.GOV Tenant Migration & Domain Trust
Secure Microsoft 365 .GOV Migration — end‑to‑end, professionally managed cutover
A .GOV tenant is the standard for public‑sector identity, email authenticity, and compliance. Migrating from a commercial Microsoft 365 tenant to Microsoft 365 Government (G5) strengthens security, improves deliverability (especially for citizen‑facing email), enhances eligibility for certain grants, and reduces supply‑chain and impersonation risk. This page outlines the strategy, phases, deliverables, and a planning‑level budget to execute a clean, auditable migration.
5 Phases
Discovery → Support
Cutover
Hours, not weeks
Compliance
Aligned with .gov controls
Docs
Runbooks & as‑built
Typical Scope
- Provision Microsoft 365 Government (G5) tenant
- Connect new .gov domain(s) and verify DNS
- Establish two‑way trust with the parent/city tenant
- Migrate users, groups, shared mailboxes, and aliases
- Move mailboxes, OneDrive, and SharePoint sites
- Set baseline security & compliance (MFA, CA, DLP)
- On‑site technician during cutover, as needed
We size projects by mailbox count, data volume, number of sites, and security requirements.
Outcomes
- Hardened tenant aligned to .GOV requirements
- Clean mail flow and Teams/SharePoint continuity
- Identity trust in place for cross‑tenant access
- Documented build, policies, and exceptions
- Training hand‑off for admins and help desk
Approach
Phase 1 — Discovery & Planning (≈1 week)
- Inventory accounts, mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint, and permissions
- Confirm domain ownership and .gov issuance path
- Define migration waves, freeze windows, rollback criteria
- Risk register, comms plan, and approval gates
Phase 2 — Environment Prep (≈1 week)
- Provision G5 tenant and baseline security
- Conditional Access, MFA, and identity sync (as appropriate)
- Two‑way domain trust configuration and test
- Tooling ready (e.g., BitTitan, Quest)
Phase 3 — Migration (≈2 weeks)
- Pilot wave, validate, then bulk moves
- Mailbox, OneDrive, and SharePoint data
- Groups, shared resources, room/equipment mailboxes
- DNS changes staged for cutover
Phase 4 — Cutover (3–5 days)
- Switch MX and Autodiscover, confirm mail flow
- License activation and post‑switch checks
- On‑site technician present as needed
- Hypercare channel open
Phase 5 — Stabilization & Handover (≈1 week)
- Troubleshooting and residual forwarding cleanup
- Decommission legacy tenant artifacts
- As‑built docs, runbooks, and admin training
- Closeout review and next‑step hardening
Deliverables
Migration Artifacts
- Inventory workbook and wave plan
- Baseline security configuration report
- Trust configuration and validation logs
- Cutover checklist and acceptance test results
Documentation & Training
- As‑built system diagram and runbook
- Admin quick‑start and escalation paths
- Knowledge transfer session recordings
Who Benefits From a .GOV Migration
Cities & Towns
Improve trust and deliverability for resident communications, council updates, and service alerts.
Counties
Standardize identity, policy, and security across departments and offices.
Police Departments
Strengthen identity assurance and reduce impersonation risk for public‑safety communications.
Fire & EMS
Harden mission‑critical messaging, scheduling, and incident coordination.
Sheriff’s Offices & 911/PSAPs
Protect dispatch workflows and inter‑agency collaboration.
Public Works & Utilities
Increase resilience for outage notifications, maintenance, and contractor coordination.
Transit & Transportation Authorities
Secure service alerts, fare operations, and vendor access.
Courts & Clerks
Protect official notices, docket communications, and citizen interactions.
Health & Human Services
Support sensitive case work and inter‑program coordination with stronger controls.
School Districts & Education Agencies
Improve legitimacy and fraud resistance for family communications and vendor workflows.
Libraries & Cultural Institutions
Enhance trust for community programming and patron services.
Boards, Commissions & Authorities
Unify identity and reduce sprawl across special‑purpose entities.
Add‑Ons
- Security hardening pack (DLP, CA tuning): +$3K – $5K
- Retention & governance policies: +$2K
- Admin & help‑desk training: +$1K
Assumptions
- Staged waves, freeze window approved
- Reasonable data hygiene and DNS access
- Change approvals available during cutover
What We Handle
- Runbooks, comms, and rollback
- Tooling and throughput tuning
- As‑built documentation and hand‑off
Service
Criteria
Discovery & Planning
$3,500 – $5,000
Environment Setup & Trust
$7,000 – $9,000
Migration Services (mailboxes, data)
$15,000 – $20,000
Project Management & QA
$4,000 – $6,000
On‑Site Technician (2 days)
$1,600 – $2,400
Support & Documentation
$2,500 – $3,500
Total (typical band)
$38,000 – $46,000
Licensing (e.g., Microsoft 365 G5) is separate and priced per user. Actual costs vary by mailbox count, data size, SharePoint sites, and security scope.
Add‑Ons
Security hardening pack (DLP, CA tuning)
- Retention & governance policies
- Admin & help‑desk training
Budget Framework
Item | Estimate |
Discovery & Planning | $3,500 – $5,000 |
Environment Setup & Trust | $7,000 – $9,000 |
Migration Services (mailboxes, data) | $15,000 – $20,000 |
Project Management & QA | $4,000 – $6,000 |
On‑Site Technician (2 days) | $1,600 – $2,400 |
Support & Documentation | $2,500 – $3,500 |
Total (typical band) | $38,000 – $46,000 |
Licensing (e.g., Microsoft 365 G5) is separate and priced per user. Actual costs vary by mailbox count, data size, SharePoint sites, and security scope.
Ready to plan your .GOV migration?
We’ll help define the roadmap, sequence key milestones, and ensure a seamless move that strengthens trust and compliance.
FAQ zero‑downtime goals, rollbacks, tools
Downtime? Mail flow is maintained; short client re‑auth windows are typical during cutover.
Rollback? We define guardrails and a timed checkpoint to revert DNS and resume the legacy route if needed.
Tools? We use proven migration tooling and log everything for audit and support.