Adrian Steel from Royal Mail Group shares how to achieve business transformation through a successful technology upgrade. Discover how REDTRAY worked with Royal Mail Group to transform its business and migrate around 30,000 staff from Lotus Notes to Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) in just three months.

1. The rewarding journey to BPOS
Adrian Steel, Head of Infrastructure Management,
Royal Mail Group
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2. What is BPOS ?......
Exchange Instant
Email Messaging
BPOS
Live meeting Sharepoint
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3. Business Challenge ?
“…It is vital to reach a position
where we focus all our collective
minds and energies on the business
challenge of cost reduction and
revenue growth …”
Robin Dargue, CIO, 2008
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4. Imagine a world…….
The average age PC‟s circa 5+ years old (15 minutes to boot !),.
Lotus Notes (16+ years organically growing)
9,000 applications Lotus Notes applications
100 TB+ of data
200+ million emails
No effective „team collaboration‟ (point tactical unconnected
solutions)
A user base of 30,000 (spread across 2,886 physical sites)
People not trained (or needed to be – due to nothing changed in 6+
years)
Desktop „environment‟ needed radical overhaul
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5. What we set out to achieve & Why ?
Solid Foundations, Simply and Position for growth……
Flexibility, commodity, financial modelling, transparent………
2008/9 – „‟Foundation‟ 2009/10 - „Simplify‟ 2010 – 2011
Desktop
Environment Ph 1 - „Stabilise‟ Ph2 – „Install & Embed Foundation‟ Ph3 – „Enhance Exploit‟
BPOS - Software as a Service (Microsoft) MS Office (2010)
- Ad-hoc & Desktop Modernisation –
organic nature XP and PC’s under 3 years
Std Office
E-mail – Quotas & Online hosted components
- Multiple O/S Automated Software
Collaboration Tools – SharePoint, Off-line
Deployment - SMS SharePoint
LiveMeeting
- No form of
Collaboration Auto Password Resets Seamless BPOS
Presence - Instant Messaging integration
- Point S/W, Active Directory – Ph 1 & 2 Windows 7
no synergy Significant improvement in web browsing
Improve Inventory Service Seamless Remote
- Bottom Management Extend and simplify Wi-Fi access access (direct)
quartile agility Release
Retrieve & dispose of Consolidate other
& VFM Legal, Compliance and Archive for Email
all unused assets Sharepoint sites
2008 (12 months) 18 months
2009 (18 months)
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6. Timescales & background challenges
Oct 08 May 09 Nov 09 May 10 Jul 10
Transformation options
Legalities &
Security assessments Planning & Readiness Migration
Contracts
Business case creation
Challenges to overcome
• Client perception : ‘Faith and perception in IT’
• Economic Climate : Recession, Mail volume decline, etc.
• Experience : Leading edge, very few organisations had taken the
‘plunge’.
• Microsoft Model : 1st ever ‘3rd party system Integrator’ deal with
Microsoft.
• Technology : Aged ‘creaking’ bastardised Lotus Notes email system.
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7. How?
Integration - Common Shared Goals
Technical
Solution Migration - Strong Joint Leadership
-Microsoft -CSC &
REDTRAY - Huge individual
commitment
- Pragmatism !
Change - Honesty transparency
Readiness
- Focus on respective
-Royal Mail strengths
- Innovation
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8. Client Experience and Innovation
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9. New Sharepoint solution (end user)
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10. End User Comments... We had 1000’s and 1000’s
adrian.j.parker@royalmail.com WOW... what a difference... real customer focus whilst staying true to business value
antony.j.hayes@royalmail.com A superb and seamless migration!
stewart.mackinnon@royalmail.com migration was seamless, very good job.
paula.bailey@royalmail.com best change in IT we have implemented
neil.mcenhill@royalmail.com This was a painless migration, the IT team were very helpful
As an experienced user, familiar with software rollouts in organisations other than Royal
mark.s.hardman@royalmail.com Mail, I was struck by how painless the migration was.
andrew.m.gear@royalmail.com This was well done & of a very high standard
stephen.j.burke@parcelforce.co.uk The migration process went excellently.
steve.spiteri@royalmail.com A very professional format in communications . Very impressive !!
Advance easy to understand communications and a timetable to manage the change
simon.a.fisher@royalmail.com brilliant!
The migration was seemless. I've used Outlook before so didn't pay too much attention
andrew.p.meredith@royalmail.com to the information sent. Technically the migration was very good
barbara.williams@royalmail.com Sufficient time given for training begore the migration - excellent thank you
chris.x.bennett@royalmail.com Great project - well planned, communicated and executed
rod.james@royalmail.com Excellent process technically, well managed and great communication
ian.x.brooks@royalmail.com No issues with the migration, all went very well.
A great migration no problems at all and everything did what it said on the 'tin' Fantastic
stella.leigh@royalmail.com and thank you
Hope this is how all future software upgrades and new products are delivered and
chris.maidment@postoffice.co.uk implemented, especially the training modules.
fareham.crown-office@postoffice.co.uk Almost impossible to notice that there was any change! (So smooth and well organized)
rasamanicuam.ilenkovan@royalmail.com Very pleased with the whole process, smooth and trouble free, well done
As well as being a User of the new suite of products I am also a Site Lead for a team of
30+ people. Having a local 'expert' is definitely the way to go for future changes of this
carlton.hall@royalmail.com sort.
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11. Results…
17% earlier than plan 11% Under cost budget
11% under cost budget +30% client satisfaction
0% data loss 46% moved in <5
minutes
750 people moved on ‘average per day’
……….30,000 people increasing ‘faith in IT’, seeing that a world class
programme can be delivered to the highest of standards……very liberating
& refreshing.
And for these 30,000 their business life has become that little bit happier,
easier and quicker….. every day.
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12. Recommendations and learning…
• Communication, Communication &
Communication
• Choose a Service / System Integrator – real
added value
• Pragmatism & Realism are the parents of
Partnership !
• It‟s a JOURNEY !........ Maturity will come with
time
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