{"id":7595,"date":"2022-01-04T04:27:10","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T04:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/?p=7595"},"modified":"2024-09-20T03:59:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T03:59:08","slug":"get-on-the-fast-track-and-fast-track-your-microsoft-365-deployment-with-fast-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/insights\/geek-speak\/fasttrack\/get-on-the-fast-track-and-fast-track-your-microsoft-365-deployment-with-fast-track\/","title":{"rendered":"Get on the Fast Track and Fast Track your Microsoft 365 Deployment with Fast Track"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-top: 40px;border-bottom: 1px solid #F37237;color: #F37237\"><span>\u2026WAIT\u2026EXCUSE ME?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hey folks! Pure Awesomeness is back! Back once again to pump as much knowledge into your cerebrums as one can with the title of \u201cPure Awesomeness\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what\u2019s it going to be this time you purely awesome madman? Exchange? Identity? How have I ended up with the title of Pure Awesomeness? The lasts one is easy\u2026because I just am. No really\u2026ask anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-top: 40px;border-bottom: 1px solid #F37237;color: #F37237\"><span>FAST TRACK WHO, WHAT, WHERE?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on the title of this blog post, you\u2019re probably thinking \u201che\u2019s going to talk about some fast-racing track type analogy to help us with our M365 deployment\u201d \u2026maybe\u2026kind of\u2026sort of\u2026ok yes admit it, you\u2019re intrigued, aren\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve all seen the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/insights\/geek-speak\/fasttrack\/microsoft-fasttrack-zero-trust-and-identity-shifting-the-security-controls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FastTrack Update<\/a> videos which I release every month. If you haven\u2019t seen these yet, we need to talk. Contact me directly and let\u2019s drill down to the bottom of why you\u2019re not watching what\u2019s probably the most educational set of videos to really kick LinkedIn\u2019s algorithms into gear. If you have seen these videos and are keeping up to date, I\u2019m sure we can all agree on just how knowledgeable the presenter is right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, this blog post is all about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/services\/microsoft-fasttrack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Microsoft FastTrack Program<\/a>. A program which I\u2019ve been privileged enough to be part of for almost six years. So, what is this program all about? Easily answered, however, (yes, there is a \u201chowever\u201d), you need to do a few things for me and for those who are loyal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/insights\/insights-search-results\/?author=Hambik%20Matvosian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">readers of my blogs<\/a>, these tasks should come as no surprise:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Grab your cup of liquid gold aka coffee (also goes by the name of Double Shot Espresso, Macchiato, or a Mazagran \u2013 a Maza-what? Yeah exactly\u2026I had to ask Google!)<\/li><li>Watch the FastTrack Update videos and if you haven\u2019t figured it out yet\u2026the knowledgeable presenter\u2026is me! Although, we still need to talk if you really haven\u2019t watched any of these videos before!<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCGN1xKBnZ_p_l-FhWJd6y4A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Subscribe to Insentra\u2019s YouTube<\/a> channel and finally\u2026<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So, formalities are done, it\u2019s now time to get into the details of what the Microsoft FastTrack Program is and how it can benefit your organisation&#8217;s Microsoft 365 (M365) journey today, tomorrow, next month\u2026or\u2026you catch my drift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-top: 40px;border-bottom: 1px solid #F37237;color: #F37237\"><span>WHAT IS THE FASTTRACK PROGRAM?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Microsoft FastTrack Program was born almost six years ago for Microsoft Partners. Insentra was one of the first six Partners <strong>GLOBALLY <\/strong>to deliver the FastTrack Benefit (yes, there\u2019s a program, a benefit and there\u2019s also eligibility\u2026more on these later). I\u2019ve been lucky enough to be part of the program for six years so if your math is as good as mine\u2026yep, I\u2019ve been delivering the Fasttrack Benefit since day one onboard the Insentra train, which basically means there\u2019s no question about FastTrack Pure Awesomeness can\u2019t answer. <a href=\"mailto:hambik.matsovian@insentragroup.com?subject=So%20you%20think%20you%20know%20everything%20about%20FastTrack?