Since 2018, Global Guardians have relied on traditional on-premise Xchange servers managed by a third-party provider. However, in more recent years, CEO Stuart Woolgar recognised that this technology was hindering the company's ability to leverage the benefits of cloud computing. The team's in-house software, 'MyGlobe,' was primarily used for information management, making the server system largely redundant. For strategic and process documentation, the team resorted to using Google Sheets with linked documents, which was a manual approach. This reliance on a consumer drive for sharing documents also introduced security and access risks.

Furthermore, Stuart noted that maintaining the server system was becoming increasingly costly, with basic antivirus updates and troubleshooting consuming a significant portion of the IT budget. He and his team were actively seeking a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

Finding the right solution

Given Global Guardians' previous reliance on Microsoft and on-premise solutions, CEO Stuart Woolgar sought a more integrated and collaborative tool. Recognising the potential of Google Sheets, Stuart and his team began exploring Google Workspace’s suite of apps and tools.

Requirements

Initially, the team focused on finding a cloud-based email solution to replace Outlook. Stuart emphasised the importance of maintaining their existing email functionality and data integrity. This is where Stuart and his operations team began looking for a Google partner.

Finding a Google Partner

As the largest Google Workspace partner in UKI, Global Guardians reached out to Netpremacy. During the initial contact, the Netpremacy team actively listened to Global Guardians' requirements and provided tailored suggestions. Stuart explained how the team ‘appreciated their human-centric approach’, noting that the Netpremacy team member communicated technical concepts in a clear and understandable manner.

To achieve Global Guardians' objectives, Netpremacy developed a detailed technical plan. The initial focus was on admin configuration to ensure secure access controls for employees. A Global Guardians business domain was established to replace consumer drives and promote consistency and security across the organisation.

Email Migration

Netpremacy's team carefully reviewed the existing email configuration and proposed a new configuration that aligned with agreed-upon settings. To manage the migration effectively, a comprehensive email flow test was conducted with Global Guardians before and after the MX record switch to Gmail. To enhance security, Netpremacy assisted in modifying SPF and deploying DKIM, preventing spammers and malicious actors from impersonating the legitimate domain.

Data Migration

A critical aspect of the migration was preserving access to existing emails. Netpremacy conducted bulk migrations for all relevant users, including live and archived mailboxes, as well as contacts and calendars. Shared mailboxes were migrated to delegated or collaborative inboxes.

Consumer Drive Migration

Global Guardians had previously used a consumer drive to share documents via Google Sheets. To streamline collaboration and align with the new domain, Netpremacy identified and migrated 731 files from the consumer drive to a managed My Drive.

Global Guardians has successfully migrated to Google Workspace and is now benefiting from Gmail's features, as well as exploring the functionalities of Chat, Meet, Drive, and more.

The migration has:

Fostered a Culture of Collaborative Working: With the entire organisation adopting Google Workspace, the team can now share documents efficiently and collaborate on editing in real-time.

Reduced On-Premise Server Costs: Google Workspace has eliminated the need for on-premise servers, significantly reducing maintenance and hardware costs and costs associated with the third-party management company. The organisation now pays per license and utilises only the systems they actually need.

Established a Secure Business Domain: Moving away from consumer drives to a managed My Drive has reduced security risks. The admin console empowers Global Guardians to manage and monitor access internally.

Enhanced Workforce Flexibility: The transition to a cloud-based application has enabled Global Guardians to adopt a more flexible work environment. Colleagues now have the freedom to work remotely from their laptops, positively impacting the organisation's culture.

With the right foundations now in place, Stuart explained ‘Now we’ve moved onto Workspace, we want to look at how to leverage the power of it, with AI being a very important part of that’.

By partnering with Netpremacy, Global Guardians were able to modernise their IT infrastructure, improving efficiency, and enhancing security. This transformation has positioned the organisation for continued growth and success.