Synergics: How a partnership with Microsoft provided strong solutions

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Founded as an IT helpdesk more than ten years ago, Synergics has since transformed its business and become a leading server migration and implementation provider. Based in Belgium, Synergics works with customers to determine their cloud strategy and develop flexible business models adapted to the modern world.

By working closely with its customers, Synergics helps to identify the cloud scenario best suited to their unique needs. Synergics then develops a customized cloud adoption program to ensure these customers receive the maximum return on their investments. Following a successful migration, Synergics also offers additional services to enable its customers to manage their new cloud environments and best realize the advantages of their new solutions. Synergics calls this approach SPRINT, short for strategy, planning, readiness, new way of working, and transformation.

Transforming with a secure platform

The CCI Group is a specialized ISV offering innovative software solutions tailored to fit the needs of professional associations across Europe. The CCI Group’s Livits solution serves as a user-friendly CRM, CMS, and DMS system built to solve membership administration problems typical to professional associations.

Looking to migrate its offer to the cloud, the CCI Group needed a cloud platform that its customers could trust—as any customer who used the CCI Group’s solution would need to be migrated to the new platform as well.

Security were also top-of-mind for the CCI Group as it transformed its business. With the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) looming, the regulatory environment around data compliance was in flux, necessitating a partnership that could enable the CCI Group to realize its digital transformation goals while staying ahead of modern security concerns.

Partnering to securely improve productivity

Synergics, in partnership with Microsoft, developed a campaign aimed at preparing European customers for the new regulatory environment heralded by the GDPR while facilitating these customers’ digital transformations. The joint campaign has been widely successful, and helped to bring Synergics and the CCI Group together.

By partnering with Microsoft, Synergics was able to offer a mature cloud environment in Azure that addressed the concerns the CCI Group and its customers shared regarding any potential cloud platform’s security.

"When we make an offer to our clients, the Microsoft name always inspires confidence. They are a front runner when it comes to cloud security and are well up to date with the latest regulations including the GDPR,” said Jo Deforce, Director at the CCI Group, Netherlands.

Synergics worked with the CCI Group, providing guidance and support throughout the project, and ensuring the customer’s successful migration to Azure while implementing a secure, modern productivity solution in Security365—a solution extending the value of Microsoft 365 with a Barracuda firewall. The solution provided the CCI Group access to a modern suite of productivity services to help its employees stay productive on the go while helping the firm operate securely and in compliance with the upcoming GDPR regulations.

But Synergics provided more than just a solution, as it worked with the customer to assist with readiness and adoption.

“Every implementation requires a unique way of working. When we then implement a solution, we also need to ensure that every employee in the company is experiencing the same benefits that solution provides. If a solution is in place, but the customer can’t realize any advantage, there can be no transformation,” said Hannah Cloetens, Communication Executive at Synergics.

Driving to transformational outcomes

Thanks to the work performed by Synergics in partnership with Microsoft, the CCI Group is now fully migrated to the Azure cloud while experiencing the benefits of Microsoft 365.

However, the engagement is not over for the team at Synergics. It provides ongoing services and support for all of its offerings, ensuring that customers can derive lasting value from its solutions. To ensure customers are kept truly secure, these services are vital, as customer readiness can often provide the greatest return on investment in matters of security. To this end, Synergics is now conducting webinars to help its customers work securely within their new mobile environment.

“There is a continuous and spontaneous exchange of knowledge between us and our contact at Synergics. Thanks to that, we can offer our clients the highest possible quality and security on our platform,” said Jo.

The Microsoft advantage

Since the beginning of its own transformation as a cloud-focused organization three years ago, Synergics has partnered closely with Microsoft. Working with one another has benefited each organization tremendously, with Synergics citing the partnership as a major reason it has experienced success as a cloud organization.

“When we started three years ago as a new cloud company, we partnered with Microsoft because of our shared cloud vision. Moreover, Microsoft’s products are aligned with what the current market needs and wants. This partnership enabled us to become the successful cloud company we are today!” said Cloetens.