Executive summary
Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA) delivers critical community services across Oakland and Livingston counties in Michigan, so their Microsoft 365 environment needs to be dependable even when time and funding are focused on program delivery.
Through Apex Digital’s 2025 Technology Empowerment Grant, OLHSA received $10,000 in in-kind services for a Microsoft 365 Assessment that gave them clear findings and a prioritized “Now / Next / Later” roadmap.
The assessment focused on practical areas in their Microsoft 365 environment such as licensing alignment, identity and access best practices, backup and recovery readiness, simplifying connected apps, and data retention guidance, plus a high-level discussion of future phone modernization options.
As OLHSA’s CFO Brad Michaud put it, the work was “extremely useful and educational,” with findings that were “clear and concise” and priorities that made it easier to understand where to focus and how to allocate resources.
The outcome is a phased plan OLHSA can execute over time, helping them protect continuity, plan improvements with confidence, and keep their focus where it belongs: serving the community.
The challenge: program-driven funding left little room for platform planning
Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency supports Oakland and Livingston County residents through programs tied to economic security, education, emergency assistance, housing, and health and nutrition. Their mission is to strengthen pathways to shared prosperity through services, advocacy, and collaborative solutions.
Like many nonprofits, OLHSA’s technology environment plays a major role in day-to-day operations, but time and funding are often tied to delivering programs.
These constraints make it hard to step back and answer the bigger questions around their Microsoft 365 environment:
- What is working well?
- What needs attention?
- What should come first?
OLHSA wanted stronger operational value from Microsoft 365 and clearer direction on what to prioritize so they could support staff better, reduce friction in day-to-day work, and plan improvements with confidence.
Citing these challenges, OLHSA applied for and was awarded the Apex Digital Technology Empowerment Grant, a program designed to help Michigan nonprofits move key technology initiatives forward in a way that supports their mission. As a 2025 awardee, OLHSA received $10,000 in in-kind services for a Microsoft 365 Assessment that provided clear findings and a prioritized roadmap to guide next steps.
“Most of our funding is programmatic and focused on services, so we have not historically had much opportunity to fill in some of the gaps in our Microsoft 365 environment,” said Brad Michaud, CFO at Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency. “That is why we sought out the Technology Empowerment Grant offered by Apex Digital Solutions. This gave us a rare chance to step back and get clarity on Microsoft 365.”
What Apex Digital delivered: a Microsoft 365 assessment with clear priorities and an actionable roadmap
Apex Digital delivered a Microsoft 365 assessment designed to create clarity and prioritization for OLHSA.
Deliverables for the assessment included:
- A structured review of the Microsoft 365 environment with an emphasis on governance and long-term maintainability
- A clear summary of key themes and improvement opportunities, framed in practical language
- A prioritized “Now / Next / Later” roadmap that separates immediate priorities from longer-term initiatives
Key areas reviewed in the assessment:
- Licensing alignment
- Identity and access best practices to support reliability and maintainability over time
- Backup and recovery readiness planning
- Simplifying connected apps and integrations to reduce long-term complexity
- Guidance on data retention and data lifecycle best practices
- A high-level discussion of Microsoft-based phone modernization as a potential future initiative (outside formal assessment scope)
Brad shared that the findings were clear and easy to interface with as a non-technical business leader.
“Working with Apex Digital on the Microsoft 365 assessment was extremely useful and educational,” said Michaud. “The findings were clear and concise, and the way the team laid out priorities made it easy to understand what to focus on and where to allocate resources.”
Outcomes: a roadmap that makes action easier
The most important outcome of the assessment was a prioritized roadmap OLHSA can execute in phases.
Now: establishing the foundation
Focus areas in the “Now” phase center on standards and clarity.
- Establish baseline governance and access standards
- Reduce unnecessary complexity in tenant configuration and connected apps
- Put business continuity priorities on a clear plan, including access and recovery readiness
Next: implement key improvements
This phase moves from planning into targeted initiatives.
- Confirm licensing strategy to support current and planned Microsoft 365 usage
- Modernize identity in a phased way that fits OLHSA’s operational reality
- Plan for modern phone system adoption using Microsoft capabilities, if and when it fits priorities
Later: build consistency and maturity over time
This phase supports long-term sustainability.
- Mature governance cadence with regular reviews and clear ownership
- Evaluate monitoring and response support options based on internal capacity and priorities
- Build readiness for upcoming platform initiatives as adoption evolves
Note: This roadmap outlines recommended next steps. Implementation services are not included as part of the roadmap deliverable.
Brad emphasized why implementing a Microsoft 365 assessment should be a top priority for nonprofits.
“If the resources are available, in today’s world, I think it’s critical to engage in a full audit and assessment of your Microsoft 365 environment, because I think nonprofits can get themselves into a lot of trouble if they don’t have this in place,” said Michaud, “For example, you can put donor and client data at risk, undermine trust with your community, or end up in a reactive cycle where small issues become big disruptions. By getting a clear view of your environment, you can address the right things first and plan improvements with confidence.”
Takeaways for nonprofit leaders
- A Microsoft 365 Assessment can create clarity without demanding immediate large-scale change.
- A phased roadmap helps teams prioritize and plan funding, time, and ownership.
- Governance and reliability work supports staff efficiency and reduces friction across programs.
- Leverage unique technology grant opportunities, such as the Apex Digital Technology Empowerment Grant, to fund assessments and roadmapping work that can be difficult to prioritize with program-driven budgets.
