Microsoft 365 Support · SLA & contract models
Microsoft 365 problems hit business operations right in the heart: no Outlook, no Teams meetings, no SharePoint documents. This page shows our support models — from pay-per-hour, through Application Care, to a Strategic contract — with defined SLA, an established Microsoft escalation path, and practice-tested advisors out of current implementation practice.
Contract models
From an hour bundle for occasional questions to a Strategic contract with a dedicated architect — three documented models with clear pricing and no surprise timesheets.
Model 1 · Pay-per-Hour
Classic hour bundle for spot support — when you only have occasional Microsoft 365 questions but need a reliable point of contact. Response time 1 business day, free 15-minute initial diagnosis. Hours don't expire. Suited for smaller tenants or as entry.
Model 2 · Application Care Standard
Defined SLA with response under 4 hours during business hours, initial diagnosis under 24 hours, established Microsoft escalation path. Includes release-wave assessments, quarterly license audits, adoption reports. From about €1,200 net per month. Suited for tenants up to about 500 users with standard workloads.
Model 3 · Application Care Strategic
For complex setups with hybrid identity, dedicated compliance requirements, or Copilot rollouts. Dedicated solution architect, extended service hours (e.g. 24/7), quarterly architecture reviews, direct Slack/Teams channel. From about €4,500 net per month. For mid-market tenants from 500 users on.
Support scope
The complete Microsoft 365 platform — from classic workloads to today's Copilot world. Hybrid setups with on-premises components included.
Mail & calendar
Mailbox issues, migration from IMAP/Exchange On-Prem, hybrid setups, anti-spam configuration, rules and distribution lists, calendar permissions, shared mailboxes, distribution groups, public folders. Migration from third-party mail services (Google Workspace, Tobit David, Kerio, Zimbra).
Collaboration
Teams meetings, channels, apps, telephony, and devices. SharePoint sites, hub sites, libraries, permissions, site migration, search configuration. Tenant-wide collaboration setups, guest access, B2B sharing.
Identity & devices
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) — Conditional Access, MFA, Identity Protection, hybrid identity setups, B2B configuration. Microsoft Intune — device compliance, app protection policies, MAM-WE scenarios, Autopilot profiles, compliance reports.
Security & compliance
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365, Defender for Cloud Apps. Microsoft Purview — sensitivity labels, Data Loss Prevention, Communication Compliance, eDiscovery. Audit logs and Compliance Center configuration for NIS2-relevant setups.
Productivity & storage
OneDrive sync issues, sharing behavior, versions, storage limits. Office Apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) on desktop, web, and mobile. Microsoft 365 Copilot — tenant preparation, adoption questions, prompt coaching, compliance settings.
Admin & license
Microsoft 365 Admin Center configuration, tenant settings, user and group management. Quarterly license audits, optimization proposals, frontline worker license migrations, Copilot add-on math, NCE and triennial advisory.
What makes a good Microsoft 365 support relationship
Six levers by which every Microsoft 365 support provider should be measured. Vendor-neutral wording, so you can also classify competitor answers.
01 · SLA definition
Support without a written SLA is wishful thinking. A good support agreement defines response time (when does someone get back to us?), initial-diagnosis time (when do we know what's broken?), service hours (Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m., 24/7, or somewhere between?), and escalation paths.
02 · Microsoft escalation path
For tenant-wide problems, service-health issues, or bug confirmations you need a provider who can independently open a ticket in the Microsoft Partner Center. Otherwise you talk to Microsoft support yourself — which can cost weeks.
03 · Tenant depth instead of hourly clicks
Classic helpdesk models treat every ticket in isolation. In running contracts like Application Care, however, tenant knowledge accumulates — known quirks, earlier architecture decisions, critical custom workflows. That makes the resolution faster.
04 · Release-wave maintenance
Microsoft 365 gets two release waves per year with hundreds of changes. Without maintenance, surprises happen — new defaults, changed Defender policies, deprecated features. A good support contract includes release-wave assessment with concrete per-tenant evaluations.
05 · License optimization as a service
Microsoft 365 licenses are a notable ongoing cost item. Quarterly license audits regularly uncover 5–15% saving potential — through frontline migrations, tariff downgrades of inactive users, Copilot add-on optimization. A good support contract includes this.
