RESOURCES

Use practical checklists to make the next technology decision clearer.

MiCiS resources help organisations prepare for support reviews, projects, migrations and cross-service changes. Start with the decision or problem you need to solve. Identify the systems, people and providers involved before choosing products or agreeing the scope.

Use the guidance to prepare and ask better questions; final scope and responsibilities still depend on the specific environment.

Resource navigator

Start with the decision in front of you

Decision-led

Keep day-to-day systems supportedUsers, devices, cloud, risk and support ownership

Operate 02

Plan a change or migrationCurrent state, timing, dependencies, testing and fallback

Change 03

Open, move or refurbish a siteProviders, cabling, comms room, cutover and handover

Project 04

Connect systems or automate workProcess, data, interfaces, review and ongoing support

Improve

A useful resource prepares the context for discovery; it does not assume the answer or replace a technical assessment.

FormatOn-page checklistsUse the guidance directly without downloading or signing in.

Starting pointOutcome before productFrame the decision before choosing a platform or service.

ContextDependencies + ownersInclude systems, providers, sites and accountable people.

BoundaryNo credentials requiredKeep protected or unnecessary sensitive detail out of the checklist.

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Choose the checklist closest to the decision in front of you.

Use this index to jump straight to a full working baseline below. Each checklist helps expose the context, dependencies and owners that still need to be confirmed.

Six practical starting points

Jump directly to the working baseline that matches the decision in front of you

Checklist index

Managed IT and cybersecuritySupport, devices, risk and ownership

Operate 02

Microsoft 365 and identityTenants, access, collaboration and governance

Cloud 03

Connectivity and callingCircuits, networks, numbers and cutover

Connect 04

Site move and fitoutDates, comms rooms, trades and handover

Project 05

Integration, automation and AIProcess, data, controls and review

Improve 06

CCTV, access and alarmsSites, platforms, dependencies and ownership

Secure

Each link opens a complete working baseline below. Unknowns can remain visible and be assigned for follow-up.

FROM QUESTION TO ACTION

A resource is useful when it turns a broad question into evidence and an owner.

A checklist becomes useful when it helps separate the reported impact from assumptions, exposes the connected systems and providers, and makes the next accountable action visible.

✓
Describe the outcome. Record what must keep working or what needs to change before discussing products.
✓
Separate facts from assumptions. Keep test results, dates, examples and known ownership distinct from what still needs confirmation.
✓
Name the next owner. Identify who can act, approve, provide evidence or escalate the next step.

Resource-to-action path

From a reported need to a prepared review

Evidence-led

01Reported issueWhat is failing, difficult or uncertain

02Planned outcomeWhat must be different and by when

03Current environmentSystems, sites, providers and ownership

Clarify + evidence

Define the operating impactIdentify the person, site, service or process affected

Impact

Map the dependency pathList platforms, networks, providers, data and approvals involved

Map

Gather useful evidenceBring examples, test results, dates, records and known constraints

Evidence

Assign the next ownerName who can act, approve, verify or escalate the next step

Owner

Prepared reviewUseful context available

Clearer scopeUnknowns made visible

Next stepOwnership identified

The level of evidence and technical detail should remain proportional to the decision, risk and information sensitivity involved.

PRACTICAL CHECKLISTS

Six working baselines for common technology decisions.

Use the prompts below as a working baseline. You do not need every answer before asking for help; unknowns are useful when they are made visible and assigned for follow-up.

01 · Operational support baseline

Managed IT and cybersecurity review

People, sites, operating hours and critical work
Users, devices, applications and current support ownership
Internal owners, providers, recurring incidents and escalation paths
Identity, protection, backup, recovery and lifecycle risks

Useful outputEnvironment and responsibility baseline

02 · Cloud and identity baseline

Microsoft 365 and identity review

Tenants, domains, licensing and administrative owners
Identity sources, MFA, guest access and approval boundaries
Email, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive dependencies
Information governance, retention, backup and recovery ownership

Useful outputCloud governance and change baseline

03 · Connectivity and calling baseline

Internet, network and phone review

Sites, circuits, public IPs, carriers and provider contacts
Firewall, switching, Wi-Fi, failover and network ownership
Numbers, call flows, platforms and porting dependencies
Critical services, outage impact, testing, cutover and fallback

Useful outputConnected communications map

04 · Site project readiness

New site, move or fitout review

Opening, move or cutover date and operating constraints
Drawings, comms room, pathways, racks and power readiness
Carrier orders, lead times, builders, trades and site access
Technology work, testing, acceptance, fallback and handover

Useful outputProject dependency and readiness plan

05 · Process improvement opportunity

Integration, automation and AI review

Repeated task, hand-off, information-search problem and desired outcome
Systems, data, supported interfaces and current owners
Required fields, permissions, validation and exception paths
Human review, success measure, logging, support and later change

Useful outputPrioritised use case and control baseline

06 · Physical-site security baseline

CCTV, access and alarm review

Sites, coverage, doors, alarm areas, users and operating hours
Recorders, controllers, credentials, platforms and providers
Network, power, storage and connectivity dependencies
Monitoring, response, permissions, maintenance and escalation boundaries

Useful outputSite-system scope and dependency baseline

WHAT TO BRING

Six inputs make discovery faster and reduce assumptions.

