Microsoft Office SystemCustomer Solution Case Study

IT Infrastructure Solutions Provider EnhancesCollaboration with Microsoft Office 2010

OverviewCountry or Region: SingaporeIndustry: IT Services

Customer ProfileAgile iSolutions is an IT infrastructuresolutions provider for SMEs in Singapore.The company offers a whole range of ITservices from the provision of networkingsolutions, Internet connectivity, hardware and software, to helpdesk support.

Business SituationAgile iSolutions is a long-time user ofMicrosoft Office. Having tested thebeta version of Office 2010, it is nowlooking to upgrade to the commercialrelease when it is made available.

SolutionTrue to form, Microsoft Office 2010builds on the features of Office 2007,with enhancements that have enabled Agile iSolutions users to work better and more effectively.

Benefits Improved Collaboration Improved User Experience Enhanced Productivity

“We didn’t go for OpenOffice.org because the userinterface is very different and it is harder to locatesome of the regular tools. You have to navigate variousmenus, and sometimes the tools are not there at all.”

Sean Sim, Business Development Manager, Agile iSolutions

Agile iSolutions is an IT infrastructure solutions provider forSMEs in Singapore. The company offers a whole range of ITservices from the provision of networking solutions, Internetconnectivity, hardware and software, to helpdesk support. Italso guides clients in aligning their IT investments with theirbusiness needs. Agile iSolutions evaluated OpenOffice.org but decided to deploy Microsoft Office 2010, a more widely-accepted platform that improved efficiency and collaboration at the IT firm.

SituationSpun off from its parent company Software Exchange in September 2005, Agile iSolutions has a team of 25 people, with 15 in its headquarters in Singapore and the rest in Kuala Lumpur and Vietnam.

Agile iSolutions is a long-time user of Microsoft Office. Having tested the beta version of Office 2010, it is nowlooking to upgrade to the commercial release when it is made available.

“With each version of Microsoft Office, what happens is that innovative new tools

are introduced to help us better organize our work and be more efficient and effective,” said the company’s Business Development Manager Sean Sim.

SolutionTrue to form, Microsoft Office 2010 builds on the features of Office 2007, with enhancements that enable users to better manage their documents and emails, and to share information more effectively and efficiently.

For example, Outlook 2010 comes with a Conversation View feature which consolidates related emails and responses into a single track.

The powerful search feature of Office 2010 also enables users to be more productive, reducing the time spent searching for documents or emails.

For improved collaboration, the PowerPoint Broadcast allows users to instantly broadcast their PowerPoint 2010 presentations by sending a link through which people can view the presentation on the web.

User interface enhancements which were first introduced in 2007 are also taken one step further in Office 2010. For example, the Ribbon feature, which makes commands and tools more visible and easier to access, is now available across all Office 2010 applications.

The improvements to the user experience put Microsoft Office 2010 far ahead of OpenOffice.org, which Agile iSolutions had also taken a look at.

“We didn’t go for OpenOffice.org because the user interface is very different and it is harder to locate some of the regular tools. You have to navigate various menus, and sometimes the tools are not there at all,” said Sim.

Unlike OpenOffice.org, another significant factor about Microsoft Office is its ubiquity.

He added: “Microsoft Office is one of most widely-accepted platforms and when we deal with clients, we need to use a platform that is recognized out there.”

BenefitsFacilitates Collaboration and CommunicationThe adoption of Microsoft Office 2010 has enabled staff at Agile iSolutions to work together more efficiently.

“I like the fact that in PowerPoint, you can actually connect to the SkyDrive and broadcast your presentation. This is very useful when we need to present our solutions to clients,” said Sim.

“All we have to do is produce a regular presentation and share the file. PowerPoint gives you a link which you can publish to your target audience, who can then view the presentation via their browser or mobile phone.”

Other features like the Conversation View in Outlook 2010 also help ensure that important communications are not missed.

Sim said: “The Conversation View makes it easy for me to organize my workspace so I don’t have to spend a lot of time tracking emails. I can respond to emails faster and not miss any conversations.”

Improves the User ExperienceThe Ribbon feature of Office 2010 makes everything easily accessible in a very logical and user-friendly way.

“It makes your whole workspace a little less cluttered,” said Sim. “The most used tools are easily accessible. For example, when I am in Word, I do a lot of formatting, changing of basic fonts or colors, adding tables and pictures. All these used to be accessed by navigating through the file menu, but the Ribbon feature now puts them on the desktop.”

Enhances ProductivityThe search feature of Office 2010 is also a great boost for productivity, for example, when it comes to managing emails.

As Sim pointed out, “The mail box can get very big. With earlier versions of the software, we had to remember a lot of very specific information like the subject header, the recipient or the date the email was sent. When looking for emails from ancient times, it could take me up to two days because I may have forgotten these details.”

“Now, as long as I vaguely remember something about the email, I can type it in and Outlook 2010 will go through all the folders to look for it. It takes me just 10 seconds to find the emails I need.”

Search aside, general housekeeping has also been made easier with Office 2010.

Sim said: “The Conversation View in Outlook 2010 helps me to organize my work desk more effectively, and I can even use the ‘clean up’ button to delete all the unnecessary emails.

“In PowerPoint, you can actually connect to the SkyDrive and broadcast your presentation. This is very useful when we need to present our solutions to clients... PowerPoint gives you a link which you can publish to your target audience, who can then view the presentation via their browser or mobile phone.”

Sean Sim, Business Development Manager, Agile iSolutions

Microsoft Office SystemThe Microsoft Office system is the business world’s chosen environment for information work, providing the programs, servers, and services that help you succeed by transforming information into impact.

For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to: www.microsoft.com/office

For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Agile iSolutions products and services, call65-6883-1411 or visit the Web site at: www.agileisolutions.com

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published August 2010

Software and Services Microsoft Office 2010 Microsoft Excel 2010

Microsoft Outlook 2010 Microsoft Word 2010 Microsoft PowerPoint 2010