Eccord

“I had always heard good things about Microsoft Sharepoint and wanted for some time to migrate our system over to this set up,” explains Fiona Vertigan, Operations Manager.

“We had previously been using Microsoft 365 for email management and we were already using Azure to run our servers. The team at Gallery had been encouraging us to move entirely to the cloud and adopt Sharepoint into our way of working for some time, but due to capacity and time constraints, this project had been put on the back burner until several things occured which contributed to escalating this as a priority. One of these was the renewal of our Cyber Insurance. The report we received from our insurers informed us we were high risk as our Microsoft security score was particularly low and therefore this was the last time they would insure us under the current infrastructure. In addition, even though we are a small company, Eccord operate like a big firm in terms of compliance, as we work with high-net-worth individuals and protecting their data is paramount – therefore the need to review the security environment was escalated. Another contributor was migrating our property management CRM to a new system. This process involved moving high volumes of data which needed to be stored somewhere. We didn’t want to use the current RDP for this as it would take up too much space and add additional expense, so this also prompted us to kick-start the SharePoint project.”

Gallery Partnership understood how crucial it was for Eccord to have a secure infrastructure in place and to ensure a seamless transition to Sharepoint with minimal disruption to their employees.

“Our first priority was to fortify the security measures within the client’s Microsoft 365 tenancy,” explains Carlos, Senior Systems Engineer at Gallery Partnership. “By implementing modern best practices, we established a robust security framework to safeguard sensitive data and mitigate potential threats. This included configuring identity and access management policies, enabling multi-factor authentication, and implementing data loss prevention measures. This not only protected sensitive company data but also safeguarded against potential security threats. Additionally, we incorporated the client’s branding elements, ensuring a consistent and professional appearance across all Microsoft 365 applications, thereby reinforcing their corporate identity. By leveraging Microsoft Intune we established a centralised platform for managing device configurations, security policies, and software installations. This allowed us to remotely configure devices, ensuring a consistent and secure setup across the entire fleet, and deploy custom company fonts and templates.””We were able to accelerate the onboarding process by using Windows Autopilot.” adds Carlos. This enabled the automatic provisioning and configuration of new devices, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual setups. This ensured employees faced minimal disruption to their productivity as they could start using their devices promptly. By preloading essential applications and settings, we ensured a seamless user experience from the moment the device was powered on.”

“I worked with Carlos on each of these stages and he has done an absolutely sterling job, Fiona explains. ” I cannot rate him highly enough. Carlos is not only a valuable member of Gallery but also, I see him as an extension of Eccord. He has been very patient with us in getting everything set up, working long hours and being available whenever I needed to contact him. I couldn’t have done it without him, and it really feels like we have an in house IT expert. Carlos has also helped us on the CRM migration, which has involved a number of other technical issues, and he has been fantastic liaising with suppliers and recommending solutions based on what makes sense from a user and business perspective while prioritising security and having our best interests at the forefront.”Following all the preliminary security measures and device set up, Gallery Partnership customised SharePoint to align with Eccord’s unique business practices and workflows.“By tailoring the SharePoint environment, we provided a user-friendly interface that mirrored the client’s specific requirements, thereby enhancing productivity and collaboration among team members,” explains Carlos. “Furthermore, we established access controls and permissions to ensure secure file sharing and document management. With SharePoint accessible from any company device, employees were able to conveniently access and collaborate on files, boosting efficiency and fostering seamless remote work capabilities.”