Starting point.
Software development is the core pillar of FNT’s business. As a result, its in-house IT department must ensure that all related services are always available, as unplanned outages would cause substantial project delays, pushing development costs up. Not only does FNT’s software development rely on Scrum management and development environments, it also requires communication and collaboration tools. And e-mail is still indispensable when communicating with stakeholders outside the company.
FNT’s Exchange server had to be highly available in order to handle the growing load. And that would require a massive migration. Because its traditional Microsoft Office licences were also due for an upgrade, FNT decided to switch to the cloud-based Office 365.
Project objectives.
FNT’s goal was to tackle both challenges at once, taking its Office infrastructure into the cloud while also migrating its previously on-premise Exchange server to Office 365. The company wanted to ensure that its global staff would always have access to the latest Office programs, thereby supporting FNT’s growth and the increasingly agile working methods of its developers.
Process.
While advising FNT, Bechtle leveraged its Office 365 experience to skilfully address the requirements of a software company with some 100 developers. Persuaded that the solution was ideal for them, FNT chose to go ahead with the new Exchange and Office environment, which was planned and implemented seamlessly. In application of the Bechtle Group’s unique benefits, specialists from different Bechtle systems integrators contributed their expertise to the project, for instance to enhance IT security.
Solution.
Not only e-mail, but all other Office 365 services have now become an integral part of FNT’s core processes. SharePoint Online serves as a central information and discussion platform, Yammer is used as a multi-site bulletin board and Microsoft Teams accelerates communication between FNT employees. As a result, the company benefits from enhanced agility and innovativeness among its workforce, thanks to a thoroughly modern working environment.
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Business benefits.
FNT’s decision to migrate into the cloud has delivered clear added value. For instance, one of the services of Office 365 is to manage all of the included applications. In addition, Office 365 programs are always up to date, eliminating the frustration experienced by staff when jumping from an older version of Microsoft software to the latest release. Budget planning is also simplified as there are no more cyclical migration costs. And Office 365 licensing is now handled by Bechtle as the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), which means FNT can purchase additional licenses conveniently through Bechtle’s cloud portal instead of having to go through a cumbersome ordering process.
FNT can now apply the resources saved by this new model to innovation projects supporting its core business. For instance, the company has developed a cloud platform based on Docker and Kubernetes, on which it provides its own Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. To take these next-generation software solutions to the public cloud, FNT uses Microsoft Azure Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). As a result, FNT Cloud Services will soon be available worldwide and able to grow in line with customer requirements. And Bechtle is FNT’s preferred cloud provider partner for this endeavour—a partnership that paves the way for numerous other companies to take their IT business into the cloud.