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Electrical Services company obtains dual
certifications using Microsoft Office 365
“When we commissioned Netbase Solutions to implement our Quality
and Work Health and Safety Management Systems we didn't expect
that in 8 weeks it would totally revolutionise the way we do business
and obtaining the Quality and OHS certifications in such a short
timeframe is just the cream on top ..."
Cameron Brandis, Director, Brandis Industries Pty Ltd
Established in 2007, Brandis Industries provides specialised electrical services for
low and high voltage equipment within utility and industry organisations. These
services include all facets of testing and commissioning, maintenance services,
project management and installation services.
Brandis Industries was established to provide these services as an integrated
solution, allowing complex commissioning, maintenance or repair projects to be
managed and completed by the one service provider, allowing the simplest
solution for the end customer, or plant owner.
During 2013, Brandis Industries commissioned a Business Review to assist the
company to prepare for the growth of the business. The Business Review
identified that the company had very good processes but recommended that the
company would benefit from having a certified Quality Management System and
a certified Occupational Health and Safety System.
Brisbane company, Netbase Solutions, was referred to Brandis Industries
because of its ability to build management systems in quick time and utilising the
Microsoft Office 365 solution. Netbase Solutions also offered a guarantee that
Brandis Industries would achieve certification making it a low risk decision.
Brandis Industries
Pty Ltd
Industry:
Electrical
Location:
Australia
Organisation size:
15
Organisation Profile
Based in Brisbane, Brandis
Industries Pty Ltd is a specialist
electrical services company for
equipment within utility and
industry organisations and is
committed to developing solid,
long‐term client relationships.
Our focus is to provide
specialist electrical services in a
thorough, professional and
timely manner and to deliver
the highest quality service at all
times.
Business Situation
Brandis Industries staff faced
challenges managing the
growth of the business in the
Resources sector particularly
with staff operating in “fly-in
fly-out” locations with clients
across Australia. They also
recognised that their growth
was being hampered by not
having a certified Quality and
Occupational Health and Safety
Systems in place and needed
better internal communications.
Solution
Cloud-based Microsoft Office
365 lets Brandis Industries staff
and clients connect virtually
anywhere, anytime. It also
allows for the QMS and OHS to
be integrated into their daily
routines and accessible by all
staff . Microsoft Lync Online ,
Hosted Microsoft Exchange
Online and Microsoft
SharePoint Online servers
enable flexible communication
between staff and clients.
Benefits
• Allows the company to
tender for higher value, long
term contracts
• Helped Brandis save money
on extended telephone calls
• Enabled staff to connect from
virtually anywhere
• Provided access to support
where and when it’s needed
• Simplified management of
users and data
• Moved to a cloud platform to
support business growth

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Business Needs
Brandis Industries Pty Ltd provides
specialised electrical services for
low and high voltage equipment
within utility and industry
organisations. These services
include all facets of testing and
commissioning, maintenance
services, project management and
installation services.
Based in Brisbane, Australia, its 20+
employees work with customers
across the country.
Cameron Brandis, Director, Brandis
Industries stated, “we knew we had
good systems in place but we
recognized that for us to grow and
get the high value, long term
contracts we needed to obtain our
Quality and OHS certifications. We
also recognized that we had to stay
at the forefront of technology to
remain competitive. We needed
better organisation of, and access
to, our company documents and
information and we also needed to
improve our internal
communications. “
“When we approached Netbase
Solutions we were delighted to
know that we could achieve all of
our requirements with one
consultant and more importantly
one system; Office 365. The Office
365 system Netbase Solutions
implemented for us has been the
single biggest item that has allowed
our company to flourish”.
Because many of Brandis Industries’
employees spend most of their time
onsite at customer’s locations,
smooth communication between
the head office and with other staff
is essential. In the past, the
company mainly used email and
telephone for communications, but
this caused problems as the number
of customers increased and staff
rapidly needed access to
information to resolve technical
issues.
