Services · Microsoft Advisory for SMB and Mid-Market
Microsoft technology today is a connected platform, not a bouquet of separate products — and that's exactly where most SMB and mid-market projects fail: Microsoft 365 gets adopted without a Dynamics view, Dynamics without a Power Platform strategy, Copilot without an adoption plan. arades GmbH advises you as a Microsoft Partner and Microsoft Licensing Partner holistically across all cloud platforms — M365, D365, Power Platform, Copilot, and Azure — combined with Independent Engineering when standard isn't enough. Since 2007 for mid-market companies in the Rhine-Main region and across Germany.
Microsoft Advisory — definition
Microsoft is no longer a software vendor in the classic sense — it's a platform provider across five essential worlds: productivity (Microsoft 365), business applications (Dynamics 365), low-code (Power Platform), artificial intelligence (Copilot, Foundry), and cloud infrastructure (Azure, Entra ID). Microsoft advisory that looks at only one of these worlds gives away 30–60% of the achievable value — because the real levers sit at the connection points.
Examples: Microsoft Copilot for Sales is only valuable when the CRM data model is right and Outlook sync is active. Power BI develops its force only when data from Dynamics and Business Central is consolidated. Conditional Access with Microsoft Entra ID P2 protects Microsoft 365 identities — but equally protects Dynamics users, without additional licenses being required there. Holistic Microsoft advisory recognizes these synergies and plans them in.
Honest Microsoft advisory covers five topic areas:
As a Microsoft Partner from Offenbach am Main, we support mid-market companies across the entire Rhine-Main region and beyond — from Frankfurt through Darmstadt and Wiesbaden to Aschaffenburg.
The dual-pillar logic
arades GmbH deliberately works with two pillars — and that's more than a sales argument. Pillar 1 is the Microsoft cloud engineering world (Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Copilot, Azure). Pillar 2 is Independent Engineering — custom software, web platforms, mobile apps, integration, and Microsoft-adjacent custom development with modern tech stacks (.NET, TypeScript, Vue, Astro, Node.js, React Native).
This dual-pillar logic makes us independent. Pure Microsoft houses have to find the right standard product for every problem — even when none truly fits. Pure custom-software houses build a custom solution for every problem — even when a standard product would be more elegant. We recommend Microsoft Cloud when standard products truly carry, and Independent Engineering when something specific has to be built. Both from one source, which moves interface friction to the right place — into value creation instead of contract negotiation between two providers.
Typical examples of the two pillars connecting: a SharePoint Framework extension (SPFx) running in the Microsoft 365 tenant but with custom React code. A Power Apps solution using a custom connector to your own REST service with .NET backend. A Dynamics 365 application complemented by a separate mobile app for field-service specialists. A custom web platform on Astro pulling data from Dataverse. A Microsoft Teams app communicating with your in-house backend.
Four advisory packages · thematic depth
Alongside the three advisory formats (Quick Audit, Strategy Workshop, Architecture-as-a-Service), there are four thematic packages. Each package bundles discovery, workshop, and result document — fixed price, clear duration, clear deliverables. Which package fits when depends on the concrete starting situation.
Goal: Three-year roadmap across all five Microsoft cloud platforms with investment view and phase gates.
Duration: 2–4 weeks of work, 2–3 workshop days.
Deliverables: Roadmap document (15–25 pages), investment estimate per phase, license and NCE recommendation, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
When? Before larger Microsoft investments, during platform consolidation, after a CEO/CIO change with new IT strategy.
Goal: Turn purchased Microsoft licenses into measurable usage — Microsoft 365 Copilot, Teams, Power Platform.
Duration: 6–12 weeks program with champion wave.
Deliverables: Adoption plan, champion program toolkit, use-case library, KPI dashboard on Power BI using Microsoft Usage Analytics, training materials.
When? After Microsoft 365 rollout, after Copilot introduction, when usage data shows licenses are not being used.
Goal: Raise the Microsoft 365 and Azure security baseline to NIS2 level — Conditional Access, MFA, Defender, Purview, Privileged Identity Management.
