CTS - Computer Technology Specialists
Accounting Firm Microsoft 365
A 45-user Melbourne accounting firm engaged CTS to consolidate a hybrid on-premises Exchange and file server environment onto Microsoft 365 ahead of a demanding tax season. The setup was creating security gaps, carrying duplicated cost, and limiting remote work. CTS migrated email, files and collaboration to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, retired the on-premises infrastructure, and secured the environment with MFA and Intune device management — cutting IT operating costs by 40% and enabling full remote work within 30 days.
Melbourne IT support with visible local credentials
CTS - Computer Technology Specialists has supported Melbourne SMBs since 2000. Contact: 1300 790 780, hello@cts.au, L30 - 35 Collins St Melbourne 3000.
Certifications, affiliations and technology partners
Microsoft Partner, ACSC Essential Eight aligned, ISO 27001 practices, NBN Business Accredited Adviser, Cisco Partner, Dell Partner, HPE Partner, Arcserve Partner, Broadcom Partner, Kyocera Partner.
The challenge
The firm was carrying the cost and risk of an end-of-life server alongside separately hosted email, with no good way to collaborate securely on client work.
- An ageing on-premises server nearing end of life, plus separately hosted third-party email
- High and unpredictable combined hosting and licensing costs
- No secure way to exchange sensitive documents with clients
- Staff could not co-author workpapers — files were emailed back and forth in versions
- Minimal security, with password-only access to financial data
The CTS solution
CTS designed a Microsoft 365 Business Premium migration that consolidated email, documents and collaboration into one secured, cost-effective platform.
- Migrated all email to Exchange Online with no loss of mail, calendars or contacts
- Moved file storage to SharePoint Online and Teams with a client-centric structure
- Enabled real-time co-authoring of workpapers across the team
- Introduced secure client document sharing with controlled, expiring links
- Enforced MFA and conditional access through Entra ID and onboarded devices to Intune
Cost and collaboration outcomes
Consolidating onto Microsoft 365 removed duplicated infrastructure and licensing while modernising how the firm worked.
- Retired the on-premises server and its maintenance and refresh costs
- Consolidated hosting and email into a single predictable per-user licence
- Gave staff one place to find and co-author the current version of every workpaper
- Readied the firm to scale support for the tax-season peak without new hardware
The results
The firm entered tax season on a consolidated, secured Microsoft 365 platform with materially lower running costs.
- 40% reduction in IT operational costs after retiring on-premises infrastructure
- Full remote work capability delivered within 30 days
- Intune compliance policy covering 100% of devices
- Secure, real-time collaboration on client workpapers across the firm
- MFA coverage raised to 100% of accounts protecting sensitive financial data
- Secure client document exchange replacing unprotected email attachments
Technologies deployed
Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive for Business, Microsoft Entra ID (conditional access and MFA), and Microsoft Intune.
Frequently asked questions
Will moving to Microsoft 365 reduce our accounting firm's IT costs?
In most cases yes. Consolidating an on-premises server and separately hosted email into Microsoft 365 removes duplicated hardware, maintenance and licensing, replacing them with a single predictable per-user fee. For this 45-user firm it cut IT operating costs by 40% while improving security and collaboration.
Can staff work on the same client files at once after the migration?
Yes. With documents in SharePoint Online and Teams, staff can co-author the same workpaper in real time with full version history, replacing the cycle of emailing files back and forth and reconciling versions manually.
Is client financial data secure in Microsoft 365?
With the configuration CTS applied — MFA and conditional access on every account, device compliance through Intune, and controlled, expiring links for client document sharing — sensitive financial data is significantly better protected than under password-only access on an on-premises server.