A regional automotive dealership with approximately 70 users relied on a legacy, on-premises IT environment that had evolved over decades.
While daily operations continued, executive leadership lacked visibility into security posture, system dependencies, and operational risk.
As peer dealerships adopted cloud collaboration and mobility-first tools, ownership recognized that outdated technology was limiting productivity and competitiveness.
The Challenge
The dealership’s IT environment was undocumented and heavily dependent on a single internal resource.
POP-based email, VPN-dependent file access, and legacy collaboration tools created operational friction and security risk. Leadership wanted to adopt Microsoft 365 to enable secure email, mobile access, and modern collaboration, but progress stalled due to internal resistance and technical uncertainty.
StrataNorth’s Approach
Shortly after engagement, the internal IT resource resigned without documentation or credential handoff. StrataNorth assumed interim responsibility for IT operations, prioritizing business continuity, risk reduction, and executive confidence.
A rapid assessment revealed systemic identity weaknesses and an undocumented dependency supporting two legally distinct businesses within a single environment.
The Solution
StrataNorth applied a stabilization-first methodology, securing identity systems, consolidating administrative access, and validating backups before modernization.
Only dealership-specific users and data were synchronized into Microsoft 365, preserving flexibility for future organizational separation.
Microsoft 365 was deployed in phases, including secure email migration, Microsoft Teams collaboration, OneDrive file access, and later SharePoint Online.
The Result
What began as a Microsoft 365 rollout evolved into a full stabilization and modernization engagement.
The success of the initiative led the dealership to engage StrataNorth as its long-term managed services partner, establishing a strategic relationship focused on resilience, transparency, and scalable growth within the automotive industry.
Business Transfomation
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StrataNorth LLC
15 Main Street, Suite 139
Watertown, MA 02472
Email: LearnMore@StrataNorth.co
Phone: +1 (617) 612-5231