Duration: 3–6 weeks of work, 1–2 workshop days.
Deliverables: Security baseline configuration (Conditional Access policies, Defender for Endpoint, Intune Compliance), gap analysis, NIS2-compliant documentation, residual risk list.
When? NIS2 in-scope since December 2025, after an audit finding, before a BSI conversation, after a security incident.
Goal: Tidy up an existing Microsoft tenant — license mix, Power Platform governance, Azure Cost Management, tenant hygiene.
Duration: 2–4 weeks of work, 1 workshop day.
Deliverables: License optimization report, Power Platform CoE Toolkit setup, Azure Reserved Instances recommendation, tagging concept.
When? Before every NCE renewal, under cost pressure, after Microsoft tenant growth via acquisition or spin-off.
Day-rate range for workshop days and architecture reviews: market rate · price on request. Advisory packages as fixed-price bundles; individual workshop days and sprint engagements at day rate.
Four-step process
Four steps from the first conversation to continuous architecture support. Each step with a clear result, clear duration, and a clear transition point.
30-min initial conversation, then 1–2 discovery calls with stakeholders. We clarify engagement scope, module focus, investment frame, and stakeholder constellation.
Duration: 1–2 weeks · free of charge
2–3 days on-site or remote — depending on the chosen package (Strategy, Adoption, Security, or Optimization). The result is a written roadmap or configuration document.
Duration: 2–3 weeks · fixed price
1–4 weeks implementation sprint where we — together with your team or as a pure delivery — implement quick wins from the workshop: Conditional Access, Copilot rollout, Power Platform governance.
Duration: 1–4 weeks · fixed price per sprint
Architecture-as-a-Service as an ongoing day-rate contract — quarterly reviews, Microsoft feature evaluation, tenant hygiene, adoption measurement. Continuous architecture discipline without an internal full-time hire.
Duration: 12+ months · day-rate contract
Three engagement models
Three engagement models cover the typical situations. Which model fits depends on maturity, investment frame, and stakeholder constellation.
Duration: 1–3 days
When it fits: When a concrete question is on the table — license renewal, migration decision, Copilot rollout plan. Fixed price per workshop day.
Result: Workshop protocol with recommendations, Architecture Decision Records, effort estimate for next steps.
Duration: 1–4 weeks
When it fits: When a concrete piece is to be implemented after a workshop — activate Conditional Access policies, set up Power Platform CoE, run a Copilot pilot. Fixed price per sprint with a clear deliverable.
Result: Configured, documented piece of the Microsoft cloud with a handover document to your team.
Duration: 12+ months
When it fits: When you want continuous architecture discipline — quarterly reviews, evaluate new Microsoft features, measure adoption. Ongoing day-rate contract, no open-ended hourly billing.
Result: Quarterly reports, continuous roadmap adjustment, Architecture Decision Records as a living document.
Three advisory formats
We deliver Microsoft advisory in three clearly delineated formats with a fixed price. You choose the format that fits your maturity and investment willingness. No hourly business, no open ends — every format with a clear deliverable and a maximum lead time.
1-day audit with a subsequent written report. Content: Microsoft tenant overview (M365, Dynamics, Power Platform, Azure), license inventory analysis, security quick check (Conditional Access, MFA, Defender, compliance), three concrete immediate actions with expected effect. Suitable as a first audit or as preparation for a renewal.
Fixed price · price on request
2 to 3 days on-site in Offenbach, Frankfurt, or at your location — or remote via Microsoft Teams. Content: Microsoft cloud strategy over 3 years, platform roadmap (M365 → Dynamics 365 → Power Platform → Copilot → Azure), license and NCE strategy, compliance gap analysis (NIS2, EU AI Act, GDPR), written roadmap with effort and cost estimate per phase.
Fixed price · price on request · Delivery: 2–3 weeks
Quarterly Microsoft cloud architecture reviews as a recurring service. For companies that want continuous architecture discipline and a permanent Microsoft architect on board, without filling a full-time role internally. We assess new Microsoft features, review tenant hygiene, measure adoption, and plan roadmap adjustments.
