Enterprise software vendor Microsoft has supplied Microsoft Office 365, Windows Azure, Microsoft Lync 2013, Windows Server 2012 and Microsoft SharePoint 2013 to Italian multimedia publishing company RCS MediaGroup.
The deployment is part of RCS MediaGroup’s initiative to modernize and unify its communications infrastructure and enable cloud-based collaboration.
Umberto Tonelli, chief information officer of RCS MediaGroup, said: “The cloud solutions enabled RCS to benefit from security-enhanced cloud storage, improve its disaster preparedness through the protection of relevant assets such as digitized historical archives of newspapers.”
The media firm, which has presence in Italy and Spain, simplified its communications infrastructure, and provided project management offerings for a mobile, distributed workforce that is using these solutions to manage more than 200 projects within its Digital Product Development Department.
Moreover, Windows apps and storage in the cloud have assisted RCS to develop a solution for the sales force of its book publishing company, RCS Libri, that allows sales agents to retrieve the new books catalogue while on the go and present it interactively to their customers.
Using the Windows app, they can place orders from the catalogue in front of the customer, reducing the selling cycle. After an agent’s visit, the Windows app allows the customer to review the catalog through a Web interface and place additional orders. The sales agents benefit from using Office 365 and Lync to communicate with their network, within and outside RCS.
Moreover, the new platform provides the marketing teams with a new collaborative environment, based on Office 365, where they can invite selected customers to focus groups to discuss and vote on the new digital products that RCS is planning to release.
Using a combination of Office 365 cloud environment and SharePoint 2013 on-premises, RCS will transform its intranet from a pure top-down communications tool to an interactive self-service feature for virtual desk.
The solution enables RCS employees to share documents and images, manage projects, and communicate with mobile technology tools that support access from smartphones, tablets and other devices.
Employees located in Italy can use Lync to connect with fellow employees in other locations around the world, such as the U.S., Spain, Mexico and China, as well as with vendors and partners.