Discovery is faster when the basic operating context is visible. These inputs do not need to be perfect; they need to be current enough to distinguish what is known from what still needs confirmation.

01◎

Operating outcome

What must keep working, improve or be ready by a target date.

BringImpact, priority and success measure

02▦

Current environment

People, sites, systems, services, platforms and known technical boundaries.

BringCurrent-state summary or diagram

03!

Known constraints

Timing, access, licensing, contracts, budgets, policy, operational windows and risk.

BringDates, limits and non-negotiables

04⇆

Providers and ownership

Internal owners, carriers, software vendors, landlords, builders, trades and support contacts.

BringResponsibility and escalation map

05✓

Evidence and examples

Incidents, screenshots, reports, test results, sample records and recurring patterns.

BringRepresentative—not sensitive—evidence

06→

Decision owners

Who approves scope, provides access, accepts the outcome and owns ongoing change.

BringNamed reviewers and approvers

FROM RESOURCE TO SERVICE

Use the checklist to choose the service or solution path that matters first.

Use the resource that frames the immediate decision, then move into the service or solution page that owns the next stage. The right starting path may still involve connected dependencies.

Choose the next page

Move from preparation into the relevant service or solution path

Context retained

Ongoing support or specialist service

Choose among managed IT, Microsoft 365, connectivity, phones, web, CCTV, access control and alarms.

Explore the Services hub

Integration, AI or technology project

Move into a solution-led path where several systems, tasks, providers or work packages must be coordinated.

Explore connected solutions

Organisation-wide operating model

Review how service ownership should adapt to internal capability, sites, operating impact and existing providers.

Choose an organisation path

Evidence from a comparable engagement

Review how MiCiS documents context, scope, dependencies, delivery evidence and a supportable outcome.

View Case Studies

A resource can reveal more than one relevant path. Scope and ownership are confirmed before work begins.

USE GUIDANCE RESPONSIBLY

Prepare enough context to make progress without exposing unnecessary sensitive detail.

Useful preparation does not require credentials, private keys or uncontrolled copies of sensitive records. Keep the first review proportional, redact where appropriate and agree a suitable transfer method before sending protected information.

01
Describe, do not expose.Use system names, roles and high-level relationships before sharing sensitive configuration.
02
Redact representative evidence.Remove credentials, personal information and unnecessary client or security detail.
03
Keep source and date visible.Record where information came from and whether it is current, assumed or awaiting confirmation.

Preparation boundary checklist

Share enough context to prepare without creating avoidable information risk

Proportionate

Scope and audienceWho needs the information and which decision it supports

Known

Information sensitivityPersonal, contractual, security or commercially sensitive content identified

Classified

Credentials excludedPasswords, secrets, private keys and recovery codes are not placed in general checklists

Excluded

Evidence redactedExamples retain the useful pattern without unnecessary detail

Redacted

Source and ownerOrigin, date, confidence and person responsible for confirmation are visible

Owned

Transfer method agreedA suitable method is confirmed before protected material is provided

Agreed

The handling method depends on the information, client requirements, systems involved and agreed engagement.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions to settle before a checklist becomes a service or project scope.

Useful preparation should clarify what is known, what still needs verification and who is responsible for the next decision or action.

Prepare the context, not a predetermined answerThe checklists help expose priorities, dependencies, evidence and ownership before a service, project or platform is selected.

Resources FAQ

Answers before a checklist becomes a service or project scope

Preparation-led

01Are these resources a substitute for a technical assessment?

No. They are preparation tools. A technical assessment still needs to confirm the environment, interfaces, access, licences, constraints, risks and responsibilities before a design or scope is agreed.

02Do we need every answer before contacting MiCiS?

No. Unknowns are useful when they are clearly identified. MiCiS can help determine which information matters first, who may hold it and what needs to be verified during discovery.

03Can the checklists be used with an internal team or other providers?

Yes. They are designed to help make systems, responsibilities, evidence and dependencies visible across internal teams, carriers, software vendors, landlords, builders, trades and specialist providers.

04Should passwords, private keys or sensitive records be entered into a checklist?

No. General checklists should not contain credentials, private keys, recovery codes or unnecessary personal, security or commercially sensitive information. Agree an appropriate transfer method before protected material is supplied.

05Can MiCiS turn a completed checklist into a service or project scope?

It can form a useful discovery input. MiCiS still needs to validate assumptions, inspect relevant systems or sites where required, confirm provider and licensing constraints, and agree responsibilities before committing to a scope.

06Does the same checklist apply to every organisation?

No. Organisation size, internal capability, sites, operating hours, information sensitivity, providers, contracts and risk change which prompts matter and how much evidence is required.

07Can MiCiS facilitate a tailored review or planning workshop?

Yes. The starting format depends on the decision: it may be a technology review, discovery session, site survey, service assessment or project-planning workshop with the relevant owners and providers.

Have a technology decision that needs a clearer starting point?

Bring the outcome, current environment and known constraints. MiCiS will help identify the useful next questions, connected dependencies and practical first stage.