When adopting cloud-based productivity services, businesses are looking for a number of things. In the first instance, they are seeking online functionality for their employees - the ability to do more, from a wider range of locations. In the vast majority of cases, adopters are also aiming to streamline their IT and gain efficiencies. And thirdly, they are looking for dedicated support from a trusted hosted services provider, who is capable of supporting productive work 24/7.
Through the online productivity suite Office 365, Microsoft offers all these benefits and more to end users, for instance real-time communication features and secure connections. So it is little wonder that businesses large and small are changing the way they resource their IT, by sourcing software and collaboration services for their employees in the cloud.
Aston Martin selects Office 365
Luxury car marker Aston Martin was among the companies to embrace cloud-based productivity services in partnership with Microsoft during 2012. The firm, which is headquartered in Gaydon, England, has more than 1,000 employees working at various sites around the world - all of whom can benefit from the ability to communicate and collaborate online in real-time.
Daniel Roach-Rooke, IT infrastructure manager at Aston Martin, said the car maker's employees expect to be able to connect to their email or other services from anywhere at any time, and from any device. And for this reason, Office 365 access is making a major difference. "Office 365 offers everything we need," he stated. "It is designed for the kind of environment we have, with access from around the globe and different levels of services to match our employees "needs."
Mr Roach-Rooke said new capabilities in Lync Online, such as presence and desktop sharing, are allowing employees to connect and share information internally and with partners. He claimed SharePoint Online has also proven to be a great resource for workers, enabling them to share information externally. "We tended to use email for collaboration in the past, but that can be inefficient," Mr Roach-Rooke noted. "Lync and SharePoint have helped to speed interactions and ensure that our teams get the information they need in a timely manner."
Office 365 simplifies IT management
Mr Roach-Rooke claimed that equipping workers with Office 365 has given Aston Martin staff "the technology they need to drive the business forward." He explained that the suite is fully managed, meaning the company does not have to worry about ensuring uptime on its own servers. "We don"t think about storage, capacity planning, external access, or downtime. It"s a real luxury," the IT chief noted. "Our business has been using Office 365 for about a year now and we've had fast, reliable performance with no significant outages."
According to Mr Roach-Rooke, the productivity suite has also helped to simplify administration for the IT department. He explained that Office 365 is fully integrated with Aston Martin's Windows Server Active Directory service, so the company only has to do things once. "When we bring on new staff, the service desk can create the account and that"s it. Office 365 does the rest."
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