Case Study

Challenge

Take a moment and think back to March 2020. Most stateshad just declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19 andordered all non-essential businesses to close their offices.Leadership teams were tasked with the seemingly impossible.How could they send home their staff while keeping theirbusiness operating? A newfound dependency on emailcommunication and video conferencing ensued due toremotely located staff. For many businesses, like our caseclient, their current systems were outdated with limitedcapabilities and communication barriers. They were alsoutilizing multiple applications to collaborate and accomplishdaily productivity tasks.“We were an ‘in-office’ organization…[we] relied heavily onperson-to-person communication, email, phone calls” ------The client needed a solution that was reliable, quick, secure,and mobile. By migrating to the cloud-based Office 365, ourclient could utilize the email platform and all its features onmultiple devices. They would also have a secure chat andvideo application (Microsoft Teams) that would strip theircommon communication barriers and make collaboratingmore efficient and productive.

Solution

Blackink IT worked with the client to achieve the following:

• Developed migration plan and setup features to meet client’s business goals
• Configured the Microsoft 365 suite using Blackink IT's industry best practices
  • Microsoft Security Center to ensure appropriate compliance and security policies
  • Data classification and retention
  • Application features for optimal collaboration
  • Microsoft Team's organization and standards
• Smooth migration to Microsoft 365 with the suite of Microsoft Applications
• Increased availability and reliability for operations
• Provided skillful support on application and system introduction with training materials and coaching to help achieve client's business goals
• Solution aided in the 'work from home' transition while ensuring optimal productivity

Results

The Office 365 migration and Teams deployment was successful in improving efficiency, productivity, and communication for theclient. It inspired organizational change in seating arrangements from department groupings to new project collaborations. Themigration resulted in fewer lost emails and it eliminated the hierarchical barrier of management for easier communicationstreams. The Office 365 suite allowed our client to meet each other where they were at which improved company moral.