Microsoft solutions bolster the efficiency of office work Microsoft comprehensive solutions are helping Trails of Indochina enable wider access and real-time collaboration for staff and key management. Trails of Indochina (TOI) is a pioneer and leader in destination management and luxury travel within South East Asia having eight regional and international offices employing 250 staff. The company’s management wants wider access and enhanced real-time collaboration for its staff and key management, and seeks the solution to meet the demand of working on-the-go as they are in tourism industry. After careful considerations, TOI’s management has decided on using the cloud products and services of Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Windows 8.1 which were expected to help transform TOI daily working practices, improve its connectivity and efficiencies, which enables faster responses to business matters, greater flexibility in work patterns, and improved customer service. Before changing to Microsoft Office 365, TOI utilised Microsoft Windows Server as the file server in each office to store working document. The disadvantage is that TOI regional offices’ user access was restricted and connectivity was slow. In line with business growth, TOI’s IT infrastructure has been expected to resume a constant state of evolution.  “We wanted to reduce the reliance on traditional server hardware. Now that we have converted our server base to work on the Office 365 platform  which allows us greater flexibility to expand our operations into new countries if required, and to connect our sales teams in source markets to our Head Office,” said Matt Masson, CEO of TOI. TOI has made a crucial and timely decision to move to cloud so that it can eliminate server hardware maintenance and troubleshooting. Office 365 brings the familiarity and power of Office with the flexibility of the cloud. Meanwhile, Windows 8.1 have diverse advantages such as allowing users to work the way they wish, move easily from one application to another by multitasking on many devices. Windows 8.1 also offers a world of touchscreen work and entertainment, new ways to tap, swipe, and navigate seamlessly. “Cloud is seen as one of the solutions to enable wider access and real-time collaboration for our staff and key management. We can reduce our reliance upon our server systems, not to mention the associated costs related to these systems in addition to permitting the sharing and manipulation of one single set of data where possible,” said Martin Cook, Trails of Indochina's COO. “The deployment of Microsoft Office 365 is still in process, and we will finish for email system at the end of this year while SharePoint will be in next year,” Cook added. Microsoft Office 365 offers business-class email, shared calendars, IM, online conferencing, and access to the most up-to-date documents. User can work together in real time—and without compromising security. Whilst, all files are automatically saved online, even the ones on PC, so it’s easy to access, edit, and share user’s latest version on the go. Microsoft Office 365 minimises upfront cost, so user doesn't have to worry about hardware costs and software upgrades. Office 365 is also continually adding new features, so user can get them automatically. Besides, Office 365 built-in security deflects malware, spam, phishing attacks and other threats. And if it’s needed, user can connect with an Office 365 expert for migration, custom work, and ongoing support. Moreover, user can utilise their Microsoft account to sign in to any device running Windows 8.1 with the same layout, apps, and settings. User can save, view, and edit documents, photos, other files to OneDrive, the free online storage built into Windows 8.1, and get to them anytime, from any of their PCs or devices. OneDrive is also a good storage to protect files if something happens to user’s PC. “Cloud is the new era of IT and is increasingly becoming popular and well-received in Vietnam. Cloud helps cut investment costs by five to seven times compared to premise’s, hence enterprises like TOI can spend the spare money for other investments,” said Vu Minh Tri, general director of Microsoft Vietnam. “Microsoft Office 365 helps revolutionise the way people think about a suite of applications been being used for decades - and this all-new cloud approach can help transform how enterprises work. Microsoft is also an enterprise itself, then we always endeavor to bring reliable  experiences, best services to offer our clients better labor productivity, better performance, intelligence and cost saving,” Tri noted. By Mai Thuy, VIR