06 · Pricing transparency
Are monthly price, escalation surcharges for 24/7 topics, and the out-of-scope rule (hourly rate if something isn't in the contract) openly communicated? Hidden timesheets at month-end are the most common frustration symptom in classic support contracts.
arades as your Microsoft 365 support partner
arades GmbH has been caring for Microsoft 365 tenants since the Office 365 BPOS days. This platform history makes the difference for support topics that rarely appear in textbooks.
Application Care contracts contain a written SLA with response under 4 hours during business hours (Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Central European time), initial diagnosis under 24 hours, a separate escalation hotline for tenant-critical incidents. Strategic contracts with extended service hours up to 24/7.
arades opens Microsoft support tickets from our Partner Center for tenant-wide problems, service-health issues, or bug confirmations. You don't have to communicate with Microsoft yourself — we mirror status and resolution steps into our ticket system.
For Application Care contracts we maintain a documented tenant profile per customer — known quirks, critical custom workflows, earlier architecture decisions, upcoming topics. For recurring topics, that measurably reduces resolution time.
We test Microsoft release waves before activation in a sandbox and deliver a written assessment per tenant — which changes are relevant, what to prepare, which defaults should consciously remain active. That prevents the typical "suddenly different" surprises.
In Application Care we conduct quarterly license audits — typical findings: unused E5 licenses, missed frontline migration opportunities, Copilot add-on optimizations, NCE contract gaps. Realistic saving potential: 5–15% of Microsoft cloud costs per year.
Application Care Standard from about €1,200 net per month. Application Care Strategic from about €4,500 net per month. Out-of-scope topics are confirmed before execution as an addition offer — never as an unannounced timesheet at month-end.
Frequently asked questions
Three contract models: Pay-per-Hour (hour bundle from 10 hours, day rate transparent), Application Care Standard (predictable monthly flat fee from about €1,200 net per month, defined SLA), Application Care Strategic (for complex setups with a dedicated architect, from about €4,500 net per month). Initial diagnosis call (15 minutes) free.
Response under 4 hours during business hours (Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Central European time). Initial diagnosis under 24 hours, often considerably faster. For critical tickets (tenant outage, security incident, mass login issues) there is a separate escalation hotline. Strategic Care contracts allow extended service hours (e.g. 24/7).
The complete Microsoft 365 platform: Outlook and Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 Copilot. Also hybrid setups with on-premises components and migrations from third-party mail services (Google Workspace, Tobit David, Kerio).
arades has an established Microsoft escalation path via the Microsoft Partner Center. For tenant-wide problems, service-health issues, or product bugs we open the Microsoft support ticket from our partner account — you do not have to communicate with Microsoft yourself. Status updates and resolution steps are mirrored into our ticket system.
Application Care Standard is the predictable monthly flat fee for classic M365 support with a defined SLA — suitable for mid-market tenants up to about 500 users with standard workloads. Application Care Strategic is aimed at complex setups (hybrid identity, dedicated compliance requirements, integrated Intune/Defender/Conditional Access architecture, Copilot rollout) and includes a dedicated solution architect plus extended service hours.
Yes. The partner switch works in three steps: (1) health-check discovery (free, 30 min) to clarify tenant status, open tickets, critical quirks. (2) Optional architecture review for an objective baseline (3–5 days, fixed price). (3) License takeover via partner-of-record switch in the Microsoft Admin Center — documented Microsoft process without penalty. Methodologically accompanied by Knowledge Recovery.
Further reading
Six follow-on topics in the order they typically become relevant after a support decision.
Response under 4 hours, established Microsoft escalation path. Three contract models from a single source: Pay-per-Hour, Standard, Strategic.
Strategy workshop, license audit, Copilot readiness, security baseline — Microsoft 365 advisory for mid-market companies.
Business Basic/Standard/Premium, E1/E3/E5, Frontline F1/F3, Copilot — license models, NCE mechanics, triennial discounts.
Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, Copilot — role-specific curricula for end users, power users, and admins.
Six selection criteria for a good Microsoft 365 partner — practice depth, software development, industry understanding, methodology, own solutions, partner size.
Engineering overview: Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive, Intune, Defender — the Microsoft 365 platform explained technically.
15 min · free · initial diagnosis
15 minutes of free initial diagnosis with a Microsoft architect. We listen, classify, and give an honest assessment — whether the topic calls for an hour bundle, an Application Care contract, or an architecture advisory.
