Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI) is a leading corporate and investment bank based in Austria, with operations across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). It has approximately 50,000 employees in more than 2,400 locations and services 16.6 million clients. RBI's international presence and the ever-increasing collaboration between banks made it necessary to lay strong new technological foundations for building the workplace experience of the future — using Microsoft Office 365.

"As part of our new strategy, 'A New World of Work,' we wanted to introduce new methods and ways of working," recalls Wolfgang Hausner, the senior project manager at RBI who spearheaded the Office 365 migration. The plan was to introduce a new Office software suite as the foundation for further digitisation at the bank, as well as an innovative, collaborative way of working.

The decision to use Office 365 was made quickly; as well as facilitating collaboration between employees and branches in different countries, it also functions as an integrated communication system and forms the foundation for a modern workplace. Among the advantages of Office 365 are its secure cloud connection via Microsoft and the fact that all applications are fully accessible from anywhere, including on mobile devices.

Through close collaboration between Avanade and RBI’s change management team, HR and communications department, the migration course was set. Change agents and change ambassadors guided employees, showed them the new possibilities and encouraged them to get on board. Training was also provided.

The project was a resounding success. "With Office 365, we have laid the foundation for 'A New World of Work' and we are fit for the future. Desk sharing, working from home, etc. — all of these things are, to put it simply, possible if you have the right underlying technology," says Hausner. "What our staff is most enthusiastic about is Skype. With it, you can see at a glance who is in the office or in a meeting, you can chat and if a problem gets too complicated for you to sort out, you can initiate a direct call. If the issue is still too complex, you can activate desktop sharing at the touch of a button, all in one app."

For RBI, the entire Office 365 suite also enables collaboration across national borders, around the globe — even with external partners and clients. Once the project is fully completed, the company will have over 50,000 users in 15 countries.

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