Case study: migrating to Microsoft Dynamics 365

Due to the existing performance issues and scalability limitations, staying with the on-premise version was not a viable option.

Case Study

Migrating To Microsoft Dynamics 365

Moving to the Cloud to ensure scalability, efficiency and resilience.

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Introduction to Migrating to Microsoft Dynamics 365

Our client, a prominent housing association, faced performance issues with their on-premise CRM system based on Microsoft Dynamics 365. To address these challenges and align with their digital strategy, our client engaged Neo Technology, a technology solutions partner, to migrate their CRM to the cloud version of Microsoft Dynamics 365.

This case study explores how Neo Technology successfully resolved the issues by leveraging global teams, resulting in cost reduction, increased technical expertise, and improved efficiency for our client's employees.

Reasons for Change

Problem Statement

Our client’s on-premise CRM system was experiencing performance issues, negatively impacting the customer experience. Additionally, our client aimed to align with their digital strategy by migrating all applications to the cloud, which would provide better resilience, load balancing, and access to a richer feature set.

Scope

The scope of the project entailed migrating our client’s entire on-premise Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM instance to the cloud version. It also involved recreating all existing Housing Management Solution links and functionality in the cloud environment. Integration with external systems such as Compleat, Wates’ system, Northgate via CDC, payments system (our client Payments Project), SharePoint, and the data warehouse, was necessary.

Justification for Change

The migration to the cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution aligned with our client’s digital strategy. Moving to Azure, Microsoft’s web services platform, offered our client enhanced capacity, resilience, and flexibility. By eliminating on-premise servers, our client reduced infrastructure costs and entrusted Microsoft with infrastructure management, security measures, updates, and data backups. Storing data in Microsoft’s data centres ensured GDPR compliance while maintaining our client’s data ownership and control. Moreover, the migration resolved existing performance issues and prepared our client for future scalability as their customer base grew.

Impact of Not Delivering the Change

Failure to migrate to the cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution would have perpetuated performance issues, leading to a suboptimal customer experience. Our client would have missed out on key benefits, such as high availability, disaster recovery, scalability, and advanced features like “Voice of the Customer” for gathering feedback. Additionally, not implementing this change would have hindered our client’s overall digital strategy of migrating applications to the cloud.

Options Being Considered

Our client evaluated two options: continuing with the on-premise version of Microsoft Dynamics 365, or upgrading to the cloud version. Due to the existing performance issues and scalability limitations, staying with the on-premise version was not a viable option. Therefore, the recommended option was to upgrade to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Cloud version.

Neo Technology's Solution Approach

World-class skill that enables seamless collaborative integration with you, adding scale, velocity, transparency and trust.

Solution Readiness Assessment Neo Technology collaborated with our client and Microsoft to conduct a solution checker application, identifying minor issues and warnings that required attention before the migration. User stories were developed, prioritised, and scheduled into upcoming sprints.

Solutions Architecture and Resourcing Neo Technology collaborated with Microsoft to design a roadmap for CRM and their internal applications changes. Their application was modified, integrating a new development environment with the cloud DCRM. Microsoft’s Fast Track program aided our client in adopting the OCS migration tool for seamless data extraction.

Migration and Application Changes Neo Technology migrated using the OCS cycle, ensuring a smooth transition with iterative adjustments. Their internal applications were adapted with a new development environment connected to the cloud DCRM, possibly with temporary suspension of other work during this phase.

Weekend Rollout After completing the migration and necessary adjustments, our client scheduled a weekend rollout to minimise customer impact. During this period, their applications system was temporarily switched off.

Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365

Migrating to the cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution offered several benefits for our client, including:

Improved Performance The cloud version addressed the performance issues experienced with the on-premise solution, ensuring a seamless and efficient customer experience.

Resilience and Load Balancing The cloud-based solution provided enhanced resilience and load balancing capabilities, increasing system availability and stability.

Richer Feature Set The cloud version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 offered a broader range of features, empowering our client's employees with tools for more efficient operations and customer service.

Scalability As our client’s customer base grew, the cloud solution enabled seamless scalability without compromising performance. The platform could accommodate increased demand effortlessly.

High Availability and Disaster Recovery Microsoft guaranteed 99.9% availability, ensuring our client’s systems remained accessible, and robust disaster recovery measures were in place to safeguard critical data.

Automation of Manual Tasks Microsoft Dynamics 365 offered extensive automation capabilities, reducing the need for manual tasks. This automation increased efficiency for our client's employees, allowing them to focus more on tenants who needed personalised assistance.

Streamlined Workflows Combining CRM and ERP data removed the manual re-keying between systems that previously slowed down case handling and reporting.

Enhanced Reporting and Analytics The cloud solution provided advanced reporting and analytics tools, enabling our client to gain valuable insights into their operations, tenant preferences, and service delivery.

Employee Empowerment The cloud-based solution equipped our client's employees with anytime, anywhere access to the system, enabling remote work and improving productivity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through collaboration with Neo Technology and leveraging global teams, our client successfully migrated to the cloud version of Microsoft Dynamics 365. This migration resolved performance issues, reduced costs, and increased technical expertise. Our client’s employees benefited from improved efficiency through automation of manual tasks, allowing them to focus on tenants who required more personalised support. The migration aligned with our client’s digital strategy, contributing to a more resilient, scalable, and employee-centric system, that enhanced the overall customer experience.