Elly Yates-Roberts |
UK telecoms provider TalkTalk has provided employees with Microsoft 365 Enterprise as part its ‘Greater Place to Work’ programme to modernise its work culture and technology.
“There’s a strong move in the UK, and especially in our industry, to offer flexible work options – work from home, split shifts, condensed workweeks – and we need to provide these options if we want to attract the best talent,” said Andrew Dacombe, director of colleague systems at TalkTalk.
The ‘Greater Place to Work’ programme included a move to an open-plan office in a former factory in Manchester, with flexible work spaces for different teams. The new office is wifi-enabled and designed to encourage people to mingle, collaborate and share ideas, or stay at home to work.
The programme is underpinned by technologies to enable flexible, fluid working styles, the centrepiece of which is Microsoft Enterprise 365, which comprises Microsoft Office 365, Windows 10 Enterprise and Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security.
TalkTalk initially focused on implementing a few of the Microsoft 365 services: email, conferencing, file-sharing and mobile device management. Using the complimentary Microsoft FastTrack service, it migrated email to Microsoft Exchange Online, set up Office 365 ProPlus and moved documents into OneDrive for Business.
“We’ve had terrific uptake on Office 365: up to 20% growth in Skype for Business Online adoption in the first three months and still expanding, 1.3 million files and 4.2 terabytes of data uploaded to OneDrive for Business, and nearly 99% of employees actively using Office 365,” said John Gaskell, Office 365 programme manager at TalkTalk.
In human resources, employees can use Skype for Business Online to be part of informal conversations that take place every day. “We’re trying to shift decision making and power away from the head office to the people who are closest to issues and best able to contribute,” said Mark Dickinson, chief people officer at TalkTalk. “With Skype for Business Online, it’s easier to get the right people together quickly, without expensive travel. Where resourcing is concerned, this means we can hire the right skills more quickly and make more efficient use of our staff.”
TalkTalk expands its operating system-level security with Intune, which allows employees work with the devices and apps they choose while protecting company information. “When you add in the Enterprise Mobility + Security tools, like Intune for controlling mobile devices, and sophisticated capabilities such as Multi-Factor Authentication and conditional access, Microsoft 365 is a very compelling offer,” said Dacombe.