How do I choose a Microsoft 365 migration consultant?

Key facts

• Match the consultant to your migration type: tenant-to-tenant, Google Workspace, Exchange Server or file shares are different skills.
• A credible quote follows discovery of mailboxes, data volumes, identity and devices.
• Ask who will actually do the work and whether it is handed off to another team.
• A written cutover and rollback plan matters more than the tool brand.
• Post-migration support and documentation should be in the scope, not an afterthought.

Start with your migration type

Microsoft 365 migration is not one skill. Moving from Exchange Server uses hybrid configuration, Autodiscover and mail flow work. A Google Workspace move means mapping Gmail labels, calendars and Drive folders into Exchange Online, OneDrive and SharePoint. A tenant-to-tenant move after an acquisition involves Cross-tenant mailbox migration, OneDrive and SharePoint cross-tenant moves, domain cutover and often Intune device re-enrollment.

Write down what you are moving before you talk to anyone: source platform, user count, mailbox and file volumes, whether devices are managed by Intune, and any hard dates such as a contract end or a deal close. Then shortlist consultants who can show recent work of that exact type.

What a good consultant does before quoting

The strongest signal is how a consultant handles discovery. A good one asks for read access or exports, then inventories mailboxes, shared mailboxes, distribution lists, SharePoint sites, file shares, apps that send mail through your server, identity sync through Entra Connect, and device management.

From that they produce a scope, a wave plan and a price. A quote produced from a single sales call usually hides assumptions that turn into change orders later.

• Inventory of users, mailboxes, sites and data volumes
• Identity review: UPNs, Entra Connect, MFA and Conditional Access
• Mail flow review: MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, relay and connectors
• Device and app dependencies, including Intune and line-of-business apps
• Risks and decisions you need to make, written down

How to compare proposals

Put proposals side by side and compare the same items. Price alone is misleading because scopes differ.

Check references and evidence

Ask for anonymized case studies or references that match your size and migration type. Ask the reference what went wrong and how the consultant handled it, not just whether they were happy. Ask to see a redacted runbook or cutover checklist. Firms that do this work often have them ready.

Microsoft partner designations show some investment in the platform, but they do not prove migration experience on their own. Specific project evidence matters more.

Red flags

Some patterns predict trouble regardless of firm size.

• A firm price before anyone has looked at your tenant or servers
• No mention of mail flow, DNS or apps that relay through Exchange
• Promises of zero impact without explaining how
• No plan for user communication or help desk load on cutover day
• Work subcontracted or offshored without telling you

How Accred Consulting approaches it

Accred Consulting is a US-based Microsoft 365 consulting firm serving SMB and mid-market organizations. Every engagement starts with Discovery, then a Proposal with clear scope, a fixed price and a timeline. Delivery runs with structured check-ins, followed by Handover with documentation and knowledge transfer, plus optional Support retainers. Clients work directly with the US-based specialists assigned to the engagement, with no offshore handoffs. The practice team has delivered 400+ client projects, 2,000+ migration workstreams and moved 150,000+ users, with 10+ years of hands-on Microsoft delivery experience.

Track record: 400+ client projects, 2,000+ migration workstreams and 150,000+ users migrated by a US-based team. Company facts · Case studies

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