Elly Yates-Roberts |
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has migrated over two million NHSmail mailboxes to the Microsoft Azure cloud in what Microsoft calls a “step towards the Government’s vision for a cloud-first health service”. The NHA, which is the UK’s largest employer, has also deployed the latest version of Microsoft 365, giving staff access to the suite’s productivity capabilities.
NHSmail is the NHS’s secure email service for sharing patient identifiable and sensitive information. Microsoft and Accenture have moved 22,000 of these accounts to the Exchange Online email platform each weekday since August 2020.
“The migration of NHSmail to Exchange Online has enabled us to provide staff across the NHS with a mail system which is functionally richer, more secure and lower cost,” said Sarah Wilkinson, chief executive of NHS Digital. “I’m very proud of the Collaboration Services Team at NHS Digital for delivering the world’s largest ever Microsoft email migration in the middle of the pandemic, when the organisation, and many of our staff, have been under so many other pressures.”
Having updated to the latest version of Microsoft 365, the NHS can also now provide additional services such as OneDrive and SharePoint, building on the rollout of Microsoft Teams last year. As a result, Microsoft says that NHS staff will be able to: collaborate more easily, work from any device and at any time, use real-time messaging and access advanced audio and video meetings.
“While the NHS has had to function under incredibly challenging circumstances this past year, Microsoft has been proud to support its vital work in any way we can,” said Clare Barclay, chief executive of Microsoft UK. “The rapid rollout of Microsoft 365 has ensured that clinicians and support staff across England have access to the very latest productivity tools, enabling a truly joined-up approach in the fight against Covid-19 and the effective delivery of essential care services.”