Mission accomplished: 70,000 Microsoft users seamlessly migrated in one weekend, thanks to PowerSyncPro
The client
The client is the world’s leading provider of technology-enabled language, content management and intellectual property services – helping businesses connect with customers worldwide.
Based in the UK with operations around the globe, the business boasts an impressive client list. This includes 90 of the top 100 global brands – from Facebook and Google, to Volvo and Land Rover – as well as the top 10 pharmaceutical companies and 18 of the top 20 patent filers worldwide.
In 2021 they acquired an intelligent language and content company, which provides innovative, industry-leading language solutions at every stage of the translation supply chain – including freelance translators, language service providers, corporate language departments and academic institutions.
The acquisition represented the UK’s largest tech deal of the year and meant that ,for the first time in the history of the language services industry, a UK company would lead the market.
The need
Much like any business that’s grown through acquisition, this major global player had a complex infrastructure and a large amount of technical debt due to a number of legacy applications – a situation that was exacerbated by the latest acquisition deal.
Both businesses had similar-sized Microsoft tenants, and a combined workforce of around 9,000 workstations. In order for them to collaborate and communicate effectively, both partners needed to unite in one Microsoft tenant.
The question was, which of the possible options was right for the business – both now and looking to the future.
The solution
Impressed by a recommendation praising them as “the world leaders in Microsoft migrations,” the company enlisted IT specialists Nero Blanco to lead the migration project. One of the business benefits of partnering with Nero Blanco is the fact that the team aren’t tied to recommending any one solution or migration tool, regardless of suitability.
After an in-depth audit and analysis of both businesses’ environments, Nero Blanco helped the client select the right migration path. The decision to combine all users from both businesses in a new greenfield Microsoft 365 tenant was made.
Introducing PowerSyncPro
The solution they recommended to achieve the transition was PowerSyncPro – a robust tool designed to enable the synchronisation of hundreds of thousands of users, contacts, and groups between any number of Active Directories both quickly and effectively.
PowerSyncPro is designed to assist with key stages of the identity preparation piece and Active Directory synchronisation as the first step in the complex migration process. It has the ability to handle complex migration projects with no need for manual processes or scripts.
PowerSyncPro comprises two key elements:
- PowerSyncPro Dir Sync
- PowerSyncPro Migration Agent
PowerSyncPro Dir Sync
PowerSyncPro DirSync was involved from the initial design and planning stages of the client’s transformation project.
Moving all 70,000 users to a single greenfield tenant required the synchronisation of identities from both sides before migrating all workloads, tenants and devices – and PowerSyncPro Dir Sync was up to the task.
With 70,000 licenses purchased for a period of three years, PowerSyncPro Dir Sync continues to add value post-completion. The tool syncs objects in the legacy apps that exist in a number of on-premise domains with a single source of identity, ensuring the estate requiring those legacy applications is supported.
PowerSyncPro Migration Agent
PowerSyncPro Migration Agent was the exceptionally efficient tool that powered the migration of 70,000 users (including 60,000+ external user accounts for vendors and customers), workstations and data over a single cutover weekend – removing the need for profile recreation and coexistence.
The perfect solution for businesses experiencing mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, PowerSyncPro Migration Agent is guaranteed to reduce user downtime and organisational disruption – removing the mega migration headache and saving your business time and money.
Without PowerSyncPro, the migration would have needed to have been split over multiple weekends: generating lost income, prolonging difficulties and downtime for staff, and requiring more support tickets, more IT resource and more budget!
The results
The bulk of the migration took place over a single cutover weekend in January 2023. Despite users being warned to expect teething troubles when they arrived in the office the following Monday, around 7,500 out of 9,000 workstations had migrated without incident by 11am that morning (and many of the remaining 1,500 simply hadn’t been switched on due to holidays and absence.)
Thanks to PowerSyncPro, this complex migration was delivered on time and on budget. The two entities had achieved the technological unification required for operational efficiency, with minimal user disruption and loss of productivity.
The success of this major migration earned widespread recognition for the client’s IT function – and the project has been acknowledged as a new standard for project transformation.
In the client’s words…
“Without PowerSyncPro our businesses would have remained in a non-collaborative state for years. Pre-migration to our new greenfield tenant, staff couldn’t find one another to communicate, let alone collaborate, effectively – and this was having a negative impact on our ability to operate as a business.“
–Head of Technical Architecture
“PowerSyncPro enabled us to migrate the entire business over one weekend. That’s an incredible achievement. Had we used another solution, we would have been required to carry out the migration over multiple weekends – and experienced significant disruption and loss of income as a result.”
“The ability to function as one unified business is key to our operational success. PowerSyncPro didn’t just enable us to achieve this – it enabled us to do so on time and on budget. We couldn’t be happier.“
Overview
PowerSyncPro is a powerful, efficient solution that provides near-seamless coexistence between multiple AD forests and facilitates the gradual migration of users and workstations – including bi-directional password sync, which enables the user to effectively manage all their accounts.
PowerSyncPro synchronises users, groups and contacts between directories with no need for manual processes or complex scripts. It works in a similar way to Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) – using the same import, sync and export terminology – but is far simpler to use.
PowerSyncPro has provided ongoing directory synchronisation both during and after the migration of both client companies to their new Microsoft 365 greenfield tenant.
PowerSyncPro Dir Sync continues to sync objects in the legacy apps that were unable to migrate – removing pressure on the business’s IT function and the need for coexistence and all its associated problems.
PowerSyncPro can be installed, configured and operated as part of a professional service package from Nero Blanco. Plans are also in progress to release PSP as a solution, to empower full AD migration switches.
At a glance
Client: The world’s leading language service provider
Industry: language services
Location: global
Services provided: Migrating all users into a single greenfield Microsoft Office 365 tenant, supported by ongoing managed IT service and support.
Number of users: 70,000 (including 60,000+ external user accounts for vendors and customers)
Number of workstations: 9,355
Number of AD domains: 11
Number of groups: 429,620
Number of attributes: 20 million
Tools
PowerSyncPro Dir Sync 70,000 licenses: three years
PowerSyncPro Migration Agent (per workstation): 10,000+ licenses used during the project. PowerSyncPro Migration Agent will also be used for further planned Active Directory migrations at a later date.