How M365 Increases Productivity in Public Administration

Productivity in the public sector workplace is more than just a buzzword bingo term. On the contrary, productivity describes the ratio of results to workload and, therefore, gets to the heart of every working day. How tedious is it to process an application with sensitive data, encrypt it, and then send it in a data-protected form? How many people are involved in operating the necessary IT infrastructure and specialist processes?
 

More applications, more end devices, higher requirements

The use of the best technologies has always been an essential factor in the efficiency and effectiveness of states. Functioning states always invested in the best technology of their time. The ancient Greeks and Romans used wax tablets, the Republic of Venice was a leader in cryptology, and in Berlin, a pneumatic pneumatic tube system with almost 400 km of track was built in 1865.

With every technological advancement, there has been a leap in productivity: sending and receiving more information - with less effort and a higher level of security. However, new technologies also brought challenges and risks that must be overcome. 
 

The German administration quickly adapted the mainframes as a new technology, was quickly adapted by the German administration, and the switch to client/server architectures was also successful. Since then, the public sector bodies have been operating many specialist procedures from various providers, mostly on their own or through state service providers, using much of their resources and expertise. 

The challenge: the requirements for a modern IT workplace have increased significantly in recent years. It is not just about classic office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or Outlook, but also about file storage and exchange, video telephony, and online conferences. All functions should be integrated, user-friendly, and usable via many different end devices - whether in the office, on the move, or at home.

At the same time, security requirements are increasing: computers, tablets, and cell phones should also be able to access company data from outside. Devices and software constantly require new updates, and cybercriminals are increasingly targeting organizations with older software versions, as is often the case in the public sector.

The next generation of the IT workplace

With Microsoft 365, Microsoft provides a comprehensive, innovative software suite that includes all the functions of the modern workplace: Office applications, (video) telephony, emails, file storage, collaboration in dedicated teams, and internal company communication. Older applications that were previously used, such as Microsoft Publisher (for graphic design) and Microsoft Access (for creating your own databases), can also continue to be used. The suite is supplemented by services such as Microsoft Intune (management of physical and virtual end device management) and Microsoft Purview Information Protection (organization and protection of sensitive data).

A generational shift to a highly productive IT workplace in the cloud is not a luxury project in times of skills shortages and rising cybercrime, but a necessity. 

Employee productivity increases significantly:

• All functions are seamlessly integrated and can be used from home, in the office, or on the move.

• Team members, partners, and suppliers can work together on the same document as required if they have the appropriate authorizations.

Users can use several end devices at the same time and synchronize their data and settings. An optional feature of M365 is Copilot, an AI application that can help with various tasks, such as creating documents, answering questions, and summarizing texts. Using cloud technologies also results in productivity gains on the IT operations side. Administrators can support significantly more users with less effort if they have the necessary skills and resources. Provisioning the IT infrastructure is no longer required, nor is the operation of applications and manual integration of systems. As a cloud provider, Microsoft is also responsible for carrying out software updates for the applications and ensuring IT infrastructure security.

Actively managing the generational change in IT

The migration to M365 enables high productivity increases in operations and for users. Users are possible. However, active change management is necessary to realize this potential.

For the users, the main focus is on learning and using the new functionalities of the software suite. Arvato Systems uses a four-stage approach for this: 
 

• Inform: In the early phase of the implementation project, the main focus is on informing all those involved about the upcoming changes at an early stage, highlighting opportunities, and building trust.

• Involve: Next, the focus is on picking up on and understanding stakeholder sentiments and allaying any fears they may have.

• Training: In this phase, the necessary knowledge for using the functions is imparted, and familiarity with the new tools is created.

• Support: After the introduction, the focus is on accompanying support. The aim is that the users quickly achieve independence in dealing with M365.

The key to increasing the productivity of IT administrators lies in the targeted management of the transition from the traditional IT workplace to the cloud solution. A pilot project gathers data and experience before the actual migration. These findings are used in the detailed concept to determine which legacy applications can be switched off, to what extent, and at what time. 
 

The fewer applications that need to be operated for archiving reasons, for example, the more efficiently the colleagues IT operations colleagues can focus on more productive tasks. 

Once the switch to M365 has been made, cloud-based IT has another advantage: updates are automatically installed several times a month without affecting the live operation of the workstation. The software always remains up to date. This means that another significant migration can be avoided.