Communication wasn’t the only
problem Brandis Industries faced:
because the business was growing
rapidly, the company had to make
some decisions on whether to
implement an onsite server with
the associated IT infrastructure and
overheads. Cloud based solutions
were being evaluated, however the
systems evaluated were not a good
fit for the company needs and
would have added additional
complexity.
Solution
Terry O’Brien from Netbase
Solutions provided a demonstration
of the Quality and OHS system his
company had developed, including
the use of interactive workflows in
place of wordy procedures and all
based on the latest offering from
Microsoft, Office 365.
Following Terry’s demonstration,
the decision was made to make use
of technology and move to a cloud
based platform.
Brandis Industries had considered a
number of alternatives, but decided
Microsoft Office 365 Enterprise
offered it the best benefits and
value for money.
The Office 365 system means that
all company data is now secure, the
quality and OHS systems are part of
our daily business, and accessible
by all staff anywhere, anytime and
“Obtaining our Quality
and Occupational
Health and Safety
certifications was
needed if we were to
obtain better contracts
but it has actually
helped us manage the
business and become
more productive and
efficient.”
Cameron Brandis,
Director
“Microsoft Lync Online
was the perfect
solution for our
communication needs
– and when you
combined it with Office
365’s hosted Microsoft
SharePoint Online and
Microsoft Exchange
Online servers, the
benefits just kept
adding up.”
Cameron Brandis,
Director

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the system has eliminated the need
to manage data back-up internally.
Microsoft Office 365 is a
subscription service that includes
the entire MS Office suite as well as
hosted versions of Exchange Server,
SharePoint Server and Lync Server.
“We looked at a number of
productivity tools and products
before we settled on Office 365”
says Cameron. “Microsoft Lync
Online was the perfect solution for
our communication needs – and
when you combined it with
Microsoft Office 365’s hosted
Microsoft SharePoint Online and
Microsoft Exchange Online email
servers, the benefits just kept
adding up.”
“As we’ve grown the business, one
of our biggest challenges has been
communicating with staff in real
time,” says Mark Jennings,
Specialist Electrical Supervisor,
Brandis Industries Pty Ltd. “Because
the number of staff is growing, so
are the number of technical
questions that I need to respond to
on a daily basis. The
implementation of Office 365
means staff can ask a question in
real time without the need to send
an email or have to make a call.
This aspect of Office 365 alone is
saving time and allowing me to
better manage my time.”
Staff now use Microsoft Lync Online
to manage their internal
communications. They can easily
set up online meetings to review
technical drawings and conduct
document sharing sessions with
multiple staff members.
Benefits
Lync Online helps Brandis save
money
Months down the track, Brandis
Industries has already seen big
benefits from adopting Microsoft
Office 365 and Microsoft Lync
Online.
Using Microsoft Lync for online
video and screen sharing, for
example, has allowed remote staff
to discuss and resolve “tricky”
project related technical issues in
real time, with the technical
supervisor and engineers in Head
Office. All parties involved are able
to highlight the issue within
complex drawings and schematics
on the one screen, eliminating the
frustration of trying to explain the
issue of concern using hard copy
diagrams and the telephone. “It’s a
case of all being on the same page,
at the same time, so to speak”, said
Mark Jennings.
“We intend utilising Lync to not
only communicate internally but
will include selected customers so
we can respond immediately to any
requests they may have. This make
us proactive in our approach to
customer service,” says Cameron.
“We expect Microsoft Lync Online
to save us thousands of dollars with
a reduced dependence on extended
times on the telephone.
Lync Online will also greatly
improve the quality of our
assistance to our staff on technical
issues and to our responsiveness to
our customers.”
Microsoft Office 365 allows staff to
connect from virtually anywhere
Office 365 has become the
employees’ main workspace and
“The implementation of
Office 365 means staff
can ask a question in
real time without the
need to send an email
or have to make a call.
We now have reliable
and easy-to-use
communication tools.”
