Microsoft Office 365

QA developed specialist training on the transition to new online software for Microsoft, ensuring a smooth adoption of its Office 365 offering

The challenge

With the launch of Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft now offers the power of Cloud productivity through the familiar Office desktop suite and Cloud-based versions of its next-generation communications and collaboration services: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Lync Online.

However, leading up to the launch of this new software, Microsoft was faced with the challenge of helping customers using the Microsoft Business Productivity On-line Suite (BPOS) transition to Microsoft Office 365.

To overcome this challenge, Microsoft turned to QA to help design and deliver a series of specialist workshops to provide customers with an understanding of the key Office 365 technologies and explain how the transition from BPOS to Office 365 would take place.

The key objectives of the workshop were to help customers:

• Understand the Office 365 technologies
• Understand the Microsoft transition road-map to Office 365
• Identify what actions they would need to take to successfully undertake transition

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"Prior to the launch of Office 365, a key activity for Microsoft was providing specialist training to our existing BPOS customers to enable them to successfully transition to the new technology." Nickie Wing, Partner Segment Manager, Microsoft UK

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The solution

At the beginning of the project, QA worked closely with leading Office 365 subject matter experts at Microsoft's Head Quarters to receive early-adopter training via a Train-the-Trainer workshop.

Following these initial sessions, QA collaborated with Microsoft's UK subsidiary to tailor the developed training content specifically for a UK audience. The result was a half-day 'BPOS to Office 365 Transition Training' workshop.

The interactive workshops were designed to provide customers with:

• a deeper understanding of the Microsoft Office 365 Technologies
• an explanation of the BPOS to Office 365 Transition Plans and Processes
• what actions to do next in order to transition successfully to Office 365
• an understanding of the role Microsoft would play in the 'transition weekend'
• guidance on Pre Transition Planning activities
• guidance on Post Transition Activities including Mobile Device Configuration and Administrative Activities
• a look at a successfully completed transition, demonstrated via a Transition Scenario.

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"We worked closely with QA to design and deliver a series of half-day Office 365 transition training workshops at events across the UK. We were delighted with the results of the training delivered by QA and the positive impact their training had in preparing our BPOS customers to be ready for a successful transition to Office 365." Nickie Wing, Partner Segment Manager, Microsoft UK

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Outcome

The workshop was successfully delivered to over 100 customers through 20 events, delivered at QA's training centres across the UK. The workshops gave Microsoft's existing BPOS customers an overview of the transition to Office 365 process, which enabled them to prepare for a successful transition.