Client: Large multinational food services provider operating in 30 countries around the world.
Numerous strategic acquisitions and divestitures across its global business
Decentralised business model with a strong focus on business growth
A Microsoft 365 tenant of over 250,000 users requiring secure, disruption-free handling
Migration of 10–12K users in and out of the tenant in under 2 years
Multiple projects, each involving large data volumes (100TB+)
Tight contractual deadlines for delivery
Global operations requiring careful time-zone coordination
Seamless coexistence needed to maintain business continuity
10+ Microsoft 365 tenant migrations delivered on time and with zero business disruption
Continuous productivity preserved through carefully planned coexistence strategies
Client met ambitious targets and tight timelines without increasing their IT overhead
Ongoing partnership built on experience, trust, and strategic alignment
1 PB+ of data migrated without downtime, delays, or business risk
Multiple entities successfully moved into the Microsoft ecosystem to consolidate security and compliance
As a global leader in food services, our client launched a major programme to invest in future growth and focus on core markets that involved divestitures in nine non-core countries and strategic acquisitions. In 2024/2025, our client acquired four European businesses, each operating a number of distinct and individual sectors and brands.
Each transaction came with tight deadlines driven by contractual obligations, requiring fast, disruption-free migration of users and data in and out of the Microsoft 365 environment. The scale and frequency of these projects – spanning multiple regions, domains, and user groups – demanded a highly coordinated approach with no room for error.
Coexistence was a critical requirement, ensuring users across legacy and target environments could communicate and collaborate from day one. One particularly complex acquisition involved migrating 90 individual domains, each requiring tailored planning and execution.
Time zone differences, large data volumes, and evolving governance and security configurations added further layers of complexity. And all of it had to be delivered without increasing internal IT headcount — a major challenge for a small, skilled team already supporting global operations.
Each migration followed a clear, phased plan backed by proven runbooks and deep Microsoft 365 expertise. Our structured approach ensured risks were anticipated, timelines met, and delivery remained consistent – even across uniquely complex scenarios.
We implemented coexistence strategies to ensure users could collaborate across environments from day one. Whether migrating in or out, each transition was invisible to end users – no disruption, no downtime.
Operating as an extension of the client’s IT team, we work collaboratively on their large, business-critical tenant of over 250,000 users. We’ve become their go-to advisors for migrations of all types — not just tenant-to-tenant, but including Active Directory restructuring, domain realignment, and migrations from Google Workspace, Dropbox, and legacy on-prem systems. This strategic partnership approach enables faster decisions and a more agile delivery model.
We don’t take shortcuts — instead, we invest the time to fully understand the landscape, success factors, and potential risks of each project to ensure a smooth transition and excellent end user experience.
Our role extended beyond technical delivery to include strategic input on governance, compliance, and security – helping to optimise the Microsoft 365 environment for long-term value and growth.
We’ve also helped multiple entities move into the Microsoft ecosystem, providing a consolidated platform that enhances security and governance — key priorities for long-term digital assurance.
With tight deadlines and globally distributed teams, strong project management and communication were critical. We kept stakeholders aligned with regular updates, structured reporting, and clear, responsive coordination. At every turn, our team went above and beyond – anticipating challenges, adapting quickly, and doing whatever it took to ensure the client’s success.
With Cloud Essentials as a trusted partner, the client delivered over ten complex Microsoft 365 tenant migrations over a six-year partnership – moving over 1 Petabyte of data without increasing internal IT headcount or disrupting day-to-day operations.
Business continuity was preserved throughout, enabling the organisation to meet tight deadlines, support global growth, and realign its portfolio at speed – all while keeping users seamlessly connected and productive.
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