Initial situation
The client is a company of 25 people who used Offices tools with a mail server Exchange 2010, a file and print server and 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.
It also wanted a tool that would allow it to manage its workstations so that it could provision new PCs automatically and manage them afterwards (update branches Windows, update Office, anti-virus, etc.). The chosen solution is oriented towards Modern IT Management.
Concept
It was decided to use the Microsoft 365 Premium subscription, which includes the following licences:
- Suite Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, ...)
- The applications Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint
- Licensing for Windows 10 for existing workstations
- The Intune license for workstation management
First part of the project
The first step was to create a new O365 tenant and install the AAD Connect connector in order to replicate theActive Directory on site with Azure AD.
The second step was to configure the hybrid mode ofExchange in order to prepare the migration mailboxes from OnPrem (on site) to Exchange Online.
We prepared a pilot with some users to migrate their mailboxes and ensure access from any device (PC, iOS/Android smartphone) and defined procedures for migration users, shared users, distribution lists, resources.
We have also replaced the old anti-spam/antivirus mail with the EOP (Exchange Online Protection) from Office 365.
After the pilot phase, the migration of all users from Exchange 2010 to Exchange Online was successfully completed.
Second part of the project
The second part of the project consisted of preparing the configuration Intune in order to provision and manage the workstations.
In particular, we configured AutoPilot for automated desktop deployment, but also configured security policies (antivirus management, password requirements, Bitlocker activation).
We have deployed policies and configuration scripts such as Power Settings management, Timezone management, Windows 10 customisation, OneDrive configuration for user profile redirection (Known Folders).
We also configured application deployment via Intune for Microsoft applications (Office 365) and other third party applications.
Finally, we set up the automatic deployment of Microsoft patches and new Windows 10 branches through Intune.
Third part of the project
The final step was to migrate the existing Windows 7/8 workstations to Windows 10 with integration into Intune. Once integrated, these workstations are automatically activated with the Windows 10 licences included in the Microsoft 365 subscription.
Result
Simplified infrastructure: the customer now has a new infrastructure with the latest versions. Its infrastructure has been simplified because there is no longer a Exchange OnPrem server to maintain. Third-party subscriptions for PC antivirus and antispam/antivirus could be terminated.
Better document and workstation management: The redirection of home directories to OneDrive avoids the problem of lost documents when the workstation is not working, has been stolen or lost. The customer now has a desktop management tool which reduces the effort for the person managing the IT.
Telecommuting Capability: The client was also able to use Microsoft Teams which was very helpful for telecommuting during the 2020 containment period (COVID-19)
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