Mobility without compromises thanks to Office365 and Microsoft Teams

The specialists at H Focus AG advise hospitals, clinics and homes throughout Switzerland. Having access to data and systems at any time and from anywhere is crucial. Thanks to Office365 and Microsoft Teams, collaboration has been simplified and efficient work on the road has been made possible. The challenge of the not fully cloud-enabled business software Vertec could be solved with the redCLOUD Connector.

Securely access sensitive corporate data at any time through Office365

Customer

Baar-based H Services AG is a service provider for organizations in the healthcare sector such as hospitals, nursing homes and psychiatric clinics. The 20-strong team, including 19 consultants, serves customers throughout German-speaking Switzerland. The specialists analyze and optimize processes, develop strategies or advise on difficult questions regarding tariffs. H Services AG also provides assistance in the event of personnel bottlenecks in the day-to-day business of its customers and, for example, carries out invoicing. This know-how is in demand because the healthcare sector is a demanding industry: the political framework is constantly changing, cost pressure is increasing and digitalization is not stopping at the healthcare sector. For H Services AG, it is therefore business-critical that its consultants can always access the latest company data while on the road, that sensitive data is secure, and that IT can be operated efficiently and fail-safe.

Initial situation: architecture as a threat to data security

Vertec is the name of the business software that H Services AG uses for time recording and activity allocation. Until now, it was operated in the Infrastructure as a Service model on an application server in an external data center – together with the entire file storage and the mail server. Employees accessed these services via an encrypted VPN connection and either used them via a terminal server (remote desktop) or stored the files locally on their devices. This architecture offered great potential for danger and improvement, and not just in terms of data security and integrity. In addition, the team regularly struggled with connectivity: the connection was not fast enough and not stable. For CEOs Leo Boos and Ralph Sattler, it was high time to act. “We heard about the possibilities of Office365 and wanted an IT partner who mastered these technologies and could offer us an innovative solution,” says Sattler. Microsoft recommended redIT Services AG.

Challenge: Highly available, mobile and secure at lower costs through Office365

The redIT system engineers were confronted with clear requirements: Enable productivity on the go, ensure availability and security, and reduce costs. The specialists are very familiar with solutions for mobile working. With regard to the costs, different solution variants were analyzed. It became apparent that savings could be achieved and dependence on the provider reduced by dissolving hosting in the external data center. However, this scenario raises a central question: where will the Vertec business software be operated?

Solution: Innovative and customized through Office365

With Office365, H Services AG took a big step towards the modern workplace and was able to benefit from several improvements at once. Thanks to SharePoint online, the consultants now always have access to the latest data while on the road and can edit it using familiar applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Instead of WhatsApp, employees now use the chat function included in Microsoft Teams. They use it to form chat groups, exchange information and share files directly from the file storage. In addition, the connections could be set up anew and the problems with connectivity could be solved with it. The redCLOUD Connector was developed precisely for the frequent cases of “non-cloud-capable legacy applications” such as the Vertec business software. The compact and quiet microserver is located at the Baar headquarters, is managed by redIT in a rental model and provides Vertec. Thanks to the specially set up gateway, mobile access to the business software is still ensured for the consultants.

Result: A big step into the future with Office365 and Microsoft Teams

«We wanted an innovative solution and needed an IT partner who is fit on these technologies.»
The new setup is tailor-made for the requirements of H Services AG: «We have made a big step forward in mobility thanks to Office365,» Ralph Sattler sums up. At the same time, the goal of reducing costs was also achieved. He is particularly satisfied with the project implementation: «Everything went smoothly. The project manager from redIT really did a super job.»