In this article
In 2022, DataRoad - IT Services and Consulting won the public tender from the Parish Union of Massamá and Monte Abraão to migrate around 50 mailboxes to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online. The project moved all content to the Microsoft cloud and reconfigured workstations and mobile devices, without interrupting the local authority’s communications.
The project in numbers
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Client | Parish Union of Massamá and Monte Abraão |
| Sector | Public sector |
| Procedure | Public tender |
| Scope | Around 50 mailboxes migrated to Microsoft 365 |
| Work | Firewall and security · Servers and infrastructure · IT Unlimited support |
| Year | 2022 |
The procedure can be consulted on the BASE Portal (base.gov.pt), the national portal that centralises information on public contracts concluded in Portugal and allows organisations and citizens to follow them.
Why email is critical for a local authority
In a parish council, email is the channel for institutional communication, replies to residents, contact with suppliers, and administrative processes and digital archiving. A badly executed migration brings the entire operation to a halt.
Moving to a cloud platform with governance, retention, auditing and eDiscovery strengthens control over the entire lifecycle of email.
How the migration was carried out
Phase 1 — Moving the content
- Migration plan — the path chosen according to the number of mailboxes and the client’s scenario, following Microsoft’s recommended best practices and tools.
- Complete transfer — email, history, folder structure and associated data to Exchange Online.
Phase 2 — Getting users back to work
- Workstations — Outlook and profiles reconfigured and validated after the migration.
- Mobile devices — connection and synchronisation of email, calendar and contacts confirmed.
Separating the two phases reduces downtime and avoids productivity losses in administrative teams with many users.
What the local authority gained with Exchange Online
- Mobility Email, calendar, contacts and tasks on the PC, in the browser and on the phone.
- Centralised management A service hosted in Microsoft datacentres, with simplified administration.
- Built-in protection Anti-spam and anti-malware, mobile device policies and access control by compatible clients.
- Continuity Service redundancy and SLA.
- Compliance DLP for sensitive data and PII, Litigation Hold, auditing and eDiscovery for legal and regulatory needs.
A migration is not just “moving mailboxes”: it brings together productivity, security and management. That is where the value lies.
DataRoad IT Unlimited
Talk to DataRoad. We assess your operation and propose the right plan.
After the migration: managed Microsoft 365
As an MSP, DataRoad looks after its clients’ systems with monitoring, alerting and availability reporting, through the IT Unlimited service. After a migration, this means ongoing follow-up, immediate response to incidents, evolution of the Microsoft 365 environment and a service desk for users.
DataRoad is a premium MSP, headquartered in Alfragide with support throughout Portugal. For 11 years it has looked after the IT of public bodies, embassies, hotels, clinics and demanding companies; it has 232 clients under contract and the Top 5% PME certification awarded by scoring.pt. DataRoad thanks the Parish Union of Massamá and Monte Abraão for its trust.
Frequently asked questions about migrating to Exchange Online
Are users left without email during the migration?
A well-planned migration avoids that. The content is transferred along a path chosen for the number of mailboxes and the client’s scenario, and workstations and phones are reconfigured in a controlled way, so that communication keeps working.
Is the email history kept?
Yes. In this migration, the content of the mailboxes — including history and folder organisation — was transferred in full to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online.
Do phones have to be set up again?
Yes, and it is part of the scope. Each mobile device is reconfigured and validated to ensure email, calendar and contacts synchronise.
Why move to the cloud instead of keeping a local server?
Because the service then runs in Microsoft datacentres, with redundancy, an SLA, anti-spam and anti-malware protection and compliance features such as DLP, Litigation Hold and eDiscovery, with no local hardware to maintain.
Other managed services projects
- Clínica Lambert — IT Unlimited at the new Corroios facility
- IT Unlimited for business
- ReStream — new office network in Portugal and IT Unlimited
- Clínica do Lambert — IT Unlimited and full network management
See all our case studies and news and projects. To move to the cloud, discover Microsoft 365 and cloud managed by DataRoad.
Related managed services
- IT Unlimited Fixed monthly fee, permanent monitoring and alerting.
- Managed helpdesk Ticketing system with immediate response.
- Structured cabling Design, installation and certification.
- Business Wi-Fi Coverage studies, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7, isolated guest network and centralised management.
- Managed firewalls Perimeter protection and secure remote access.
- IT for the public sector Eight public bodies and public procurement rules.
Next step: migrate with the team that manages it afterwards
Moving your organisation’s email to Microsoft 365? Request a no-obligation proposal. More than 10 workstations · support contract · remote, on-site and telephone support.
