FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most, answered directly. If yours is not here, send it over — a good question usually becomes the next guide.
01
Working with OVAL
What does OVAL LLC actually do?
We are an independent Microsoft technology consulting company. We assess, design, implement, secure, and operate Microsoft environments — Microsoft 365, Azure, Security, Identity, Copilot, and Dynamics 365 — across fifteen service areas.
Do you sell Microsoft licences?
No. We are not a reseller and earn no margin on what you buy. That is deliberate: it means a recommendation to spend less costs us nothing, which is precisely what makes licensing advice worth paying for.
Are you a Microsoft Partner?
Not at present. OVAL LLC is an independent technology consulting company and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft. We will state any partner status here explicitly if and when it is formally granted — and not before.
What does an initial consultation cost?
Nothing. For organizations considering working with us, the initial review is provided at no cost and with no obligation. You keep the written assessment regardless of what you decide.
Do you require a long-term contract?
No. Services are engaged on terms we agree with you, and we do not use multi-year lock-ins to retain clients.
What if we already have an IT provider?
That is common and works well. Advisory and day-to-day support are separable, and we regularly work alongside internal teams and existing managed service providers.
02
Engagements and delivery
How does an engagement start?
With an assessment. We do not make recommendations before documenting what exists — licensing, configuration, usage, and risk. Advice offered before that is guesswork delivered confidently.
How long does an assessment take?
For a typical mid-sized Microsoft 365 environment, one to two weeks including the written report. Larger estates, or engagements with Azure in scope, take longer.
Will an assessment disrupt anything?
No. Assessments are read-only. We review configuration and produce findings; nothing changes until you decide it should.
What happens if something breaks during a change?
Rollback criteria and the time required to execute them are agreed before any change begins. A migration or configuration plan without a defined rollback is not a plan.
Do we have to use you for remediation?
No. Reports are written so your internal team or another provider could execute them. A report only actionable by its author is a sales document, not an assessment.
What are your response times?
Set in your service agreement and varying by severity and scope. We commit to levels we can meet consistently rather than headline numbers that need caveats.
03
Licensing
How much do organizations typically overspend on Microsoft licensing?
It varies far too much to promise a figure, and anyone quoting a fixed percentage before seeing your tenant is guessing. The causes are consistent though: seats assigned to departed staff, duplicated capability across overlapping SKUs, and users licensed above what their role requires.
What is the difference between Business Premium and E3?
Business Premium is capped at 300 seats and bundles Intune and Entra ID P1 at a lower price point. E3 removes the seat cap and adds unlimited archiving, Windows Enterprise, and virtualization rights. Below 300 seats, Business Premium is usually better value unless you need an E3-specific capability.
Can we mix Microsoft 365 plans in one tenant?
Yes, and most organizations should. Licensing is assigned per user, so segmenting by role is usually the single largest cost lever available.
Is E5 worth the upgrade?
Only if someone will operate what it provides. E5 adds advanced detection and compliance tooling that generates findings requiring human triage. Without a security function to act on them, E5 produces a dashboard nobody opens and an invoice that arrives regardless.
What happens to a user's data when we remove their licence?
The mailbox enters a 30-day grace period before deletion. Converting it to a shared mailbox first preserves the contents at no licensing cost and frees the seat.
04
Security and compliance
We have Microsoft 365 E5 — are we secure?
Not automatically. E5 includes most of the Microsoft security stack, but licensed-and-unconfigured tooling provides no protection while costing full price. The gap we find is nearly always configuration rather than licensing.
Will tighter security controls disrupt our staff?
Poorly designed ones will. We stage rollouts through pilot groups, measure the friction, and tune policies before enforcing them broadly. Controls people route around are worse than no controls, because they create false confidence.
Can you help with a cyber-insurance questionnaire?
Yes. We map each question to the corresponding control in your environment, close the gaps that need closing, and document what is in place so your answers are accurate and supportable.
Is multi-factor authentication enough on its own?
It is the single highest-value control but not sufficient alone. Adversary-in-the-middle phishing defeats app-notification MFA routinely, which is why phishing-resistant methods matter for privileged accounts.
Do you provide legal or regulatory advice?
No. We are a technology consultancy, not a law firm. We configure and evidence technical controls; compliance determinations should be confirmed with your own counsel or compliance officer.
05
Copilot and AI
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot worth the per-seat cost?
For roles that spend most of the day in documents, email, and meetings, frequently yes. For roles that do not, usually no. The honest answer is role-specific, which is why a scoped pilot beats an organization-wide commitment.
Does Copilot train on our company data?
No. Microsoft states that Microsoft 365 Copilot does not use tenant data to train foundation models, and that prompts and responses remain within your tenant's compliance boundary.
What has to be true before we deploy Copilot?
A qualifying Microsoft 365 plan, Exchange Online mailboxes, and OneDrive provisioned — and, more importantly, SharePoint and OneDrive permissions you actually trust. Copilot makes existing over-permission discoverable.
Question not answered here?
Send it over. We answer every enquiry within one business day, and if it is a good question it will probably become the next guide.