Accountancy services firm The Wow Company has saved money and
improved its operations with a hosted file management platform and
an improved messaging system.
The firm decided to upgrade its IT infrastructure to Microsoft
Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server
2003.
As a result, employees benefit from a consolidated file
management and collaboration environment that simplifies daily
tasks, improves business efficiency and enhances client
service.
The Wow Company was established in 2004 and employs 15 people.
It offers accountancy, investment planning and business growth
consulting services to a variety of organisations.
Initially, Wow was managed as three different business units.
Each had its email system hosted by three separate companies using
Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) to help users retrieve emails from
remote servers. But the lack of cohesion between the hosts resulted
in frequent service downtime, without any single company accepting
responsibility.
Also, employees could not collaborate easily because all client
information and work was stored on their individual computer hard
disks. As a result, business processes became unnecessarily
complicated.
Peter Czapp, a director at The Wow Company, says, "No one could
access anyone else's information. Setting up a meeting, for
instance, was often a lengthy and frustrating process involving
multiple telephone calls and email messages.
"Similarly, because documents were shared by email, version
control complications arose, with different people working on
different versions of documents or spreadsheets."
The unconsolidated system also hindered client service, as
employees couldn't respond to customer queries promptly because the
information they required was located in different places and held
by various people. This also made it difficult for management to
keep track of key performance indicators and formulate an effective
organisational strategy.
Another issue facing management was the cost of maintaining the
outdated system. Employees had to back up their portable computers
online every night, but because multiple computers stored the same
information, the company was paying for unnecessary copies to be
saved.
Czapp decided to restructure the existing system and sought the
services of Microsoft partner Perceptive Online. There were two
options: a hosted service or an in-house solution.
The latter option proved to be 50% more expensive and
unmanageable because employees did not have the IT knowledge
required to maintain an in-house system. Space was also an issue.
"We didn't have the space to install the necessary hardware," says
Czapp. "We also wanted the security and maintenance looked after by
people with specialist expertise."
Wow chose to implement an integrated Microsoft Office SharePoint
Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 system hosted by
Perceptive. By outsourcing to a host, Wow ensures it is using the
latest versions of the software and covering all licensing costs as
part of its monthly payments.
The first task was to transfer all company data on to Office
SharePoint Server 2007. The application provides a single,
integrated interface where employees can collaborate efficiently
with each other and access information on any customer.
They can use the system anywhere as long as they have an
internet connection. The accountants use a personalised intranet
with separate folders for each client, which are split into three
sub-folders representing Wow's three departments.
The offering also has extensive document management
capabilities, assigning version histories to documents and storing
them all in a structured archive.
Next, Wow migrated users to the Exchange Server hosted by
Perceptive. It allows Wow employees to share calendar information
with colleagues and clients. They can also read email messages on
the move due to integration with Windows Mobile devices.
The combined system integrates fully with Microsoft Office 2007,
simplifying document management.
Employees now have a consolidated, reliable IT infrastructure
that improves their work rate and collaboration, and supports
company growth.
All maintenance, backup and disaster recovery is handled by
Perceptive, leaving Wow staff to concentrate on business
objectives. Without upgrading to the new IT infrastructure, Czapp
says Wow would have needed new and larger premises.
"We're now able to provide a better service to our clients
because we can collaborate more effectively and find information at
the touch of a button from anywhere in the world," he says.
Czapp said future IT upgrade plans at the company could focus on
areas such as improved email archiving, mobile integration based on
the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), and Microsoft unified
communications technology to support instant messaging, voice over
IP calls and conferencing, for instance. New versions of Sharepoint
and Exchange are also being considered.
Benefits of the upgraded system
- Wow saved a large amount of money and time by avoiding a move
to new premises.
- Company saved 50% of monthly costs with a hosted rather than
in-house solution.
- Business operates economically with less paper used in the
office.
- Users can access all information from anywhere with an internet
connection.
- Employees provide better client service by having a single
information repository accessible to everyone.
- Accountants collaborate efficiently using advanced calendar
features and document management capabilities.
- Wow finds it easier to work with one hosting partner rather
than three. It gets a quick response to its queries and simplifies
billing.
- The firm can focus on core business objectives rather than IT
by using a hosted solution.
- The scalable solution easily accommodates new users.
Source: The Wow Company