How To Make Money On Office 365 After Migration

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Migration to Microsoft Office 365 used to be a big cash cow for partners, but Microsoft’s new FastTrack onboarding service has all but decimated that opportunity.

"We were making a boatload of money from migrations, we were. But Microsoft has come out with their onboarding center, and they're basically giving migrations away for free," said Chris Pyle, president and CEO at Champion Solutions Group.

Boca Raton, Fla.-based Champion Solutions Group is a Microsoft partner of record, serving 2,682 Microsoft Office 365 customers. Despite Microsoft's move to take over the onboarding business, Pyle said there are still areas to profit from post-migration.

"There's a huge consulting opportunity, and customers are willing to pay for it," he said.

Areas in which partners can charge for consultation include change management, identifying department power users, and policy development.

Pyle said his company charges from $5,000 to $20,000 to help companies put together policies around Office 365 use.

Although FastTrack takes companies through the actual onboarding process, there are plenty of areas within Office 365 that users have trouble utilizing, and Pyle said many IT departments lack the time and specialization to answer their questions.

"People are willing to pay for this consulting," he said.

PUBLISHED DEC. 14, 2015