- Organizations are faced with the decision to move Microsoft Exchange, Office, and SharePoint deployments to the cloud through the implementation of Office 365.
- Microsoft’s push for Office 365 is complicating on-premise and hybrid deployment models of Exchange and SharePoint.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Matching each user’s needs to the correct licensing scheme is difficult and time consuming. Microsoft’s marketing materials are unclear about which services are included in each version of Office 365.
- Office 365 is its own ecosystem with improved integration between services. Hybrid deployments require a significant increase in work for compatibility and ease of use for end users.
Impact and Result
- Assess the needs of users in workgroups and departments.
- Deploy the needed Office modules to each employee without overspending.
- Create a deployment strategy to roll out Office 365.
- Create a governance strategy to manage the deployment and continued use of Office 365.
Workshop: Plan and Implement Office 365
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Plan Your Implementation
The Purpose
- Discuss the general project overview for the Office 365 implementation.
- Create a strategy for deploying Office 365.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Office 365 implementation is planned out in the correct order for the most convenient rollout.
Activities
Outputs
Map order of deployment of Office 365 applications.
- Project Framework
Develop end-user communication.
- Communication Plan
Module 2: Migrate to Exchange Online
The Purpose
- Plan the migration to and the deployment of Exchange Online.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Know the correct migration method for Exchange Online.
- Prepare user profiles for the rest of the Office 365 implementation.
Activities
Outputs
Determine the correct migration strategy based on current version of Exchange.
- Exchange migration strategy
Plan the user groups for a gradual deployment.
- User groups organization by priority of migration
Module 3: Implement Collaboration and Office Applications
The Purpose
- Implement collaboration and productivity tools.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Skype for Business use case defined.
- Office Productivity Suite deployment planned.
Activities
Outputs
Review the organization’s collaboration strategy.
- Office and Skype for Business deployment plan.
Use defined user groups to choose best-case licensing.
Module 4: Get on the Right Track for SharePoint Online
The Purpose
- Define a SharePoint-based information organization strategy.
- Develop a governance framework for SharePoint.
- Enable SharePoint users through workflow.
Key Benefits Achieved
- SharePoint governance plan created before the rollout.
- Greater adoption of SharePoint by end users.
Activities
Outputs
Plan SharePoint architecture based on user needs.
- SharePoint site architecture
Create a SharePoint governance plan.
- Framework for SharePoint governance
Plan the SharePoint migration path.
- SharePoint deployment plan