Case study by PC Madness ·
The challenge
The agency was reviewing its business and wanted a quote for scope and fees to make sure it was compliant and cyber safe, while it was still running on IMAP email. A small team of one to five people, it handles the personal and financial details that every property settlement depends on.
Plain IMAP email served the business for years, but it wasn't built for today's threats. Mailboxes typically sign in with just a username and password, which is exactly what phishing emails are designed to steal, and there's no shared, secured place for the business's files.
That matters more for a settlement agency than for most small businesses. Settlements involve large payments to bank accounts that are often confirmed by email, which makes the sector a known target for payment redirection scams. Read how to spot phishing and business email compromise for the warning signs.
What we did
The agency asked for scope and fees first, so the audit and quote came before any change.
- Meeting. We met to understand the business review, the agency's obligations to protect client information and how the team works day to day.
- Audit. We reviewed the existing IMAP email, devices, accounts and where files were kept.
- Quote for scope and fees. We set out what it would take to make the business cyber safe, and quoted the scope and fees for it, so the agency could make the decision with the full picture.
- Migration and deployment. We migrated every mailbox from IMAP to Microsoft 365, moved the business's data into SharePoint, and rolled out MFA, email security, a password manager and EDR on every device.
- Handover. We walked the team through the new mailboxes, shared files and secure sign-in, and how to get support.
Want the detail behind each step? See how our managed IT process works.
What we deployed
The migration and the security went in together, so the agency never ran on Microsoft 365 without protection.
| Service | What it does for the business |
|---|---|
| IMAP to Microsoft 365 migration | Existing mailboxes moved into Microsoft 365, with business email, calendars and Office apps. |
| Data migration to SharePoint | Business files moved into one shared, permissioned place in the cloud. |
| MFA | A second check at sign-in, so a phished password alone can't open a mailbox. |
| Email security | Filters phishing, malware and malicious links before they reach the inbox. |
| Password manager | Unique, strong passwords for every account and system the agency uses. |
| EDR on every device | Watches each computer for suspicious behaviour and responds automatically. |
The result
The agency made a smooth transition off IMAP and onto Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, with security in place from the first day. Staff can work from anywhere, every account has a second check at sign-in, and email is filtered before it reaches the inbox.
Because the work started with a quote for scope and fees, the agency knew exactly what it was getting and why before anything changed.
Ongoing support
We now monitor the agency's systems and provide dedicated support, with remote IT support when the team needs help and regular security reports that show what's been blocked and what needs attention.
We don't name this client. Settlement agencies hold sensitive client and financial information, so we keep their identity, and the details of their setup, private.