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drop me an email<\/a> if you think you can challenge me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continuing with what the program is all about\u2026The 10,000-foot overview\u2026it\u2019s a remote guidance and adoption service, funded by Microsoft and delivered by Partners like Insentra. We focus on guiding our mutual clients along their M365 journey and we do this in a few ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Technical enablement workshops<\/li><li>Business value workshops \u2013 e.g., here are the main reasons on why you should move to Intune\/Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM) and what challenges these platforms help your organisation overcome<\/li><li>Discuss any challenges or concerns you may have with your current deployment<\/li><li>Discuss what success looks like and map out what needs to be done to get there<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of the program as Microsoft\u2019s phone a friend service for M365. The important thing to note is because the program is remotely delivered guidance, as your FastTrack Partner or FRP (hello, more acronyms!), we don\u2019t have any remote access or admin access into your on-premises environments or your M365 tenant. Insentra\u2019s FastTrack consultants will guide you through what needs to happen (or as one of our crew puts it\u2026guide you through which buttons to push). Then it becomes the client\u2019s responsibility to push said buttons and start turning services on. The beauty about having Insentra as your FRP is we can also provide consulting services outside of the FastTrack scope, which then allows us to push the buttons required to move your services and users across to the beast that is M365.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After reading all the above, you\u2019ve probably got some questions you need answered. Never fear, Pure Awesomeness, have put together some FAQs for your reading pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"padding-bottom: 15px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-top: 40px;border-bottom: 1px solid #F37237;color: #F37237\"><span>FAQ<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What are the requirements to join the program?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember earlier I mentioned eligibility\u2026this is it! If you have 150 (or more) paid licenses in your M365 tenant, you have access to the FastTrack Program. Find a list of all eligible&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/fasttrack\/eligibility#eligible-plans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">FastTrack license plans<\/a>. If you\u2019d like to <a href=\"mailto:hambik.matsovian@insentragroup.com?subject=Becoming%20a%20FastTrack%20client\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact me directly<\/a>, I can get the ball rolling on formally bringing your organisation<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"348\" height=\"301\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/insentra_blog_1_hambik_m_142022_img_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/insentra_blog_1_hambik_m_142022_img_1.jpg 348w, https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/insentra_blog_1_hambik_m_142022_img_1-300x259.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 348px) 100vw, 348px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How long do I have access to FastTrack?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the best part \u2013 forever! If the licenses in your tenant are active, you have access to FastTrack. So don\u2019t let your licenses expire and if you\u2019re thinking of moving out of M365 into another cloud platform (which shall remain anonymous), <strong>DON\u2019T!<\/strong> Let\u2019s talk first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Can FastTrack provide support to my organisation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not quite. The FastTrack Program was never designed to be a support centre where you would traditionally log support tickets. However, if you\u2019re in the middle of a deployment and you hit an issue, you can absolutely raise it with your FastTrack Consultant because if it\u2019s something we\u2019ve seen occur in the past during to a previous FastTrack or Professional Services engagement, we can have a quick phone call or email correspondence to point you in the right direction to resolve the issue. If it\u2019s a more complex issue you\u2019re facing which needs in depth troubleshooting, then we do recommend you log a support ticket through your normal Microsoft support channels to have an engineer assigned to the ticket. Outside of this, Insentra\u2019s Professional Services are also available to you. So, one way or another, if you hit an issue, there is a way forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What does a FastTrack engagement look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDo I just call you and you tell me what needs to be done?\u201d. Not quite. There\u2019s a proven methodology within FastTrack and the engagement is split into multiple phases. Please refer to the screenshot below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"213\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/image-1024x213.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/image-1024x213.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/image-300x63.png 300w, https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/image-768x160.png 768w, https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/01\/image.png 1113w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Initiate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the kick-off stage, where the assigned consultant will schedule a kick-off meeting and take you through the ins and outs of the program.