Price on request
The five Microsoft cloud platforms
Holistic Microsoft advisory thinks in five connected cloud platforms with clear connection points, not in isolated products.
Office, Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive plus Microsoft Entra ID (identity), Microsoft Defender (endpoint and Office), Microsoft Purview (compliance, information protection), Microsoft Intune (endpoint management). With Microsoft 365 Copilot as the AI layer over all of it. Sweet spot for mid-market companies: Business Premium (50–300 users) or E3 (300+ users).
Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Customer Insights as CRM modules; Business Central as ERP for the mid-market. All apps modularly licensable via Microsoft Licensing Partner. Integration with M365 and Power Platform out of the box. We focus on the mid-market with 10–500 employees — we deliberately do not advise on F&O.
Power Apps for industry applications, Power Automate for workflow, Power BI for reporting, Copilot Studio for AI agents. Plus Power Pages for external portals. Prerequisite for serious use: governance — default-environment lockdown, premium connector license discipline, ALM process, Center of Excellence Toolkit.
Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot for Sales / Service / Business Central as app add-ons, Copilot Studio for AI agents in self-service or service center. Microsoft Foundry for custom models, RAG scenarios, and EU-compliant AI architectures. Compliance-relevant under EU AI Act from Feb 2026 — see our EU AI Act advisory page.
Identity (Entra ID P1/P2), Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, B2B guest models. Infrastructure (VMs, App Services, AKS, Azure SQL), networking (VNet, private endpoints), security (Defender for Cloud, Sentinel). Reserved Instances and Savings Plans for 25–65% cost reduction compared to pay-as-you-go.
What the Microsoft standard doesn't cover: custom software (.NET, TypeScript, Node.js), web platforms (Astro, Next.js, Vue, headless CMS), mobile apps (React Native, iOS, Android), Microsoft-adjacent custom development (SPFx, Teams apps, Outlook add-ins, Microsoft Graph integration). Embedded in the Microsoft world but with modern open-source tech stacks.
The most common mistakes · what we regularly see in Microsoft audits
In most SMB and mid-market tenants we find Microsoft 365 Business Premium or E3 in use — but Conditional Access isn't configured, MFA only applies to admins, Defender for Endpoint is unused, Privileged Identity Management isn't activated. That has been NIS2-relevant since December 2025 for 29,500 German companies.
Sales staff maintain customers in Dynamics 365 Sales, accounting maintains the same customers in Business Central. Master data drifts apart, address changes have to be made twice, conditions become inconsistent. In the strategy workshop we configure the Dataverse connector or a Power Automate flow as the bridge.
Power Apps, Power Automate flows, and custom connectors often emerge unplanned — in the default environment, without lifecycle, without backup, with premium connectors without license coverage. After two years, 40+ citizen-developer apps sit unaudited in the tenant. Microsoft Power Platform Governance is a mandatory building block of any serious Microsoft advisory.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is billed additively to the Microsoft 365 license. Anyone who buys 50 licenses and does no systematic adoption (prompt coaching, use-case collection, champion program, KPI tracking) sees in Microsoft Usage Analytics after three months that 70% of users use Copilot less than once per week.
Azure subscriptions grow without budget alerts, without Reserved Instances, without a tagging strategy. The monthly invoice rises 30–60% with no one able to say why. In the audit we review Azure Cost Management, identify unused resources, and calculate the Reserved Instances potential.
Since Feb 2025 the first obligations of the EU AI Act are in force; from Feb 2026 come high-risk obligations and transparency requirements for foundation models. Anyone using Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio agents, or Microsoft Foundry has to classify, document, and build governance structures. See our EU AI Act advisory.
Further reading
Platform overview of all five Microsoft cloud platforms, with sub-hubs for M365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, AI, and Azure.
Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Customer Insights — as a fixed-price audit or strategy workshop.
Dynamics 365 Business Central for the mid-market — Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, HR.
Fixed-price license audit, EA renewal support, CSP migration. Three audit tiers with a clear delivery promise.
