Military Forests and Estates of the Czech Republic decided to take a major step towards to modern IT. By implementing this project, they were able to unify communication, simplify data management and enable employees to work more efficiently - and that and out of the office. Migrating to Microsoft 365 can provide the same scenario other public administration companies.
„In the past, our communication was fragmented and important information was often lost in email correspondence. With the introduction of Microsoft Teams and OneDrive, we've made significant improvements - documents and conversations are clearly organised, easily accessible and team collaboration is more efficient than ever.“
Military Forests and Estates of the Czech Republic, s. p. (VLS) is a state-owned company with more than 80 years of tradition. They manage large forest and agricultural areas, operate hunting, fishing and provide services for the military.
The company's IT system prior to the project was fragmented, difficult to manage and hampered the further development of the company. VLS therefore turned to ORBIT to help them better secure their data and ensure more effective collaboration across the organisation.
From forest management to data management: implementing Microsoft 365 in public administration
VLS has long used traditional IT infrastructure - on-premise exchange server for email and on-premise MS Windows Server file-share solution for sharing documents. However, increasing demands from employees for greater work flexibility have been met with problems of data availability outside the office, file sharing and limited security.
The solution was migration to Microsoft 365, which included the following phases.
Hybrid Exchange and mailbox migration
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The customer's Exchange server was challenging to manage, update and monitor for security. By deploying a hybrid configuration, we enabled smooth transition to the cloud without downtime (it allows gradual migration without the need to immediately migrate all users). Overall, we have Exchange Online migrated 540 mailboxes.
➡️ Migration to Exchange Online brought VLS higher availability, automatic updates and better protection against cyber threats.
Migrate files to SharePoint Online
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The original file-share repositories did not allow for effective collaboration - files were only accessible from the internal network, without versioning and without the ability to share outside the organisation.
SharePoint Online on the other hand, provides centralised, secure and easily accessible storage. It enables version documents, collaborate on them in real time and set permissions on documents.
The migration of user file structures was complicated by the different languages of the original repository and SharePoint. We solved this problem by applying custom configuration scripts.
➡️ Move to SharePoint Online greatly simplified the daily work of the teams VLS across sites.
Migrate personal folders to OneDrive
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Originally, users had their personal data stored locally or on network drives, which made it difficult to access outside the office and increased the risk of data loss.
By migrating personal folders to OneDrive, we've ensured that every user's data is securely stored in the cloud, accessible at any time from anywhere and automatically backed up.
➡️ Migrating personal data to OneDrive has contributed to greater flexibility in the work of VLS employees and to reducing dependency on a specific device.
Creating a structure in Microsoft Teams
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VLS has not used a single communication platform to date. In Microsoft Teams we have therefore set up teams according to the customer's existing organisational structure. Employees now communicate within teams by department, share documents and plan tasks without the need for email. ️️
➡️ By creating a structure in Microsoft Teams, we significantly speed up and streamline the daily operation of VLS.
„Thanks to the project, we have verified that even in a state-owned enterprise, the cloud can be implemented quickly and without complications. The key is competent employees who are actively interested in changing things for the better.“
When the forest is cut down...
...you need trained foresters, that is, employees. That's why we chose an unusual training logistics: we took the employees to the training facilities one by one. Combination of onsite workshops and e-learning we have thoroughly familiarized employees and administrators with the entire migration process and the new ecosystem tools Microsoft 365.
➡️ Thanks to the training of all VLS employees the implementation of M365 was successful.
Results of migration to Microsoft 365 in public administration
What did the VLS project bring?
✅ Configured and secured tenant M365
✅ Hybrid Exchange configuration with mailboxes in Exchange Online
✅ Functional structure of Teams according to VLS needs
✅ Move files to Teams and SharePoint Online repositories
✅ Training of administrators and users
Thanks to the migration to Microsoft 365, the Military Forests and Estates of the Czech Republic gained modern, safe and efficient working environment. Company data is now securely stored in the cloud, communication is done in Teams, users can access their documents from anywhere, and the M365 central interface makes it easier for IT administrators to manage their environment. The project has also opened the way for the implementation of security technologies such as Intune or Defender. But more on that next time.
„At ORBIT, they knew exactly what they were doing and why. From the point of view of my participation in the project as a coordinator of the customer team, I would like to highlight their always perfect technical and especially organizational readiness, which was essential for the successful implementation of Microsoft 365 in our environment in the required quality and time.“
ARE YOU PLANNING TO MIGRATE TO MICROSOFT 365 (NOT ONLY) IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION?
We can help you with the first and subsequent steps.
