The solution
SoftwareOne was contacted by Lineas to help it overcome these challenges. SoftwareOne realized there was no uniform idea on what a new EA should encompass. It also appeared it did not have an agreed strategy on how to use and optimize its Microsoft licenses.
SoftwareOne recommended that Lineas consults the Microsoft Advisory Services (MAS), which could help the company gets its Microsoft 365 deployment working as effectively and efficiently as possible.
SoftwareOne provided the opportunity to have much better agreements with Microsoft about the future. Eventually, SoftwareOne took us through the whole process, and we are now at the point where we have the licenses completely sorted out for the next 3 years.
– Maurice Peterse, Head of IT Infrastructure & Service Management, Lineas
SoftwareOne resolved its compliance concerns by scanning all Microsoft software of 1,900 users and 400 servers with different scan tools and reconciled all of its Microsoft licenses. In doing so, the company minimized compliance risks and protected against costly audits through thorough compliance checks.
Up until last year, Lineas had to determine its licenses in-house, which worked for a while, but it was very labor-intensive and the company wasn’t sure it was getting the best deals. First, SoftwareOne provided analysis to optimize and consolidate licenses so that the company can determine its licenses with ease. Then, SoftwareOne developed three future-facing business scenarios to help Lineas select the optimal licensing strategy with a new EA. As such, the company was able to acquire licenses that offered more functionality while reducing costs. Ultimately, the heavy work of dealing with licenses is in the past and Lineas is now able to optimize its spend. In doing so, the company can focus more time and resources on new technology initiatives and its core business needs for the future.
Additionally, Lineas faced a big challenge in terms of satisfying new business requirements surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and remote work. The company plans to use the outcome of the MAS to have one central platform that will be able to contain their O365 workloads with access to Exchange Online, Teams, and OneDrive. With unified communication and collaboration solutions, Lineas is confident that it will connect staff and increase productivity and efficiency within its teams across Europe.