The MOD has an ace up its sleeve in the battle against lost productivity
Is there anything more frustrating than an unexpected technology failure at work? You were flying along, being as productive as you have ever been and then there is a system failure. Suddenly, you don’t have access to the one tool you need to do your job. Typical, really. You might as well go and get a cup of tea and moan about it in the break room. No one else is getting anything done today.
Reliability matters to every organisation, no matter the size or the sector. But the MOD takes that principle to another level. They have got 300,000 user accounts on 180,000 devices all over the World – many of them working from remote locations with special challenges. The job is hard enough without their tools suddenly becoming unavailable.
Some organisations would be tempted to use this as an excuse to play it safe and rely on outdated technology. But the MOD’s needs are always evolving and so its tools need to keep up. It is continually updating its IT assets to keep pace with what employees need to get the job done. It needs to be able to deploy new or updated tools regularly and train staff on their use, all without any sudden interruptions in service.
Fortunately, the MOD doesn’t have to do it alone. The MOD Defence Information Services Team (DIST) has a Microsoft Services Premier Support Agreement in place, which means they have got a Microsoft Service Management Consultant (SMC) on hand to help them. The SMC is there to help the MOD better understand their IT needs and then aid them in developing best practice regarding system delivery, as well as staff training. Together, they have lowered the risk of downtime, while improving services and creating a positive, collaborative culture that empowers workers.
Of course, the MOD also needs to work closely with software vendors to make sure that all applications adhere to the MOD’s functional requirements. The Microsoft Services Premier Support for Developers team have helped in developing guidelines for developing and testing applications throughout the MOD. Having help at hand from professionals who can provide support for a wide variety of software, not just Microsoft products, helps the MOD further reduce downtime and enhance productivity.
Do you want to learn more about how the MOD is lowering its risk of downtime?