AI governance for Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Microsoft Foundry. Classification, documentation, governance.
Architecture-as-a-Service as a recurring format for companies with ongoing architecture needs.
Frequently asked questions about Microsoft advisory
Five topic areas: Microsoft 365 (productivity and security), Microsoft Dynamics 365 (CRM and ERP), Microsoft Power Platform (low-code), Microsoft Copilot and Foundry (AI), Microsoft Azure and Entra ID (identity and infrastructure). Good Microsoft advisory thinks these fields holistically and plans the connection points.
Microsoft Quick Audit, Strategy Workshop, and Architecture-as-a-Service are available as fixed-price formats. License audits in three tiers. Application Care as a monthly flat rate in three tiers. Full Microsoft transformation projects are calculated modularly based on scope. Prices on request.
Four properties: mid-market DNA (instead of corporate overengineering), fixed-price discipline (instead of open-ended hourly billing), Microsoft Licensing Partner depth (honest license advisory), and holistic Microsoft understanding across all cloud platforms. arades GmbH has been a Microsoft Partner since 2007 with an Microsoft Licensing Partner contract and CMMI methodology.
arades works with two pillars: Pillar 1 is Microsoft cloud engineering (M365, D365, Power Platform, Copilot, Azure). Pillar 2 is Independent Engineering (custom software, web platforms, mobile apps, Microsoft-adjacent custom development). We recommend Microsoft Cloud when standard carries, and Independent Engineering when something specific has to be built.
No, we deliberately do not advise on F&O. F&O is an enterprise product for corporate scenarios from 500 employees up. Our focus is the mid-market with 10–500 employees — and there Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the right ERP choice.
Typically in four situations: before larger Microsoft investments (M365 rollout, D365 introduction, Copilot program, Azure migration); before every Microsoft license renewal (NCE Annual or Triennial); when NIS2 or EU AI Act obligations apply; when internal Microsoft architecture competence is a bottleneck (Architecture-as-a-Service as a recurring format).
Quick Audit: 1 day plus 1–2 weeks report. Strategy Workshop: 2–3 days plus 2–3 weeks roadmap. Thematic packages: 2–12 weeks depending on the package. Architecture-as-a-Service: quarterly rhythm, minimum 12 months. Full Microsoft transformation projects: 6–18 months depending on scope and headcount.
No. Existing Microsoft licenses are not a prerequisite. Three constellations are possible: you have Microsoft licenses directly with Microsoft or another CSP — we advise independently. You move license procurement to arades as Microsoft Licensing Partner. You have no Microsoft licenses yet — we design the license mix as part of the Strategy Workshop.
Both. Workshop days and discovery calls on-site in Offenbach am Main, at the customer site in the Rhine-Main region (Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, Aschaffenburg) or across Germany — or remote via Microsoft Teams. Most engagements are mixed. On-site against travel cost reimbursement, remote without surcharge.
Take-away · two materials
Two depths for different reading needs. The factsheet is a quick reference (3–5 min) and instantly downloadable. The whitepaper is market education with methodology and comparison data (15–30 min) — you get it by email after a short request.
3–5 min read · Direct download · no form
Compact overview: scope, key metrics, pricing model, process — ideal to forward to CFO, procurement, or the business unit.
15–30 min read · by email after request
Methodology, comparison data, recommendation framework — material for internal argumentation toward stakeholders.
Related services
Deeper architecture advisory with ADRs and roadmap.
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License optimization and CSP — the economic lever.
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AI strategy in the Microsoft stack — Copilot, Foundry, Power Platform AI.
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Microsoft stack in the regulatory context — Defender, Purview, Conditional Access.
Request Microsoft advisory
30-min initial conversation — we clarify whether a Quick Audit, a Strategy Workshop, or Architecture-as-a-Service is the right format. You get a concrete assessment, usually within days.
Take-away
Two-page quick reference with package structure, delivery areas, and three reasons for arades — instantly downloadable, no form. Ideal to forward to CFO, procurement, or the IT lead.
3–5 min read · Direct download · no form
