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County IT recommends a tiered, hybrid move to Microsoft 365; staff to consult departments and return cost estimates
Summary
County IT staff recommended a tiered, hybrid approach to move government email accounts to Microsoft 365, suggested consolidating multiple Microsoft tenants into one for administration and collaboration, and was directed to meet department heads and return with pricing.
County IT staff presented a recommendation on June 10 to move government email users to Microsoft 365 using a tiered, hybrid approach that converts users of county government addresses to government (G3/G3-equivalent) accounts while allowing other offices to choose the appropriate license for their needs.
Why it matters: moving to Microsoft 365 would change how email, calendars and collaboration are managed countywide, affect licensing costs and alter in-house server operations. IT staff said consolidation could improve calendar and messaging interoperability and simplify administration.
Details: IT staff described the current state as multiple Microsoft 365 tenants in use across departments, which prevents some cross-tenant collaboration (for example, instant messaging and room/calendar sharing). The recommended path is to consolidate tenants under one tenancy while preserving department-level access controls and billing separation. Staff said consolidation does not automatically expose all data across departments and that tenant-level management can still enforce separation.
Discussion and direction: commissioners agreed the recommendation should be tested with department heads. IT staff said they would meet with each department head, return within about a week with firm subscription counts and pricing, and report back at the next meeting. Staff also noted a potential cost-saving option: annual licensing yields an approximate 20% discount versus monthly billing.
Decision: no formal purchase or contract was approved June 10. Staff was directed to consult department heads, prepare a consolidated proposal with license counts and costs, and return to the board for a decision.
Ending: IT staff will present a firm cost proposal and recommendation to the board at the next scheduled meeting.
