Business eeds:

Many of the world’s oil and gas resources are found in places where local services can’t support large-scale operations. That’s why companies such as RedMed Group, based in Algeria, play such as crucial role. Through its work, the likes of British Petroleum and TOTAL gain access to the machinery, accommodation, office space, and personnel to drive their in-country operations.

RedMed Group has around 1,700 personnel, a number of whom work abroad. The majority of staff can’t afford to be offline during the day when they’re managing projects and working closely with colleagues. Even a few hours without email can lead to disruptions in the smooth running of the business.

With services like email being so important, RedMed Group knew that its existing on-premises Linux-based email system had to be reviewed. Bouchenak Khelladi Sofyane, IT Manager at RedMed Group, says:  “The world of work has changed and people want to be able to share and edit documents using smartphones and tablets, and use the same devices for messaging and video conferencing. Our on-premises IT infrastructure was not set up for this and we were unable to be as collaborative and effective as we needed to. To continue to succeed, we had to change.”

Solution:

To address these challenges, Sofyane launched a trial of cloud-based Microsoft Office 365. This initial exercise consisted of five mailboxes, but the IT manager immediately saw the potential. “We compared Office 365 with the services of a local hosting provider. When we factored in levels of support, there was no question that Office 365 offered greater business value,” says Sofyane.

After reading Sofyane’s report of the trial, key stakeholders across RedMed Group gave him the go-ahead to purchase the Office 365 Enterprise E1 package for employees. At this point, the company engaged with Microsoft Partner Orsima, which helped with the migration. Sofyane says: “We received great support from Orsima. If we had any questions, they were answered quickly. Orsima gave us a lot of confidence.”

After 12 months, RedMed Group upgraded to Office 365 Enterprise E3, giving personnel access to Office as well as a wide range of collaboration services. For example, staff can install Office on multiple devices and can access Office on any PC through Office on Demand. They can conduct online meetings, video conferences and use instant messaging through Lync, as well as store and share files on OneDrive for Business. Says Sofyane: “Employees’ responses to Office 365 has been very positive. They gained access to latest productivity tools while we ensured our data was secure and protected.”

Benefits:

Using Office 365, RedMed Group has the infrastructure to deliver an even greater level of service to the world’s leading energy companies. Employees find it easier to collaborate and respond quickly to customers, and the business has significantly reduced the costs of delivering IT services to personnel in Algeria and abroad.

• Lower costs. By moving to Office 365, the company has cut IT costs by 50 per cent. When Sofyane adds up the capital and operational cost of the on-premises infrastructure, he says: “We’ve lowered IT expenditure by 50 per cent with Office 365—at the same time we’re giving staff better, more reliable access to a wide range of leading business software solutions.”

• Uninterrupted productivity. Each mailbox has a 50-gigabyte limit, which is significantly more than the 500-megabyte limit of the past. It means they can work free from the hassle of constantly deleting emails. And archiving emails every 15 days is a thing of the past too. “We can focus on IT strategy because Office 365 takes care of our daily IT needs,” says Sofyane.

• Consistent and familiar. Now, everyone across the organisation accesses the same latest-version Microsoft Office software. Staff have gained better functionality, but have avoided the need for training thanks to the familiar interface. This has helped the company avoid additional costs.

• Anywhere access. Employees keep working wherever they are, on any PC. Often they find themselves in locations with only PC access, where the machines don’t have Microsoft Office installed. Even here, they can access their applications and data online through Office on Demand.

• Flexible working. Today, staff can work where they want on a variety of devices. They can use smartphones or tablet devices as well as PCs and laptops to achieve their business goals. “With Office 365, people can work in a way that suits them best—using whatever device is appropriate for a particular task or time,” says Sofyane.