&nbsp; The initiate phase allows us to meet your team, confirm intent for the various M365 workloads you wish to deploy, understand timelines, confirm exec sponsorship and build a picture of what the end state and success looks like for your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Assess<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With this phase, comes a whole bunch of technical questions regarding your current environment and there\u2019s a simple reason for this\u2026it\u2019s so we have a better understanding of how all the gears turn within your environment. This is so we can discuss the goals you have for each M365 workload you want to deploy. This phase also allows you to have a better understanding of how the workloads you wish to deploy will help your organisation. We\u2019ll also discuss Adoption and Change Management (ACM) so it\u2019s on your radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Remediate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ok, so we\u2019ve assessed your environment and now there\u2019s a bunch of tasks to complete before you can start turning services on. Introducing the Remediate phase where all this magic happens. Now, as part of the assessment, we\u2019ll let you know what needs to be remediated and it\u2019s not going to be \u2013 here\u2019s an email with 15 different tasks to complete. We\u2019ll send you a remediation check list, which contains links to a bunch of Microsoft articles to help with the remediation. Cool!! However, if you need any assistance with the remediation tasks, Insentra can also help through a consulting engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Enable<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assessment done. Remediation tasks complete. Now, you start turning services on and getting your users to start using the M365 platform and deployed workloads! Don\u2019t worry, FastTrack is here to guide you through this entire technical enablement process, so you know which buttons to push, and in which order they need to be pushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Data Migration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This phase is optional for reasons I\u2019ll list below. In this phase, FastTrack will migrate data for you into M365, however, your organisation needs to meet some specific requirements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Must have 500 paid licenses or more (FastTrack eligibility is 150 however data migrations require 500 at a minimum)<\/li><li>Migrating from either of the following email systems:<ul><li>Exchange (2010 minimum and seriously, if you\u2019re using anything less, we really need to talk!)<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>G Suite\/Gmail \u2013 (if you\u2019ve chosen to move away from G Suite, great choice shhh don\u2019t tell Google)<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>IMAP4 (probably three of my most disliked email platforms \u2013 Zimbra, Lotus Notes and GroupWise, so if you\u2019ve decided now is the time to move away from these platforms\u2026HOORAY!)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Migrating from either of the following file systems:<ul><li>SMB file shares<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>G Drive\/G Suite (again, great choice!)<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Box<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Drop box<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, there\u2019s some items the migration service won\u2019t migrate however if this is something of interest to you, your FastTrack consultant can take you through the process when required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Completion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, completion! Don\u2019t worry, this doesn\u2019t end your FastTrack engagement or eligibility. It simply means the workloads we were providing the deployment guidance for has now moved into Business as Usual (BAU). Which means you can now focus on the next workload in your organisation\u2019s M365 journey and continue to use your FastTrack eligibility, where the same assigned consultant, can guide you through each of the above phases to help you enable the next workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I can just see your eyes lighting up as you read through all of this. So, if you have over 150 paid licenses in your M365 tenant, you know what to do next right? No? OK, I\u2019ll give you a hint\u2026<a href=\"mailto:hambik.matsovian@insentragroup.com?subject=Becoming%20a%20FastTrack%20client\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact the author of this blog<\/a> and let your FastTrack journey into M365 begin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until next time, Pure Awesomeness signing off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI\u2019ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I\u2019ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I\u2019ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I\u2019ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.\u201d \u2013 Michael Jordan<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hey folks! Pure Awesomeness is back! Back once again to pump as much knowledge into your cerebrums as one can with the title of \u201cPure Awesomeness\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":7599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[240,238,176,132,60,133,239,134],"class_list":["post-7595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fasttrack","tag-fasttrack","tag-fasttrack-partner","tag-identity","tag-m365","tag-microsoft-365","tag-microsoft-endpoint-manager","tag-microsoft-exchange","tag-microsoft-fast-track","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7595"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8902,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595\/revisions\/8902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}