Note: This is an abbreviated version of a case study. The full version, along with other Office 365 customer stories, is available here. You can read a Q&A with UrbaCon on the Why Microsoft blog.

Overview

UrbaCon General Contracting and its subsidiaries sought to replace Google Apps for Business because it was cumbersome to maintain and did not provide unified communications capabilities. Executives decided to transition from Google Apps to Microsoft Office 365. Now UrbaCon benefits from simplified IT management, improved network security, and the ability to support employee productivity from practically anywhere. 

Business Needs

UrbaCon General Contracting and its subsidiaries, Khayyat Contracting and Trading Company (KCT), Loyalty Business Development Investment (LBDI), and Highness Design, provide turnkey design and construction services. Because the company's internal resources and knowledge base spans design, procurement, and construction functions, it excels in completing large-scale projects faster than its competitors.

Solution

UrbaCon executives searched for a solution to replace Google Apps. As part of its evaluation process, the company initiated a 30-day trial of Microsoft Office 365, which provides a full suite of subscription-based productivity and collaboration applications hosted in Microsoft data centers. Microsoft Office 365 includes Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, and Microsoft Lync Online, in addition to Office Professional Plus 2010. "We knew right away that, with Office 365, we had found the missing link to creating a single, comprehensive platform for communication and collaboration that can scale to meet the needs of our business," says Alkhayyat.

Benefits

By moving to Microsoft Office 365, UrbaCon anticipates the following benefits:

  • Simplified IT management. In transitioning its messaging infrastructure to Exchange Online, the company benefits from automatic synchronization between its Active Directory environment and its email service.
  • Improved network security. Interoperability between the UrbaCon identity management infrastructure and its email service will also help strengthen data security.
  • Greater value from existing IT tools. Beyond extending the value of its investment in Active Directory, UrbaCon can now take full advantage of workflow tools in Microsoft SharePoint Server to automate business processes.
  • Increased productivity. By providing access to email and voice mail all in one place, together with presence awareness and on-demand conferencing and chat tools through Lync Online, UrbaCon is now better equipped to support the productivity needs of its mobile workforce.

Read the full UrbaCon case study here. You can also read a Q&A with UrbaCon on the Why Microsoft blog.

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