Empowering Digital Transformation With Microsoft SharePoint

Introduction

Our partnership with the largest producer and retailer of tobacco and smoke-free products was a thrilling adventure from start to finish. As a company with a customer base of 150 million consumers spread across 180 markets, they work to build a new category of smoke-free products and stay committed to innovative digital transformation initiatives. 

After business process analysis, we soon realized that the company’s workplace technology was not conducive to their growth and expansion plans. Avenga helped them create and implement new approaches to the corporate use of Microsoft SharePoint. Our team worked closely with the company to identify areas where SharePoint could be used to streamline workflows and improve resource allocation. 

Challenge

After an unsuccessful cooperation with a previous vendor, the client sought a reliable technology partner capable of quality delivery of the Microsoft products suite, starting from an unbiased tech assessment up to gradual re-architecture and actual implementation, as well as refinements to the existing system. And it needed to be done quickly. They faced major performance issues and latency in their current setup, which was holding back operational efficiency across the organization. 

As the custom SharePoint system is used company-wide to run the entire intranet across 180 countries, its poor performance jeopardized their delivery of services around the globe, together with its internal services. Primarily, there was a strong need to stabilize their current environment, optimize it, and take full ownership of the SharePoint setup. Our team understood the urgency and complexity of the project and got to work immediately. We conducted an in-depth analysis of the company’s current system and identified key areas that required attention. 

Solution

Process

Discover 

A detailed system audit revealed critical performance bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Outdated architecture was also identified as a key challenge. 

These insights allowed us to understand what needed to change and why. The audit gave a clear path for targeted improvements. 

Define 

Using the audit findings, we mapped out a new Microsoft 365 information architecture. A phased migration plan was also outlined to ensure smooth transitions. 

Priorities were established around performance, availability, and future scalability. This approach set the foundation for long-term system improvements. 

Develop 

The legacy infrastructure was migrated to a supported VM series to improve stability. Backend services were optimized to ensure seamless operations. 

We also redesigned the on-prem intranet, focusing on better user experience and data handling. This change enabled more efficient collaboration across teams. 

Deliver 

The new system was enhanced with custom SharePoint features and low-code solutions via Power Platform. We continuously refined the platform to ensure lasting improvements. 

This iterative approach made sure the system met the client’s evolving needs. Performance gains were sustained, and usability improved across the organization. 

Results

Through partnership with Avenga, our client has solved some critical issues, like speed and quality of collaboration, scalability, data-based decisions across multiple business processes, optimization, and product innovation. Today, the company benefits from a custom, highly configurable system, which reaches a 99,9% uptime. 

The system has data and performance integrity and server control that provides more sophisticated workflow functionality, a better digital employee experience, and more effective resource allocation. As the client continues to evolve and grow, our team remains committed to providing ongoing support and guidance, guaranteeing that the client’s digital infrastructure remains secure, reliable, and optimized for success. 

Is your system ready for a boost? Let’s explore how we can help. 

Let’s talk

Our partner firmed up their intranet solution and strengthened their collaboration experience. The enhanced collaboration experience facilitated a more connected workforce, improved knowledge-sharing, and faster decision-making. In addition to eliminating multiple performance issues, they acquired new opportunities to further digital employee experience and wisely allocate resources.