In a market slowly climbing out of recession, quick response time is critical for UK clothing retailers.
For sports clothier, Musto, this means speedy, reliable e-mail. The company was due for an e-mail system upgrade to keep its global business running smoothly. So it engaged telecoms operator, Vodafone, and migrated to Microsoft Office 365. Now employees have the 24/7 e-mail access they need while doing business almost anywhere.
Reliable communication key to success
Musto was founded in 1965 when Keith Musto, an Olympic sailor and engineer, began designing kits for sailors and sailing teams. These early products reflected an ethos of innovation and reliability that extends to today's full line of sailing, equestrian and shooting gear, as well as casual clothing for men and women.
Reliability is key not just to Musto's products, but also to its business operations. Customer orders, invoices and credits, and collaboration with a global network of partners all take place via e-mail - and the system needs to work seamlessly.
"As the world has become much more real time, our communication is expected to be real time, 24/7. If we lost that communication, we wouldn't be able to get any product made." said Musto IT director, Frank Potts.
Musto has a large mobile workforce, and works with manufacturers all around the world, sending large files and drawings back and forth between factories and designers. Communication and collaboration across these teams is fundamental to the company's success.
Until recently, Musto maintained a diverse infrastructure, including Exchange Server 2003 with "a real mixed bag of Outlook [versions]", Apple with Entourage, and a BlackBerry suite of phone services and handsets backed by a BlackBerry server. Described by IT staff as ageing, corrupted and lacking adequate backup, the system was due for an upgrade beyond the bit-by-bit updating that had been the norm.
Article courtesy of Microsoft. To read the full article, click here.
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