Efficiency Boost for Daily Business

In order to migrate all existing data and project and team files from SharePoint 2016 (on-premise) to SharePoint Online, it was first necessary to switch to Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams. As a result, a standardized data and project management system was implemented, which also includes all functions of modern, individually adaptable communication as well as collaboration systems. At the same time, a generally comprehensible structure had to be developed to simplify document retrieval. In addition, independent customizing of the solution was an important concern for ekey.

The right solution with Microsoft Teams as the hub for day-to-day business, which includes not only communication and collaboration, but also data and project management, was found for ekey.
Migration and implementation were realized within seven months. It was also possible to familiarize all project managers with the system in a very short time. Along the way, employees were trained for the new applications and possibilities via wikis and videos on an e-learning platform.

Collaboration within the company is made much easier by Microsoft Teams. The focus on a single system landscape brought many benefits. These include, for example, easier collaboration and faster document retrieval because everything is located in Microsoft Teams. The tools and applications were very well received by the users and the successes achieved with them were quickly noticeable.

Goals Achieved

• Independent adjustments and changes in the Power App as well as editing of the workflow
• Improved and increased efficiency in planning, task allocation, findability and collaboration through holistic solution in Modern Workplace and ERP area
• Standard resources and low-code programming meant all requirements could be met

What began as a research project over 20 years ago is now one of the leading manufacturers of biometric access control. The vision: biometrics for everyone! In the beginning, the only ekey product was the finger scanner. That quickly revolutionized the market. Ekey recognized the potential of biometric authentication very early on as a simple, convenient and secure alternative to keys, codes and other tools for access authorization. Meanwhile, the company exports its products to more than 70 countries. Exports account for about 80% of sales. Gradually, the product range was expanded and the number of employees grew steadily.

As the company grew, it became necessary to manage day-to-day operations more efficiently. The company’s former project portal in SharePoint 2016 was a purchased product and could not be customized without expert help. It also no longer met task scheduling requirements. Since a switch to Microsoft Office 365 had already been made, Microsoft Teams was used extensively, and the existing structure of the project files could be transferred to Teams, ekey was looking for an individually adaptable solution—based on a Microsoft standard. The goal was thus to move to the cloud and switch to Microsoft Teams as the sole system. This was to be achieved by migrating all project and team files from SharePoint On-Premise (2016) to SharePoint Online. In future, all employees, whether they are project managers or managing directors, should be able to quickly find the documents they need.

The course was set, and the exact path to it was worked out with COSMO CONSULT. ekey and COSMO CONSULT created a power app and workflow for it together through the power platform. At the same time, the implementation teams communicated in regular meetings inside and outside the organization via Teams. After a thorough preparation period, the solution was rolled out in one go within a month. This intensive planning phase was essential to be able to establish central cornerstones right from the start. For example, when creating a new team in Microsoft Teams, it had to be possible to link existing and confidential documents to specific permissions and employees in advance. Meanwhile, a process for creating the respective team is running in the background. COSMO CONSULT was able to achieve very significant project progress using the Power Platform, especially Power Apps and Power Automate. The only things that had to be programmed individually were the employees’ wishes and additions. All projects and documents were migrated to Microsoft Teams or SharePoint Online, which operates in the background, using Sharegate. A phased implementation would have been out of the question, as this would have been logistically extremely complicated. The complexity that would otherwise have arisen was not necessary in this project due to the subsequently executed dovetailing of the pilot phase, provisioning, and individual adjustments and migration. In contrast, many implementation steps were easily accomplished with the power app used. All project files could be migrated on a continuous basis within one month.

As well as efficient coordination steps between ekey’s internal IT department and the COSMO CONSULT team, another essential aspect of the change process was to train employees accordingly to ensure a successful migration. Wikis were created in Microsoft Teams and videos were offered via an e-learning platform to achieve this. In addition, the employees as end users also had the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement.

Since it is a Microsoft cloud solution and can be independently customized, Microsoft Teams is now recognized by all employees as the hub for day-to-day business within the company. Microsoft Teams is now used for all business activities—including communication, collaboration, project management and data management. Office 365 has also made employees’ work processes more efficient. Lengthy searches are reduced to a minimum and collaboration is greatly enhanced with the option of direct calls via Microsoft Teams and extensive online meeting capabilities.

As well as the many positive experiences, the changeover also brought some challenges, as familiar processes were replaced by more “modern” workflows. For example, the user interface in the front end has changed with extra functions and options. After a short and guided familiarization phase, users were able to quickly internalize the new system landscape and they accepted it well. Thanks to COSMO CONSULT’s agile way of working, it was also possible to take into account new software requirements that arose during the change process.

ekey and COSMO CONSULT were already connected before this project through prior cooperation. The company was relying on a proven provider here and their expectations were correspondingly high. As usual, COSMO CONSULT fully met these. The collaboration began with a classic ERP project. The focus was on covering the production area, plant data collection and the interface to Amazon. Above all, the broad spectrum of knowledge within COSMO CONSULT greatly facilitated the technical implementation in all projects.