Guinness World Records has selected Exponential-e, the provider of network, cloud and unified communications solutions, to help it migrate 200 staff to Microsoft Office 365. The cloud-based solution will support Guinness World Records staff in their six international offices, as well as remote workers in over 15 locations, to collaborate to deliver engaging experiences and capitalise on market opportunities around the world.
Over the last five years, Guinness World Records has diversified to become a media agency, working with businesses and individuals to use record-breaking as a means of engagement with stakeholders.
As the commercial arm of the company has expanded rapidly, Guinness World Records identified that in order to be able to continue to grow at this pace, its office structures needed to be more agile and dynamic so that, as a brand, it could be more adaptive to markets. The migration is part of a wider strategy towards digitisation that will encompass infrastructure, service delivery and security.
“Our brand ethos is that everyone is amazing at something and can be a record breaker,” said Rob Howe, director of IT at Guinness World Records. “To truly deliver on that vision, we, as an organisation, need to ensure that we’re nimble enough to answer the call of a potential record-breaking event whether it’s in London or Papua New Guinea. Championing growth, moving into new markets and living up to our mission as a business – we absolutely cannot be confined by old ways of working.
“To help staff across geographies work better together, we needed a new solution. Moving to Microsoft Office 365 now means that teams can access SharePoint and video from anywhere, which is important for many frequent travellers and remote workers. Our IT strategy is to support flexibility and mobility and now we can be much more responsive to the businesses’ needs.”
Guinness World Records selected Exponential-e to undertake the migration due to the strength of their pre-existing relationship. For close to five years, Exponential-e has successfully provided critical communication services to Guinness World Records; ranging from private connectivity between UK datacentres and Guinness World Records’ Beijing office, to 10Gbps connectivity and hosted telephony.
“Critical to the success of this migration was the three-way approach required behind Exponential-e, our hosting provider and ourselves,” Howe explained. “The team at Exponential-e excelled at communication and ensured that throughout the transition we were reassured. Our previous experience with them meant I had peace of mind knowing that they do what they say they will. It was a painless migration and a key milestone in our ongoing digital transformation.”
Mukesh Bavisi, managing director at Exponential-e, said: “Companies of all sizes and across all sectors are seeking to bring more agility to their operations. They want to demonstrate that IT is a strategic partner of the business, providing a platform for innovation and growth. That’s exactly what Rob’s team is delivering as they move to the cloud and start to digitise more of their operations. We have a long-standing relationship with Guinness World Records and look forward to continuing to work with them as they transform their IT.”
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