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Scicominfra

Microsoft O365 Engineer

Scicominfra, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30383


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.

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