2 page Case Study - Posted 2/26/2009

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MiniLiner

Cargo Firm Boosts Productivity, Cuts IT Costs by $64,000 Annually with Online Services

MiniLiner is an air-cargo firm in Orio al Serio, Italy, whose rapid growth led to a disorganized IT infrastructure that was expensive, difficult to use, and unreliable. The firm subscribed to Microsoft® Online Services to provide employees with real-time communications and fast data access. The IT staff reduced its work and saved €50,000 (U.S.$64,000) by eliminating servers. Rapid information access will also help deliver more reliable service.

Business Needs

MiniLiner is an air-cargo company based in Orio al Serio, Italy, that provides postal and express-goods delivery services throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. In 2006, its 10 aircraft transported 19,700 tons of cargo. MiniLiner has 100 employees working from three main offices in northern Italy.

As the company has grown rapidly, little attention was given to IT standards or strategic direction. “Every IT purchase was aimed at solving one problem at a time,” says Andrea Corneo, Chief Information Officer for MiniLiner. “This resulted in a jumble of systems and software, with no distributed file system, policy management, or centralized management tools.” Corneo’s three IT staffers spent much time flying between offices to check on servers or fix problems. Because there were so many system configurations, every problem took an inordinate amount of time to solve.

Employees had trouble finding and sharing information because it was scattered across multiple systems that were not easily accessible. Document version control was also a significant challenge, especially impacting a major policies and procedures manual that contained the firm’s aircraft maintenance information, pilot procedures, and other critical data. Employees made changes to this manual all the time, and the lack of a shared workspace, and even common versions of Microsoft® Office, resulted in multiple versions of the manual circulating throughout the company.

MiniLiner used a local e-mail application, which often failed and left employees without an easy way to communicate. The inability to reliably communicate, locate, and share information was devastating for a company whose business is delivering goods on a strict timetable. Sometimes, incorrect or delayed information caused MiniLiner to delay or cancel flights and disappoint customers.

Solution

MiniLiner knew that it had to standardize and centralize its IT infrastructure if the company was to grow coherently and cost effectively. Corneo brought in Solvi, a local Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, for help. Solvi demonstrated the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, a set of communication and collaboration applications available online for a low monthly subscription fee. The Business Productivity Online Standard Suite includes Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint® Online, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, and Microsoft Office Communications Online—all of which are hosted in Microsoft data centers. “We liked Microsoft Online Services, because it was completely integrated, available to employees everywhere, always on, and cost-effective,” Corneo says. “It instantly gave us a standardized set of applications and a way to share and manage documents.”

We will save €50,000 [U.S.$64,000] annually by using Microsoft Online Services. We will also be able to move to less expensive thin-client desktop computers. Andrea Corneo Chief Information Officer, MiniLiner

MiniLiner is moving its policies and procedures manual and other critical documents to SharePoint Online so all employees can access and change them on one shared workspace with built-in version control. “We will be able to create an intranet for the first time, where we can post maintenance, shipping, scheduling, and many other documents,” Corneo says. “Pilots and other remote employees can get to them easily from anywhere.” Eventually, MiniLiner will have Solvi integrate the firm’s Microsoft Dynamics® NAV business planning solution and Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer relationship management system with SharePoint Online, so these applications, too, can be easily and securely accessed by authorized employees. MiniLiner can combine Microsoft and non-Microsoft on-premises and hosted software in ways that make the most sense for its business.

Benefits

Using Microsoft Online Services, MiniLiner was able to standardize its communications and collaboration applications, improve productivity, shrink its IT workload, reduce IT costs by €50,000 (U.S.$64,000) annually, and improve service reliability.

• Standardized technology improves productivity. “By moving to Microsoft Online Services, we were able to instantly acquire a single, standardized communications and collaboration foundation for running our business,” Corneo says. “Everyone is saving time, because employees can find things faster, and the service is always available.” Employees have always-on communications and anytime, anywhere access to the information they need to make accurate decisions.
  
  
• Less IT work. With most of its hardware and software hosted by Microsoft, MiniLiner is no longer burdened by an unwieldy IT infrastructure. “With Microsoft Online Services, our IT staff has far fewer servers to manage, so we can spend our time setting and maintaining a strategic direction. Also, employees always have the latest software on their desks, with no effort on our part.”
  
  
• Savings of $64,000. By moving to Microsoft Online Services, MiniLiner was able to eliminate 80 percent of its servers (8 of 10) and the associated software licensing, while keeping certain servers onsite. “We will save €50,000 [U.S.$64,000] annually by using Microsoft Online Services,” Corneo says. “We will also be able to move to less expensive thin-client desktop computers. Our monthly Microsoft Online Services subscription fees will be just €1,200 [U.S.$1,500], and we will be able to provide all 100 employees with rich communications services.” The online services are also flexible and scalable, enabling MiniLiner to grow its business without big increases in IT costs.
  
  
• Improved service reliability. With all employees having uninterrupted, real-time access to accurate information, MiniLiner expects to eliminate miscommunications that result in delays and cancellations. “We needed up-to-date, reliable information to run a reliable business. With Microsoft Online Services, we expect our service reliability to improve between 30 and 40 percent.”