Productivity and Employee Satisfaction Reach New Heights

Background

FreeFlight Systems designs, manufactures, sells and supports avionics systems that improve the safety, efficiency and affordability of flying. The company had recently sold a business division in Australia and, following the separation, needed to move local business data to the US location. The US-based IT team had already performed an initial exit process but some old data and accounts still existed under the Australian business.

In addition, the remaining locations, two in the US and one in the UK, operated through separate IT systems which had grown organically and were set up in different ways. This caused major inconsistencies between the environments, resulting in difficulties with managing and securing the separated systems. The situation was also unfavourable from a user perspective because many employees worked cross-locations switching from one system to another on a regular basis.

There isn’t a drag-and-drop tool to perform a multi-location migration with this level of complexity. Because Microsoft 365 is a critical part of everyday operations, there was no room for error in terms of data loss or business disruption. Every piece of data required thorough analysis before building a step-by-step migration plan.

– Martin Chapman, CTO, Forge Technologies

The Approach

The multi-phase project, divided into three deliverables based on priority, consisted of Microsoft 365 tendency migration, Microsoft Azure cloud transition and Fortinet SD-WAN deployment. As a first priority, Forge Technologies cleaned the remaining data and email addresses and domains that were still forwarding back to the Australian business. The team removed all temporary and transition settings that might have existed as the businesses were separated.

Microsoft 365 tendency migration

All FreeFlight Systems employees use Microsoft 365 to perform their daily tasks and collaborate with team members. The goal of the tendency migration was to simplify the management process and improve user experience by consolidating every account, mailbox, SharePoint document library and OneDrive folder from US and UK businesses into one Microsoft 365 tendency.

The project began with a detailed audit that looked at the current configuration across different tendencies. Based on the audit results, Forge Technologies worked closely with the team at FreeFlight Systems, to determine the desired action for each account, library and data repository. While some could be simply transferred into the new tendency, some needed to be merged or deleted altogether.

Once the plan was established, Forge Technologies first transferred old data, which had been untouched for a certain period, to help pre-populate the new environment without impacting users. The main migration event was performed out-of-hours to prevent disruption to the business. When the team in the US finished for the day, Forge Technologies blocked everybody from accessing their Microsoft accounts to transfer remaining data and complete the migration before the UK-based staff returned to work the next day.

Operating in a highly regulated industry, it was essential for FreeFlight Systems that all the data remained safe and secure throughout the transfer process. Forge Technologies applied a combination of custom-built scripts and third-party tools to retain permissions and make sure that the data was moved to the right place and the right people had access to it.

Transition to Microsoft Azure

After a successful Microsoft 365 migration, the next phase was moving workloads from on-premise servers into a cloud-based Microsoft Azure. Managing the geographically dispersed on-premise environment had become a burdensome task, with concerns around security, resilience and capacity. As a result, the move to cloud was an obvious choice to remove complexity and ease the workload of the IT teams.

Forge Technologies developed a cloud migration strategy to effectively execute the move of data, applications and business files onto Microsoft cloud. A customised set of designs and templates around FreeFlight System’s requirements helped initiate the migration and build a foundation environment in Microsoft Azure.

Then, through code, Forge Technologies finalised the underlying configurations to make sure the environment matched exactly what was planned in the original strategy. Building Microsoft Azure alongside the existing hosting arrangements meant that the servers could now be moved onto Microsoft cloud gradually, starting with the most mission critical system.

Having 24/7 direct access to technical support made all the difference. Being able to lean on the team’s knowledge and expert advice helped us tremendously during the deployment. Most importantly, it helped build a solid foundation for a long-lasting partnership and strengthen the trust we have for Forge Technologies as leaders in the industry.

– Mike Gronholz, IT Manager, FreeFlight Systems

Support through Fortinet SD-WAN deployment

Previously, FreeFlight Systems had had multiple network equipment vendors and individual devices across locations, all of which with different security policies and maintenance requirements. To remove inconsistencies, the company decided to refresh the network infrastructure with a single vendor solution by deploying Fortinet SDWAN and SD-Branch equipment.

As an experienced Fortinet partner, Forge Technologies provided consultation, guidance and support throughout the deployment. The technical engineering team was available via chat at all times, and ready to hop on a video call or screen sharing to help fix or implement technology remotely. management and security platform that protects and secures your workplace and enables your staff to work from anywhere.

The entire engagement has been a success. Not only does the team at Forge Technologies have the right skills and expertise but also a personable, customer-first approach that’s very unique in the industry. From very early on, we were able to engage directly with the delivery team who walked us through the project from beginning to an end.

– Mike Gronholz, IT Manager, FreeFlight Systems

Results

Over the course of 12 weeks, Forge Technologies helped FreeFlight Systems transform the Microsoft estate and execute a successful cloud migration. Since the transition, operational efficiency and productivity has skyrocketed as employees can now access the single Microsoft 365 system seamlessly, wherever they are. Naturally, this has also had a significant impact on improving user experience.

At the same time, reducing the number of vendors across the IT estate has simplified the management process. The new Fortinet network infrastructure, combined with the Microsoft 365 upgrades enhanced physical security and resilience. With centralised visibility and control over security threats, FreeFlight Systems can react faster and protect the whole estate more efficiently.

Forge Technologies continues the gradual transfer of the remaining workloads from on-premise servers to Microsoft Azure, while providing ongoing support and optimisation across all deliverables. During monthly review meetings the teams assess the environment and identify new ways for improvement. Looking to the future, the next phase is to replace legacy Microsoft 365 management tools with more advanced Microsoft Endpoint Manager to make sure that all devices have the highest level of protection.