Post-Acquisition Microsoft365 Integration

Integration of Microsoft365 environments after company acquisition

Environment & Background

After the acquisition of Staples Europe by Lyreco Group and the subsequent organizational integration it was necessary to migrate all Staples Europe accounts and data in the Microsoft365 tenant to the Lyreco Group Microsoft tenant. The primary drivers for this migration were:

• Alignment of external communications – use of one email identity
• Contract renegotiation & Cost – both companies had expiring Microsoft Enterprise Agreements. Integrating them would avoid unnecessary double run cost
• Collaboration – Working from one tenant with one identity enables seamless collaboration between teams (there are limits to what can be done cross-tenant).

Quilyx Involvement

After successfully completing the EDI/EAI Migration at Staples Europe (see other case study), Quilyx was approached to manage this project due to their proven expertise in large-scale IT transitions. Quilyx was given responsibility for leading the integration of the Microsoft365 tenant, a task that included the migration of over 1,500 employees to the new Lyreco Group Microsoft tenant. This involved transitioning Office 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint accounts, while also ensuring that all users received new email addresses within the Lyreco domain, as the old email addresses were phased out by the end of the migration. Given the tight timelines and the impact on the organization, it was crucial to manage both the technical and human aspects of the transition.

To ensure success, Quilyx organized workshops with internal IT specialists, including architects, infrastructure, and network experts, as well as service desk staff. The goal was to establish a clear roadmap, identify potential risks, and ensure a smooth and secure transition. Quilyx also placed a strong focus on change management, developing newsletters, instructional videos, and detailed user guides to keep the organization informed and engaged throughout the process. By preparing both technically and organizationally, Quilyx enabled the migration to be completed without production disruptions and within just a few months.

Approach & Execution

The migration followed a phased approach to minimize risks and ensure business continuity. After analyzing the current IT landscape at Staples Europe, Quilyx identified the necessary steps for transitioning Microsoft365 accounts and applications. Key to the success of the project was a thorough communication plan, which ensured that all 1,500+ employees were prepared for the changes.

Quilyx led workshops with cross-functional teams to outline the technical migration strategy and define the risk management framework. A pilot migration was conducted to test the process, and once validated, the full-scale migration was executed in carefully managed stages. Throughout, Quilyx emphasized clear communication with end-users, using instructional materials and regular updates to ensure that employees were well-informed and could adopt the new system with ease.

Result

The project was a major early success in the integration of the acquired company into Lyreco Group infrastructure. It was completed on time and without major incidents. One of the important side effects of the project was that the cooperation between the IT teams got a significant boost. By investing in travel, on-site workshops and celebrating the intermediate and overall success of the project it showed that these teams could work together and achieve great results.