Migration of 12,500 users of Česká spořitelna Bank to the Microsoft 365 platform

Customer profile

In terms of the number of clients, Česká spořitelna is the largest bank in the Czech Republic. It provides services to individuals, small and medium enterprises, towns and municipalities. At the same time, it is part of the strong ERSTE GROUP bank group, which operates in Central and Eastern Europe through a network of more than 2,600 branches in seven countries. 

Implementation 2021

“For Česká spořitelna a.s., the transition from Google to the Microsoft environment was a customized project with the highest priority. It was completed within the set deadline and in full scope. One of the greatest added values of AUTOCONT was the ability to respond to the changes and challenges that emerged during the project.”

Miroslav Lhotský

CoE Integration and Internal Services Lead

Initial situation and project goals

For many years, Česká spořitelna used Google Platform G Suite for mails, calls, chat, saving and sharing files and other services. Due to the bank being a member of Erste Group, where they use Microsoft 365 for communication and cooperation as standard, the decision was made to migrate to this platform. Česká spořitelna also wanted to use this step to raise its internal communication and cooperation to a higher level and streamline teamwork. At the same time, it wanted to offer space for further growth and the use of advanced automation and agenda solutions using purpose-made applications. They also wanted to lay the foundations for the future shift towards the use of Microsoft AI platform, for further streamlining the internal processes and services it provides to customers.

The main objective of the project was the migration of the entire bank and all 12,500 users to the Microsoft 365 environment. But the technical migration such as a transfer of e-mails, files, and migration of services would not have brought the desired effects if the project had not been based on a cultural change from the very beginning, where the centre of interest was both the individual and the team.

Benefits

Description of the solution

We designed and implemented a comprehensive transformation project for the bank. A key factor in the project success was the experienced team that were equipped with knowledge from several areas: technical, security, compliance, and adoption. The solution covers a whole set of Microsoft 365 tools with Microsoft Cloud Security Services. Azure Services and Power Platform were used as part of the delivery. Microsoft Teams Rooms devices were also delivered and implemented.

The project was launched in November 2020 with the Assessment phase and continued with the implementation phase from February to April 2021. Subsequently, e-mails and calendars to Outlook, transition to MS Teams, files transferred to OneDrive and SharePoint were migrated in 4 packs. Other applications and scripts were also migrated. This phase finished at the end of October 2021. By the end of January 2022, another support phase took place, the so-called Babysitting.

For the technical part of the migration, AUTOCONT along with partners Orbit s.r.o., Greycorbel s.r.o. and CES EA delivered several specific migration tools that enabled controlled and quick migration and supported information and user satisfaction with the process itself. Migration was held in several stages. Employees who were included in the phase went through the information part, trainings, the migration itself, and reinforced support after migration. With each of the 12,500 employees, both mass and individual communication regarding specific terms was made. Everything was communicated according to the assignment of employees to the particular migration stage. For this purpose, AUTOCONT developed a tool built on Microsoft Power Automate. Migration from an on-premises environment to the cloud brings immediate and significant benefits, particularly for the user. This was however, a migration from cloud to cloud. Česká spořitelna employees used Google Services intensively and were used to working with the cloud storage. However, the principles of work in Google G Suite and Microsoft 365 differ. Microsoft raises the possibilities and offers a comprehensive environment for teamwork. The individual Microsoft 365 applications had to be explained and placed in the context of use in the bank, according to role or trib. 

In the adoption campaign, our specialists followed the proven procedures and methodologies of Microsoft Adoption and Change Management Framework, Office365 User Adoption Guide and PROSCI. They defined the strategy and regularly communicated with relevant communication channels so that everyone had enough information at the right time. A comprehensive adoption portal was prepared. Extensive support, training, and materials ­– including text and video tutorials ­–were set up. AUTOCONT complemented these standard resources with the purpose-built interactive guides created in the Power Apps. Power Apps were also used for FAQs, booking consultations, support management, and other support activities.

The customer is now working fully in the Microsoft 365 environment, so the main goal has been met. The set solution provides enormous potential for further expansion and integration with other applications used in Česká spořitelna and the entire Erste Group. As an example of an already realized benefit, the integration of the bank's intranet into MS Teams can be mentioned. AUTOCONT specialists continue to support employees and streamline their work with Microsoft 365 tools.

Used technologies