We help you get the most out of your investment by not only providing Microsoft 365 licensing, but also managing and securing your environment every step of the way.
Whether you’re migrating from an on-premise solution or looking to optimize your current setup, we make it simple, secure, and scalable.
Microsoft 365 Management for Sarasota Businesses
Portolan Networks provides Microsoft 365 licensing and then manages it for you: setup, migrations from other platforms, adding and removing users, security and backup. For most businesses we recommend our Microsoft 365 & Security bundle. It’s built on Business Premium, which includes the protections needed to properly secure accounts and company data, and adds email security, security awareness training, 24/7 account monitoring, DMARC, email signature management and backup of your Microsoft 365 data. We also manage Business Standard and the other business plans for clients who don’t need the full bundle.
What we handle
- New account setup and migrations from other platforms
- Day-to-day administration: new users, departing employees, license changes and shared mailboxes
- Security policies, including multi-factor authentication enforced and monitored on every account
- With our Microsoft 365 & Security bundle: email filtering through Proofpoint, 24/7 account-compromise detection and response, and backup of your Microsoft 365 data (email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams) using NinjaOne SaaS Backup
- Help for your team with Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive when they get stuck
Microsoft 365, managed for you
Business license vs. personal license
A personal Microsoft 365 license isn’t licensed for business use. Running a company on one violates Microsoft’s terms of service, even if it seems to work. Business licenses include things a personal plan doesn’t: business email on your own domain (purchased separately), centralized admin controls, SharePoint for shared documents, and stronger security and compliance features.
Choosing a license
| Who it’s for | What we usually recommend |
|---|---|
| Most office staff | Business Premium: Office apps, email, Teams and the security features needed to protect accounts and devices |
| Someone who only needs email | A lighter email-focused license, with the same security and backup included |
| Mixed teams | A combination, built around each role |
We’ll look at what each person actually does and build a license mix that fits both the work and the budget.
How we secure Microsoft 365
Email is one of the most common ways attackers get in, so protection is layered. Our Microsoft 365 & Security bundle includes:
- Multi-factor authentication enforced on every account, with ongoing checks that it stays that way
- Inbound and outbound email filtering (Proofpoint)
- Security awareness training and phishing simulations (Huntress)
- 24/7 monitoring of your tenant for impossible-travel sign-ins, token theft and other signs of compromise, with a security team ready to respond
- Email authentication (DMARC), which makes it much harder for anyone to send email pretending to be your company
- Email signatures managed centrally, so every message goes out with the same company signature
The bundle requires Business Premium, because Business Standard doesn’t include the security controls it relies on. These connect to our broader cybersecurity services.
Your data isn’t backed up by default
Microsoft itself recommends third-party backup, because Microsoft 365 doesn’t include long-term data protection the way most businesses assume. That’s why our Microsoft 365 & Security bundle includes backup of your email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams data with NinjaOne SaaS Backup. It’s part of our wider backup and disaster recovery service.
Related reading
Common Questions
A personal Microsoft 365 license isn’t licensed for business use — using it to run a company violates Microsoft’s terms of service, even if it seems to work fine. Business licenses include things a personal plan doesn’t: business email hosting (paired with your own domain, which is purchased separately), centralized admin controls, SharePoint for document management and collaboration, and stronger security and compliance features. We work with all the Microsoft 365 business tiers, but for most clients we recommend Business Premium, since it includes the additional protections needed to properly secure both user accounts and company data.
Yes. We handle new account setup, migrations from other platforms and ongoing management, including provisioning new users, offboarding departing employees, managing licenses and configuring security policies. With our Microsoft 365 & Security bundle (Business Premium), you also get 24/7 detection and response for account compromise, Proofpoint email filtering, security awareness training, DMARC, email signature management and backup of your Microsoft 365 data. Microsoft itself recommends third-party backup, since Microsoft 365 doesn’t include long-term data protection the way most businesses assume.
Protection is layered, and our Microsoft 365 & Security bundle (Business Premium) includes it: multi-factor authentication enforced on every account, with ongoing checks that it stays that way; inbound and outbound email filtering through Proofpoint to catch malicious messages; security awareness training and phishing simulations for your team through Huntress; and 24/7 monitoring of your tenant for suspicious activity like impossible-travel sign-ins or token theft, with a security team ready to respond.
Yes. Business Premium is our recommendation for most clients because of the added security it provides, but it’s not always the right fit — technically or financially. For example, an employee who only needs email doesn’t necessarily need a full license with Office apps included; in cases like that, we might recommend a different license or combination of licenses that covers email and security without the extra cost. We’ll assess your team’s actual needs and build a license mix that fits both your workflow and your budget.
If you’re not sure your Microsoft 365 is licensed or secured correctly, book a time on my calendar and I’ll walk through it with you. Or call (941) 200-4360.