Retail insurance specialist boosts productivity by switching to Microsoft Office 365 via the flexibility of CSP
Overview
With over 90 high street branches, insurance specialist A-Plan has been providing a personalised service to more than 600,000 clients since the 1960s. Now the company has been able to boost productivity and increase flexibility after switching to Microsoft modern workplace solutions, thanks to expertise from Bytes.
Challenge
A-Plan relied on Google technology, but this lacked functionality and was not seen by the company as a good investment. It wanted to modernise its infrastructure to improve efficiency and increase the value of the business. After consulting with Bytes, A-Plan saw a switch to Microsoft as the way forward. It chose Bytes as its partner, having been impressed by the team's deep understanding of Microsoft solutions and how best to migrate.
We looked at various partners to work with, but Bytes really stood out for us. They are best known for their knowledge of Microsoft solutions, but their expertise goes beyond that – their specialist vendor teams really know what they are talking about and have helped us redefine our desktop infrastructure and license strategy. Bytes gave us the confidence we needed in what was set to be a massive change for the whole business.
The Bytes Solution
Bytes provided A-Plan with Microsoft Technology Workshops and supporting cost models for a variety of Microsoft agreement and license options. From this, A-Plan selected a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) agreement, allowing them to add components on demand, combined with a Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA) to purchase perpetual licenses.
Bytes delivered Office 365, Exchange, Skype and SharePoint for greater collaboration. Meanwhile, the Bytes specialist Vendor Alliances team recommended additional products to complement A-Plan’s new modern infrastructure. Those selected included:
- Mimecast Security, Continuity and Archiving to safeguard email
- Veeam Backup for on-premise and Office 365 data
- HPe servers and storage hardware
- VMware vSphere
Benefits
The modernisation project has boosted A-Plan's digital transformation strategy and benefited the business as a whole. With its Microsoft CSP agreement, A-Plan can continuously monitor consumption, only pay for what they use, and trial new Microsoft products. Bytes has acted as an extension to A-Plan’s IT team, providing ongoing support and training to help the company get up to speed with Microsoft. Bytes' Cloud Solutions Architects have delivered Office 365 and Azure workshops, while Bytes also arranged Microsoft and NETGEAR courses to upskill employees.