This year, Lai and Associates was proud to attend the MISA Conference 2026 in London, Ontario. The event brought together municipal IT leaders, public-sector professionals, technology partners, and community-focused organizations from across the province.
For our team, MISA 2026 was more than a conference. It was an opportunity to listen, contribute, and continue building relationships with the people responsible for helping Ontario municipalities serve their communities through better technology.
It was also a meaningful milestone for our Co-Founder and CTO, Rondha Ramdeo Lai, who delivered her first speaking engagement at MISA.
Rondha Ramdeo Lai presenting on rightsized Microsoft 365 governance for municipalities.
Rondha Ramdeo Lai’s Microsoft Journey
Over the past decade, Rondha’s work has been grounded in a clear philosophy: help organizations work, learn, and grow within the Microsoft ecosystem.
That philosophy has shaped Lai and Associates’ support for mission-led organizations, including Community Health Centres, nonprofit teams, education organizations, and public-sector groups that rely on technology to serve people well.
Through Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, licensing support, training, and practical technology planning, Rondha has helped organizations make their systems more useful for the people who depend on them every day. The work is technical, but the purpose is human: helping teams collaborate, communicate, and focus more time on the communities they serve.
Her MISA speaking engagement reflected that same commitment. It was a chance to share experience, learn from peers, and contribute to a professional community that cares deeply about public service.
Why MISA Matters to Ontario Municipal Technology Teams
Municipal technology work is complex. Local governments need secure systems, clear communication, reliable collaboration tools, practical training, and technology decisions that respect public accountability.
At MISA 2026, conversations returned to a familiar theme: technology is most valuable when it helps staff do their work more clearly, consistently, and confidently.
For municipalities, that can include:
These are not abstract technology goals. They affect how municipal teams serve residents, support staff, manage information, and keep daily operations moving.
- Making better use of Microsoft 365 across departments
- Organizing SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Outlook around real municipal workflows
- Improving internal communication and staff collaboration
- Supporting secure document access and information governance
- Helping teams adopt technology through practical training
- Aligning licensing and cloud tools with actual operational needs
Bringing Mission-Led Experience Into the Municipal Space
Lai and Associates has spent years supporting organizations where technology decisions directly affect community service.
That experience matters for municipalities. Public-sector teams often face the same mix of operational pressure, privacy expectations, budget constraints, staff adoption challenges, and service responsibility that we see across other mission-led environments.
Our work with Community Health Centres and other Ontario organizations has reinforced an important lesson: Microsoft tools are only useful when they are planned around real work.
A Teams rollout, SharePoint intranet, licensing review, staff training plan, or cloud modernization project should not create more complexity. It should make collaboration easier, improve access to information, and give teams clearer ways to support the people they serve.
That is the perspective Lai and Associates brings to municipal technology work.
Practical Microsoft-First Support for Municipalities
As a Microsoft-first technology partner, Lai and Associates supports organizations that want to improve the way they use Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, cloud services, training, and related technology systems.
For municipal and public-sector teams, that support can include Microsoft licence management, SharePoint and intranet planning, Microsoft training services, and readiness work for newer tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot.
The goal is not to add technology for its own sake. The goal is to help teams make better use of the systems they already have, strengthen governance where needed, and build practical adoption so staff can use the tools with confidence.
Many attendees met with Rondha before and after her presentation at the Lai and Associates booth at MISA 2026.
Meaningful Connections at MISA 2026
One of the strongest parts of MISA 2026 was the opportunity to connect with municipal leaders and technology professionals who are working through similar challenges from different angles.
Every conversation added perspective. Some teams are focused on collaboration and staff adoption. Others are thinking about security, governance, service delivery, procurement, or modernization. Many are trying to make steady progress while balancing limited capacity and high expectations.
Those conversations matter because technology work improves when it is grounded in real operational needs. Lai and Associates values the opportunity to learn from municipal peers and contribute practical Microsoft experience where it can help.
A happy attendee finally gets her Leo the Lion, she chased it for two days at the conference!
Continuing the Journey
Attending MISA 2026 reminded us why this work matters.
Lai and Associates is committed to supporting mission-led organizations and public-sector teams with technology solutions that are practical, secure, and built around real people. Rondha’s first MISA speaking engagement was an important milestone in that journey, and it reflects the direction our team continues to build toward: sharing knowledge, strengthening community connections, and helping organizations use technology with purpose.
We are grateful for the conversations, relationships, and ideas that came out of MISA 2026, and we look forward to continuing our work with Ontario municipalities and public-sector teams.
If your organization is reviewing Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, training, licensing, or broader technology priorities, contact Lai and Associates to start the conversation.
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