Sysmex Secures Office 365 Environment, Reduces IT Burden with AvePoint Online Services
Success Highlights
Customer Location Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Industry Health Services
Platform Microsoft 365, SharePoint Online
Critical Needs
- Construct information environment in which internal and external users can collaborate securely
- Implement backup and recovery at a smaller level of granularity than native capabilities allow
- Reduce burden on IT and users by automating SharePoint administration
The Challenge
With over 8,000 global users and 3,800 domestic users, Sysmex had implemented Microsoft SharePoint 2007 (MOSS) as an intranet and internal collaboration platform. Since 2008, Sysmex aimed to increase user adoption by promoting internal information sharing for both system implementation and operation stabilization.
However, with the end of Microsoft support for SharePoint 2007 arriving on October 10, 2017, Sysmex decided to migrate its environment to Office 365 - SharePoint Online. “We’ve worked on using the latest cloud technology to reform our workstyle. By migrating to SharePoint Online, we could utilize latest features such as mobile phone access and operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said Mr. Yuji Ohnishi of the Information Solution Department at Sysmex Corporation.
The organization also needed a way for end users to have immediate access to essential content and be able to share this information securely. “The need for an information sharing system, which is critical for external collaboration, increased over time. As a result, security became our top concern,” Ohnishi said. Given these collaboration needs, Sysmex began to seek a third-party tool to support its migration to and management of Office 365 - SharePoint Online.
It’s amazing how AvePoint has all the features we need to reduce the IT administration burden.
Information Solution Department, Sysmex Corporation
The AvePoint Solution
After researching other solutions, Sysmex chose AvePoint Online Services (AOS). Hosted on Microsoft Azure, AOS simplifies Office 365 administration and provides granular backup and restore as well as other capabilities for SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, and OneDrive for Business.
The deciding factor was AvePoint’s top-notch expertise with SharePoint features. “AOS can automate Office 365 site creation via the user’s department, and each site group can control the operations of external users,” said Ohnishi. “With these features in AOS, we have increased the efficiency of our administration.”
More specifically, Sysmex has observed that the automation, granular recovery, and site access analysis features of AOS have improved the speed of IT tasks. “While out-of-the-box SharePoint can only recover data at the site level, AOS can recover data at smaller levels of granularity,” Ohnishi said.
As part of the healthcare industry, Sysmex must comply with strict privacy and information security regulations. The organization relies on AOS—especially audit log archive, access permission export, and data backup—to ensure it can quickly respond to audits. “We can use the filter in AOS to search and export results as an audit report, which saves time,” said Ohnishi. “Through the implementation of Governance Automation Online, a module of AOS, administration is more efficient and automatic.”
Governance Automation Online (GAO) is an extensible governance strategy that empowers users, is easy to maintain, and scales as an organization’s Office 365 deployment grows. With GAO, Sysmex can configure governance settings according to internal rules so that end users can only create site collections with prior approval. “Since we can set specific access rules for units, sites, and site collections, the governance of our information environment can be easily maintained,” Ohnishi said.
Sysmex uses the AOS external invitation feature to share content via Office 365 with external partners, as well as manage this shared information. “Since it’s necessary to manage permissions in case improper information is disclosed, we were worried about creating additional work for our IT department,” Ohnishi said. “With AOS and GAO, we save time and ensure we remain compliant and secure.”
What’s more, everyday to-do items like site collection clearances and permission recertifications can be completed automatically with GAO. “By automating routine yet time-intensive tasks, we have dramatically reduced the burden on our IT department,” Ohnishi said.
The Road Ahead
To maximize its Office 365 deployment, constructing an environment for secure internal and external collaboration while saving administration time and effort were Sysmex’s top goals. With AvePoint Online Services and Governance Automation Online, Sysmex can leverage granular backup, automation, and other features to achieve these goals.
Looking ahead, Sysmex plans to implement the multiple features of GAO in addition to other AOS modules. “GAO has all the features we need to reduce the IT administration burden,” said Ohnishi. “The capabilities of GAO and AOS are amazingly beneficial for our business.”
