Microsoft Partner prepares for cloud success with internal usage rights.

July 8, 2011 - PRLog -- They have deployed Office 365 as a demonstrator and technology proof of concept. It has helped them build knowledge, experience and confidence. Eventually, they expect to deploy it across the whole organisation.

Thanks to their internal use of Office 365, Content and Code has developed a consultancy package that they can use to help their customers understand the technology. “I can’t recommend it any higher,” says their Microsoft Online Services Manager.

Business Needs

Content and Code helps clients including RNIB, Tesco, Vodafone, easyJet and the BBC achieve their business vision with Microsoft technology. With around 100 people, it is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and was Microsoft’s UK Partner of the year in in 2010 and Worldwide Partner for Enterprise Content Management in 2010 and for Portals and Collaboration in 2009.

The company had been anticipating the launch of Microsoft Office 365 since it was announced. “We have been ramping up for that – getting on to the beta programme, taking advantage of our internal usage rights and preparing clients for it,” says Lewis Isaacs, Microsoft Online Services Business Manager at Content and Code.

In a broader sense, this process has also been about preparing Content and Code itself for cloud services, which is a fundamental departure from the old, on-premise way of delivering email and collaboration.

"Fundamentally, cloud is predicted to be huge as a tech platform and also as a consumer trend. Microsoft is all in. It’s essential for future proofing your business. You either go with it or you get left behind. That’s why we’re focusing very keenly on it." - Lewis Isaacs, Microsoft Online Services Manager, Content and Code Ltd.


Solution

For Content and Code, the ability to test and use Office 365 has been essential. This is thanks to the free internal usage rights they get as a Microsoft Partner. It has allowed the company to expand its business into cloud services.

Initially, Content and Code deployed Office 365 internally to its three-person cloud team and is currently extending that trial to 25 people (the number of free licences allowed by the internal usage rights).

They are using Microsoft Lync Online for instant messaging and conferencing. It is also a demonstrator for Office 365’s email capabilities. While it hasn’t fully replaced their existing company-wide systems, this trial helps company employees understand the benefits of the new cloud services.

The internal usage rights have been particularly valuable in developing the SharePoint Online opportunity. Content and Code have used it to learn how to re-skin and customise Microsoft SharePoint Online, part of the Office 365 package. (“It’s a massive leap forward from BPOS,” says Isaacs.) They have also developed techniques for integrating it into ADFS so that clients can use on-premise and hosted elements with a single sign-on. “We now have that knowledge and experience and our consultants can recommend it to customers and sell it to them,” says Isaacs.
Benefits

Content and Code benefitted from this experience. “We used it to create a consultancy package that we could sell to our customers,” says Isaacs. The company offers a popular two-day workshop: ‘get ready for Office 365’ that includes a deep demonstration and leads to a statement of work covering a move to Office 365 that covers business goals, types of users, technical issues, hardware, software and bandwidth issues. “It’s gone down very well,” adds Isaacs.

“I can’t recommend it any higher. It would be a mistake not to be aware of it, even if you’re not going to sell it. You can also get a lot of benefits for your business too. Beyond education and efficiency for your business, it’s a great product to go and sell,” says Isaacs. He is looking forward to a phenomenal year for cloud computing. At a time when businesses are trying to understand how the new technology affects them, partners, like Content and Code, who understand Office 365 will be in pole position.

ContentandCode Cloud Website:

http://www.getoffice365.co.uk

Main Company Website

http://www.contentandcode.com

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ContentandCode is the Top UK Microsoft Partner - Experts in sharepoint development, solutions and services