Mark Jennings, Specialist
Electrical Supervisor
“… helping us remain
organised and efficient,
better customer
focused and is helping
us respond faster to
client requests and
improve customer
service. It is helping us
get more contracts!”
Cameron Brandis,
Director

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intranet. It gives them the ability to
manage projects, access project
documentation, raise non-
conformances and opportunities for
improvement and access interactive
process maps for specific
procedures to carry out tasks. The
system also prevents issues and
tasks “slipping between the cracks”
because of the extended use of
background workflows. Office 365
also improves communication
between staff and clients.
“Staff have confidence that they
can access whatever information
they need when and where they
need it and their communication
technology is secure and reliable,”
says Cameron. “Microsoft Office
365, incorporating our Quality
Management System and
Occupational Health and Safety
System, is helping us remain
organised and efficient, better
customer focused and is helping us
respond faster to client requests
and improve customer service. The
bottom line is it is helping us do
business and is also helping us get
more contracts!”.
Support where and when it's
needed
Support and experience from
Netbase Solutions was an important
part of the package. Brandis
Industries staff know that they can
have their questions answered
immediately, no matter where they
are.
“Netbase Solutions provides Brandis
Industries staff with the assurance
of 24/7 access to our experienced
helpdesk team whether it be
related to their QMS, OHS or Office
365,” says Terry O’Brien, CEO,
Netbase Solutions.
Easier to manage users and data
Brandis Industries’ new cloud-based
infrastructure provides software
that’s always up-to-date, data that’s
always backed up and a hosted IT
environment that's always available
without direct intervention by
Brandis Industries.
This is essential for a small business
that has employees who rely on
access to online tools and
information while at remote client
sites.
Even better for the team, Microsoft
Office 365 makes it much easier to
add, remove and change user
accounts as business requirements
change.
Cloud platform supports business
growth
Brandis Industries pays a modest
flat rate per user per month for
Microsoft’s cloud services. The new
system has also given Brandis
Industries a chance to look at better
ways to manage documents.
“I can’t think of a case where
Microsoft Office 365 can’t do what
we need, and it has been very
economical,” says Cameron. “We
now have reliable and easy-to-use
Quality Management system, OHS
Management system, Document
Management system and
communication tools, which are
helping employees work more
efficiently, and helping us to
provide better customer service to
our clients.
“Microsoft Office 365,
incorporating our
Quality Management
System and
Occupational Health
and Safety System, is
helping us remain
organised and efficient,
better customer
focused and is helping
us respond faster to
client requests and
improve customer
service.”
“The bottom line is it is
helping us do business
and is also helping us
get more contracts!”.
Cameron Brandis,
Director

5. improving the business with Netbase Solutions and Microsoft Office 365
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Microsoft Product that was
featured
Microsoft Office 365 is a
subscription service that gives you
access to your email, important
documents, contacts and calendar
from almost anywhere and any
device.* It is reliable and flexible.
Microsoft has a variety of plans to
meet the needs of your business.
Each plan has a 99.9% uptime
guarantee and includes the security
and support you expect from
Microsoft.
To learn how we can help you, visit:
www.netbasesolutions.com
Technical Information
Software and Services
Microsoft Office 365 includes:
Microsoft Lync Online
Microsoft SharePoint Online
Microsoft Office Professional Plus
Microsoft Exchange Online
Microsoft Office Web Apps
Certifications
ISO9001:2008 Quality Management
AS4801:2001 Occupational Health
and Safety
IT Issues
Brandis Industries Pty Ltd wanted a
reliable cloud based solution that
improved communications and
access to company documents,
allowed staff and client access from
anywhere, anytime and using any
device. The company also wanted
to ensure its data was secure,
backed up off site and was not
reliant on internal IT servers.
Brandis Industries wanted to project
a more professional image when
working with its clients across
Australia.
Client Information
Brandis Industries
www.brandisindustries.com.au
Phone: 0433 682 443
Partner Information
Netbase Solutions
www.netbasesolutions.com
Phone: 1800 000 235