IT Support & Microsoft 365 Licencing
A comprehensive Microsoft agreement
Introduction
Following a successful Azure & Microsoft 365 migration, our team entered into a support contract with Macro Group, involving a tailored IT infrastructure and licensing strategy built for scalability, cost-efficiency, and operational clarity.
Challenges
With over 700 users across multiple business functions, the client required more than just post-migration stabilisation - they needed a comprehensive IT support framework that could handle day-to-day operations, onboarding and offboarding, license management, and asset tracking, all while remaining responsive to real-world business demands.
As part of their company restructuring, following a management buy-out from their former parent company Mace Group, Macro purchased WEBCON BPS to quickly get their business off the ground; we would use this to build the organisation's support ecosystem from the ground up.
Finally, as Macro's licencing partner, we needed to provide a cost-effective licencing model; Macro had received quotes for licences they didn't need, or were over-priced - even above retail price. They needed a licencing partner they could trust.
Our Solution
We implemented a bespoke helpdesk system built on WEBCON and integrated it with a bespoke .NET support portal, designed specifically for Macro Group. This dual-system solution acts as the operational backbone of their IT support structure. We have another case study about Macro Group's use of WEBCON BPS, which we encourage you to check out.
WEBCON was configured with several robust workflows:
- A centralised ticketing system for IT incidents and requests,
- an end-to-end onboarding and offboarding process for managing user accounts,
- a license assignment engine, covering more than just Microsoft 365; and
- a fully integrated asset management module that syncs with Microsoft Intune.
All of these processes contributed to our highly bespoke IT support agreement, and helped our expert support team to efficiently attend to IT requests of any nature. We operate on a 12 hour day, covering the majority of Macro's global working hours.
Licensing strategy was another key focus area. To avoid unnecessary costs while maintaining functionality, we implemented a tiered licensing model. Microsoft 365 F3 licenses were allocated to users who operate on client-owned or tablet devices and primarily use web-based Office tools. These users didn’t require desktop applications or Intune-managed endpoints, making F3 the ideal cost-effective choice. As they had designated mailboxes in their clients' tenants, the 2GB mailbox cap was not an issue.
On the other hand, employees who were issued corporate laptops, requiring advanced productivity and security features, were assigned Microsoft 365 E5 licenses. This group benefited from features like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, advanced compliance tools, and enhanced Teams capabilities.
Overall, Dolphin & Macro had a tightly integrated, intelligent support ecosystem that not only met the client’s operational needs, but will scale with them. Our custom-built portal gives department managers visibility into request status, asset assignments, and onboarding timelines, while WEBCON ensures each request flows through its designated lifecycle without bottlenecks.
By designing a system tailored to the client’s structure and combining it with a flexible licensing approach, we’ve delivered a support model that is not only technically robust, but also financially sustainable and deeply aligned with their internal workflows.
