Microsoft O365 Engineer

This role will begin as a short term consulting engagement to provide consultative services regarding Microsoft O365. 

Job Title: O365 Engineer/Consultant

Location:  Remote

Job Type: Consulting

Microsoft O365 Assessment: Monitoring and Optimization Assessment Objectives:

• Evaluate the current Office 365 environment: Assess system configuration, service health, and resource utilization.
• Identify performance bottlenecks: Analyze how Office 365 services are performing, and find areas for optimization.
• Improve security and compliance: Evaluate the current security settings and compliance posture.
• Optimize user experience: Ensure that end-users can efficiently use Office 365 apps with minimal downtime and interruptions.
• Reduce costs: Identify unused or underused licenses, services, and optimize subscription models.
• Monitor and enhance collaboration: Review the usage and configuration of collaboration tools like Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.

Key Areas of Assessment:

A. Licensing and Usage Analysis:

• Review Office 365 licenses, subscriptions, and user assignments.
• Identify unused or underutilized licenses and recommend adjustments.
• Optimize license allocation based on user roles and actual service usage (e.g., Power BI, Teams, Exchange).
• Generate reports showing which Office 365 apps are being used by which users or departments.

B. Service Health Monitoring:

• Assess the health of core Office 365 services (Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, etc.).
• Review service status history to identify downtime patterns.
• Set up real-time monitoring using tools like Microsoft 365 Service Health Dashboard, Azure Monitor, or third-party tools.
• Identify common causes of disruptions and recommend proactive measures.

C. Performance Optimization:

• Email Flow & Exchange Online: Assess mail flow performance, latency issues, and queue delays. Optimize Exchange Online configurations and email routing.
• Teams and Collaboration: Evaluate Microsoft Teams performance, especially in large-scale environments with frequent video calls and file sharing. Identify network bottlenecks, and optimize call quality using tools like Call Quality Dashboard (CQD).
• OneDrive & SharePoint: Assess file access and sharing speeds. Optimize SharePoint and OneDrive configurations for faster file synchronization and better collaboration.

D. Security & Compliance Review:

• Identity and Access Management: Review Azure Active Directory configurations, focusing on user authentication (password policies, MFA), and Conditional Access rules.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Encryption: Ensure that DLP policies are configured correctly to prevent data leaks and ensure sensitive data is properly handled.
• Compliance Center: Analyze usage of Compliance tools like retention policies, eDiscovery, and data governance. Ensure that regulatory requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.) are being met.
• Threat Protection: Evaluate security features such as Exchange Online Protection (EOP), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), and Defender for Office 365. Identify areas for improvement in spam/phishing detection and malware protection.

E. System Monitoring:

• Implement or enhance real-time monitoring solutions, such as:
  • Microsoft 365 Admin Center for service health and incident notifications.
  • Azure Monitor for deep monitoring, alerts, and reporting.
  • PowerShell scripts for custom monitoring of Office 365 services and components.
  • Third-party tools like SolarWinds, Quest, or ManageEngine for more advanced monitoring.
• Set up alerting mechanisms for potential issues (e.g., license nearing limits, security incidents, compliance breaches).

F. Reporting and Analytics:

• Generate usage reports that analyze how each Office 365 service is being utilized. Focus on collaboration tools, email usage, and file sharing.
• Provide detailed reports on performance metrics: email latency, SharePoint access times, Teams call quality, and OneDrive sync issues.
• Security and compliance reports: Provide insights into potential security risks, such as failed login attempts, suspicious email activity, or DLP violations.

G. Backup and Recovery Assessment:

• Review current backup solutions for Office 365 data, including emails, SharePoint documents, and Teams conversations.
• Ensure that the retention policies are sufficient and align with business needs.
• Recommend third-party backup solutions, if necessary, to provide granular recovery options beyond built-in Office 365 capabilities.

H. Network and Infrastructure Review:

• Network Performance: Assess the network infrastructure to ensure it's optimized for Office 365 traffic. Identify potential bandwidth issues, latency, and packet loss.
• VPN and Proxy Usage: Ensure that any VPN or proxy configurations are optimized for Office 365 traffic, with appropriate split tunneling configurations for Teams and OneDrive.

Optimization Recommendations:

• License Optimization: Suggest appropriate license tiers and cost-saving measures, such as eliminating redundant services or reallocating licenses based on usage patterns.
• Security Enhancements: Strengthen security policies, enable MFA organization-wide, improve Conditional Access rules, and enforce stricter DLP policies.
• Performance Improvements: Implement recommendations for faster email routing, optimize Teams call quality, and improve SharePoint/OneDrive performance.
• User Training: Provide recommendations for training end-users on optimizing their usage of Office 365 tools and addressing common productivity issues.
• Automation: Suggest automation strategies, such as using PowerShell for routine administrative tasks, or setting up automated alerts for system performance thresholds.

Tools for Monitoring and Optimization:

• Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Built-in monitoring for service health, usage reports, and security incidents.
• Azure Monitor and Log Analytics: Advanced tool for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from Office 365 services.
• PowerShell: For automating repetitive administrative tasks, extracting detailed reports, and optimizing configurations.
• Call Quality Dashboard (CQD): Tool to monitor and improve the quality of Microsoft Teams calls.
• Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Reports: Review security incidents, suspicious activities, and ATP-related threat detection.

Deliverables of the Assessment:

• A comprehensive report detailing the findings, issues, and recommendations.
• Actionable steps for performance optimization, including timelines and priorities.
• Detailed configuration guidelines for monitoring and alerting systems.
• A cost-saving analysis, particularly around license usage.
• Security and compliance enhancement plans, including how to mitigate identified risks.