we switch the MX records. Then we run a final pass to catch anything sent in between. Staff open Outlook the next morning and find their mail where they expect it.

File migration

Before moving files, we agree a structure: what belongs in personal OneDrive, what belongs in shared SharePoint libraries, and who should have access to each. Moving files without this step usually recreates the old mess in a new location.

Planning around connectivity

Large migrations over limited bandwidth need scheduling. We plan migration batches so that uploads don’t overwhelm your office connection during working hours.

Microsoft Teams and collaboration

Teams is most useful when it reflects how people already work. We help you decide which teams and channels to create, how meetings and calendars should work, and where files should live so that everyone can find the latest version. Typical setups include a team per department, a team per major project or donor programme, and an organisation-wide team for announcements.

We also advise on meetings over weak connections, such as turning off video, and on using Teams on mobile for staff in the field.

Microsoft 365 security configuration

Compromised Microsoft 365 accounts are a common starting point for invoice fraud and data theft. Basic measures prevent most of them, yet people often leave those measures switched off.

• Multi-factor authentication for every user, starting with administrators;
• Limited admin accounts — day-to-day work done from standard accounts;
• Blocking legacy authentication that bypasses modern protections, where your plan allows;
• Email authentication with SPF, DKIM and DMARC to reduce impersonation;
• Sharing settings that stop staff sharing sensitive files publicly by mistake;
• Offboarding procedures so departing staff lose access promptly and you keep their data.

Organisations on plans with advanced security features can go further with device management and conditional access. We explain what your plan supports and what is worth enabling.

Common Microsoft 365 setup mistakes we fix

Many of our Microsoft 365 projects start as clean-ups of rushed setups. The same problems come up again and again:

A tenant review identifies these issues and produces a short, prioritised list of fixes.

Backup and data retention

Microsoft keeps its service running, but it is your responsibility to protect your data against accidental deletion, malicious deletion and departing staff. Microsoft 365 includes recycle bins and retention features with limits that depend on your plan. If your email and documents are critical records, we discuss whether those built-in features are enough, or whether you need a separate backup.

Ongoing support, administration and training

After go-live, someone has to add new staff, remove leavers, reset passwords, troubleshoot Outlook and keep licences in order. If you don’t have in-house IT, we can do this for you under a support arrangement. Common tasks include:

• user onboarding and offboarding;
• licence changes and renewals;
• password resets and MFA re-registration;
• mailbox permissions and shared mailbox access;
• Outlook, Teams and OneDrive troubleshooting;
• short training sessions for staff on the tools they use.

Training is the step most often skipped, and the one that most affects whether Microsoft 365 is worth the money. A short, practical session on saving files to OneDrive, sharing a document and joining a Teams meeting changes how people work far more than the subscription alone.

Microsoft 365 for SMEs, NGOs and schools

Small and medium businesses

For SMEs, Microsoft 365 provides professional email, secure file sharing and meetings without running a server. We help you start with the plans you need and grow from there.

NGOs and non-profits

NGOs benefit from shared mailboxes for programmes, SharePoint libraries for proposals and reports, and Teams for coordinating dispersed teams. Eligible non-profits may qualify for Microsoft’s non-profit offers — we can help you check. See also ICT solutions for NGOs.

Schools and institutions

Microsoft offers education plans for eligible schools, with their own licensing rules. We help institutions understand their options and set up staff accounts, shared resources and, where appropriate, student access. See solutions for schools.

Discuss your Microsoft 365 requirements

For a recommendation, tell us how many people need accounts and whether they work mainly at desks or in the field. Tell us where your email and files are now, and whether you already have Microsoft 365. Microsoft licence costs depend on the plans you choose. Your quotation lists them clearly, separately from our setup and support services.

Your next step

Share the number of users, whether they need desktop Office apps, and where your email and files live now. We will propose a licence mix, a migration plan and the security settings to switch on first, so your team starts on a tenant that is organised and protected from day one.

Microsoft 365 questions