Mintel had a vast, fragmented vendor landscape. Driven by a commitment to collaboration, productivity, and security, the organisation began exploring alternatives.
The organisation adopted Microsoft 365 on an E5 licence, consolidating productivity, security, communication and data analytics under one platform.
This strategic decision has reduced procurement costs, enhanced collaboration, strengthened Mintel’s security posture, and increased productivity through Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Mintel was operating within a fragmented digital environment, consisting of overlapping security, productivity and communication tools. Recognizing the need for a more unified solution, the company embarked on a digital transformation, partnering with Microsoft to adopt Microsoft 365.
“Being a global organisation, we decided to take a more holistic, platform-driven approach, enabling our employees to work with data and collaborate efficiently, in one secure space,” says Jack Cootes, Program Manager at Mintel.
This strategic decision consolidated its technology stack into one platform, reducing complexity and procurement overheads, while strengthening security and collaboration. Mintel now empowers employees to work more efficiently and deliver a consistent client experience—all while maintaining control over its environment.
“One of our key goals was enabling people to access the right data, to make the right decisions. And it feels like we are moving in that direction at pace.”
Jack Cootes, Program Manager, Mintel
Mintel’s journey began with an assessment of its vendor landscape, which uncovered inefficiencies stemming from the use of multiple solutions, some of which were unmanaged or redundant. Data silos and incompatible platforms were slowing productivity and raising potential security concerns, prompting a strategic shift towards integration and simplicity.
“One of the key drivers was improving access to information, making it easier for employees to unlock the value of data,” says Tony Yoxall, Chief Operating Officer at Mintel. “This meant we also needed visibility into how data is accessed, shared and stored to prevent data leakage and strengthen security.”
With Microsoft 365, Mintel has replaced multiple vendors with a unified, secure platform for communication, collaboration, productivity and data insights. For the company’s specific needs, an E5 license ticked all the boxes, providing the full suite of Microsoft productivity tools, alongside advanced security solutions such as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Intune, enabling Mintel to close vulnerabilities, protect devices and implement data governance.
Recognizing that true transformation starts with people, Mintel partnered with Solutions Integrator Insight, a Microsoft partner, to implement a ‘Train the Trainer’ approach. This empowered the company’s Implementation Support Managers to lead the rollout of Microsoft 365 with confidence. Mintel also formed a network of internal advocates ‘Change Champions’ to share best practices and help colleagues embrace the new platform.
Reflecting on the importance of human-centric change, Tony Yoxall says, “One of our biggest challenges was to make sure our people didn’t go back to using the old tools, so we were really cognizant of appointing advocates to share best practices.”
Jack Cootes adds, “Like any organisation approaching change, we were concerned about how people would receive it. But the process highlighted the strength of our internal culture. People are working together to leverage the right solutions for their teams and helping each other navigate new ways of working.”
“Having one single pane of glass for our security is brilliant. We now have more control over how our data is accessed and where it's accessed from.”
Noel Vasquez, Global Head of IT Support, Mintel
Employees at Mintel are reaping the benefits of Microsoft 365, seamlessly collaborating on documents, sharing data and communicating with colleagues and clients with ease. Its interconnected nature also empowers users to locate information quickly, through a simple search in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint or Copilot.
“One of our key goals was enabling people to access the right data, to make the right decisions. And it feels like we are moving in that direction at pace,” says Jack Cootes.
Another goal was to consolidate communication and enhance the user experience. With Teams, Mintel has achieved this and more, driving positive cultural change and accelerating processes. Employees are increasingly choosing Teams over email, favoring how it supports more active interactions and its simpler approach to sharing information.
“Communication is so much smoother now we're using Teams,” says Kate Vlietstra, Senior Director, Food & Drink Research at Mintel. “Not only has it made our client meetings more efficient, but it's also added credibility, showing that we're using the software that's expected within the industry—and helping us connect better with our clients.”
One of the standout benefits of Microsoft 365 E5 is its comprehensive security suite, designed to protect users, devices and applications across the entire platform. For Mintel, these capabilities have been pivotal to its transformation program, minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities, threats and data leakage.
“Having one single pane of glass for our security is brilliant. We now have more control over how our data is accessed and where it's accessed from,” says Noel Vasquez, Global Head of IT Support at Mintel.
To meet its specific requirements, Mintel is taking advantage of Defender for Endpoint and Intune. With these solutions, the company has gained greater visibility over its devices and applications, enabling it to move off previous antivirus solutions, protect endpoints and ensure only authorized users and applications can access data.
“We previously had a very manual approach to laptop deployments,” says Noel Vasquez. “Using Intune, we’ve been able to move to a zero-touch approach and save time. We can now configure and enforce security policies on devices and ship them directly, which is incredibly useful for our remote workers.”
Mintel is also using Purview, a unified solution in Microsoft 365 designed to safeguard sensitive data. With tools such as data loss prevention, sensitivity labels, eDiscovery and communication compliance, Purview is delivering the capabilities Mintel requires to support a data-driven culture, without sacrificing data governance.
Reflecting on this fresh approach, Tony Yoxall says, “We’re very happy with Purview. There’s a lot more clarity on who owns what, where. We have increased visibility over our devices and a smaller risk surface. This has enabled us to quickly turn off the old tools and start collaborating more securely.”
Stronger security and governance
As a leader in AI-driven innovation, market and consumer intelligence, Mintel is championing internal AI solutions that empower employees and drive smarter ways of working. The company has already launched its own AI tools—Leap and Spark—which deliver AI-powered insights to clients, and its strategic ambitions include further AI innovation.
Based on this, Mintel has begun a phased rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot. Starting with a trial group, the company is already seeing benefits and anticipates that Copilot will transform operations, especially in terms of access to information, sitting within the secure space of Microsoft 365.
Enthusiastic about the early success of Copilot, Tony Yoxall says, “Copilot's going to be a gamechanger for us because it will sit at the heart of the organization. It’ll unleash so much insight, expertise and knowledge locked up in documents, emails and data hidden on the cloud, which we can make better use of in the hands of our employees.”
Shifting to the unified approach of Microsoft 365 has transformed Mintel. From reducing the headache and cost associated with managing multiple vendors, to simplifying collaboration and increasing security and compliance, the company now has a solid foundation on which to build further innovation.
With a secure platform in place, Mintel is now turning its focus to AI as a strategic enabler. Outside its partnership with Insight, Mintel is exploring Copilot Studio to develop agents that support functions such as HR and is also integrating AI into its new Microsoft Dynamics CRM, empowering its sales teams with intelligent insights to help them understand client needs.
“We’re already delivering AI-driven insights to clients through Leap and Spark,” says Jack Cootes. “Now that we have a secure foundation, we’re looking inward, seeing how AI can support our operations and mature it over time.”
Mintel’s next phase of innovation will continue to be underpinned by security, recognizing that as its AI capabilities grow, so too must the safeguards that protect data, users and customers. Strengthened by its strong partnerships with Microsoft and Insight, a clear roadmap, and a culture of continuous improvement, Mintel is ready to shape its future with confidence—and reinforce its position as a leader in market intelligence.
“We're focused on building a modern, resilient foundation that protects Mintel and our customers, both now and in the future,” says Jack Cootes.
“Being a global organisation, we decided to take a more holistic, platform-driven approach, enabling our employees to work with data and collaborate efficiently, in one secure space.”
Jack Cootes, Program Manager, Mintel
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