Initial situation
The client is a company with 25 employees who were using Office tools with a mail server Exchange 2010, a file and print server, and line-of-business applications.
The versions of the PC operating systems, Office applications and mail server needed to be updated.
The customer had 2 subscriptions with different providers for his PC anti-virus and anti-spam/anti-email.
There was no workstation management tool. The management of IT was carried out by an employee dedicated part-time to this activity.
Goal
The client wanted to upgrade to the latest versions of its IT equipment, while optimising costs and having a minimum of effort for the operational management of the IT.
He also wanted a tool that would allow him to manage workstations so he could automatically provision new PCs and manage them afterward (updating branches Windows, Office updates, antivirus, etc.). The chosen solution is Modern IT Management.
Concept
It was decided to use the " Microsoft 365 Premium " subscription, which provides access to the following licenses, among others:
- More Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.)
- Applications Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint
- The license for Windows 10 for existing workstations
- The license Intune for workstation management
First part of the project
The first step was to create a new O365 tenant and install the AAD Connect connector to replicate theActive Directory on-premises environment using Azure AD.
The second step was to configure the hybrid modeExchange to prepare the migration migration of on-premises mailboxes t Exchange s Online.
We conducted a pilot with a few users to migrate their mailboxes and ensure they could access them from any device (PC, smartphone iOS/Android), and we defined the procedures for migration users, shared users, distribution lists, and resources.
We have also replaced the old email spam/virus protection with EOP (Exchange Online Protection) from Office 365.
After the pilot phase, the migration for all users since Exchange 2010 to Exchange Online was successfully completed.
Second part of the project
The second part of the project involved preparing the configuration Intune so that workstations could be provisioned and managed.
In particular, we have configured AutoPilot for automated desktop deployment, as well as security policies (antivirus management, password requirements, and activation Bitlocker).
We have deployed policies and configuration scripts such as Power Settings management, Time Zone management, and customization of Windows 10, and configuration of OneDrive user profile redirection (Known Folders).
We have also configured application deployment via Intune for Microsoft applications (Office 365) and other third-party applications.
Finally, we set up the configuration for the automatic deployment of Microsoft patches and the new branches Windows 10 by Intune.
Third part of the project
The final step was to migrate the existing workstations running Windows 7/8 to Windows 10 and integrating them into Intune. Once integrated, these workstations are automatically activated with the Windows included in the subscription Microsoft 365.
Result
Simplified infrastructure: The customer now has a new infrastructure running the latest versions. Their infrastructure has been simplified because there is no longer an Exchange OnPrem server to maintain. Third-party subscriptions for PC antivirus and antispam/antivirus have been canceled.
Improved document and workstation management: Redirecting home directories to OneDrive helps prevent document loss when a workstation stops working, is stolen, or is lost. The client now has a workstation management tool, which reduces the workload for the IT administrator.
Remote Work Capabilities: The client was also able to use Microsoft Teams, which proved extremely useful for remote work during the 2020 lockdown (COVID-19).
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