Proposal: Professional Business Setup

The "Device Independent" Strategy

Our core philosophy for A&A: Your business data and software should not rely on any single piece of hardware working.

Currently, the setup is a "mishmash" of personal Bigpond accounts and files saved to USB sticks. If a laptop fails, your business history disappears with it.

Phase 1 moves A&A to a Professional Platform where data is independent of the hardware. Any staff member can log into any computer and have full, secure access to everything they need.

Foundation Goals:

Move from personal accounts to professional identity
Implement SharePoint as the "Company Filing Cabinet"
Secure the domain "keys" with TPP & Cloudflare
End reliance on USB sticks for critical data

Phase 1: Professional Setup

The Business Engine (Microsoft 365)

Setting up a secure Microsoft 365 environment for Trent, Mark, Martin, Cecilia, and Rong. This is much more than just email—it is the central system that allows us to link future tools like Monday.com or custom automation into a single, professional login.

Why M365 Identity matters

Unlike personal providers, M365 allows A&A to own its data centrally. It ensures that business conversations and files belong to the company, not an individual's personal account. It is the mandatory starting point for any business looking to automate their workshop workflow.

SharePoint vs. OneDrive (The Business Cabinet)

Many businesses mistakenly try to run using only OneDrive. In our strategy, SharePoint is your central workshop cabinet where drawings, quotes, and customer history live. OneDrive is purely the "sync engine" that brings those SharePoint files down to your computer.

Understanding the difference

OneDrive is for "My Personal Work Files." SharePoint is for "Our Business Files." By moving to SharePoint, the files are owned by A&A Electroplaters, not by an individual person. It allows the whole team to see the same "latest version" of a drawing or job sheet instantly.

Domain Security (TPP & Cloudflare)

We will migrate your domain to TPP Wholesale (secured with 2FA) and move your DNS management to Cloudflare. This ensures we are instantly alerted to any unauthorized attempts to hijack your business's digital routing.

Why DNS security is critical

As discussed in our meeting, the domain is the most valuable "key" to your business. If compromised, a hacker can redirect your emails or website. Cloudflare acts as an enterprise-grade "security guard" that alerts us the moment anyone tries to turn the handle.

Phase 1 Investment

Phase 1: Professional Foundation

Includes migrations, 5-user setup, legacy data recovery, and full infrastructure overhaul.

$4,400

Total inc. GST

Note: Each subsequent phase will be fully quoted and discussed as your business evolves.

The Ongoing Platform Stack

Microsoft 365 – Business Package

The Full Security & Backup Stack

$60.00

PER USER / MONTH (INC GST)

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

What is this?

Full desktop versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, plus 1TB cloud storage and Business-grade email. This is your core work toolkit.

Avanan Email Advanced Protect

What is this?

AI-driven security that stops "Invoice Fraud" and phishing emails before they reach your staff. Specifically designed to catch what standard filters miss.

Dropsuite Business Backup

What is this?

Microsoft doesn't legally guarantee your data backup. Dropsuite provides a third-party, independent copy of every email and file in A&A, ensuring 100% data recovery.

Cloudflare DNS (Free Tier)

What is this?

Your digital "switchboard." It ensures your website and mail routing are always fast and secure, and tells us the moment someone tries to tamper with them.

Highly Recommended Addition

Infrastructure Extra

VPN Router & 4G Failover

$1,220 inc GST

As A&A Electroplaters moves to cloud-based systems, Internet Uptime becomes critical. This replaces your basic home router with a business-grade gateway.

4G Cat6 Backup (Highly Recommended) If the NBN fails, the router switches to mobile data automatically. This ensures your cloud automation systems stay active.

Full Network Environment Includes full office network setup, hardware firewall, and on-site professional configuration.

View Product Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I just keep using Bigpond?

Bigpond is a personal service. It doesn't offer the security controls required to protect a modern business. M365 allows A&A to truly own its identity and ensure business files stay with the business.

Why do I need SharePoint if I already have OneDrive?

OneDrive is your personal locker. SharePoint is the company filing cabinet. Without SharePoint, the business doesn't "own" its data—individual users do. SharePoint makes team collaboration possible.

Will my old emails be lost?

No. We handle the full migration of your history. We also set up forwarding so that any mail sent to your old address still reaches your new professional inbox.

Is 4G backup really necessary?

As you move to cloud-based systems like Monday.com, if the internet goes down, the office stops. 4G backup keeps you working through NBN outages.

Future Roadmap

Following Phase 1, we focus on efficiency and total management:

1. Job Management Automation

Implementing Monday.com or a Custom Solution to track electroplating jobs paperlessly. Because we've already set up your users and cloud storage, linking these systems is simple.

2. Computer Management (Intune/MSP)

Moving to a full Managed Service model for high-security environments. This includes proactive antivirus, automated updates, and Intune Device Management for strict control over hardware.

Requires higher-tier licensing • Fully quoted separately