Ghanaian credit bureau saves money, improves operations with Office 365
December 15, 2015 – Microsoft
Ghanaian credit bureau, Dun & Bradstreet, needed to find a cloud solution that would save them money, allow them to focus on their core business and meet government compliance acts. They chose Microsoft Office 365 as the solution that best drives business value and enhances customer experience. |
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A credit bureau with unique requirements
Dun & Bradstreet is a licensed credit bureau in Ghana, specialising in credit reporting to enable financial institutions to assess the credit worthiness of their customers. When Head of IT and Operations in charge of core business, Yakubu Abdulai, joined the company in April 2015, he immediately saw that administrative costs were very high. He realised the best way to remedy this was to find a cloud solution that would allow the business to adapt quickly, while complying with government regulations.
“Out of the box, it helps us comply with the data retention and privacy provision in the Acts, which wouldn’t have been possible before without reaching out for additional support.”
Finding a suitable solution
After conducting some research and testing various solutions, Abdulai made contact with Microsoft partner, Multithreading ICT Solutions. “We did our homework and conducted a proof of concept before concluding that Microsoft best addresses our requirements in Ghana,” he says. “Multithreading ICT Solutions also offered us great support from solution envisioning, through to getting management buy-in, license purchasing and dealing with configuration, mailbox migrations and initial user migration awareness.
The similar user experiences of Office and Office 365 also meant little training was required for staff to start using the new system. “Having already worked on the traditional desktop Office suite, it was easy for them to start using the cloud-based one,” explains Abdulai.
Discovering cloud-based features that change the way business is done
Apart from the ease of use among staff, Abdulai also highlights the various features of Office 365 that help core business at Dun & Bradstreet run more smoothly.
Shared mailbox means that banks can send all data submissions to one address, with all staff members able to see the email and deal with the query. In addition, OneDrive and SharePoint allow for easy collaboration regardless of where staff are situated.
Working in the cloud and within the law
At the most basic level, working on Office 365 also means it is easier for Dun & Bradstreet to ensure their software licenses are up-to-date. For a credit bureau, this is essential as they need to ensure they work within the law. Shifting to the cloud also meant staff members are able to install Office 365 on their home computers, instead of installing pirated software to cut costs.
Beyond basic operations, however, Abdulai comments that going the Office 365 route complies with the Data Protection Act and Credit Reporting Act. “Working on Office 365 has made our job easier from an administrative perspective,” he says. “Out of the box, it helps us comply with the data retention and privacy provision in the Acts, which wouldn’t have been possible before without reaching out for additional support.”
Improving operations and cutting costs
By removing administrative concerns such as compliance and maintaining an onsite server, Dun & Bradstreet can focus on their core business. The company has also found other effective ways of saving money by moving to the cloud.
Abdulai shares, “Now that we operate in the cloud, we have freed three physical servers that we previously used for exchange on our premises. Selling these has paid for Office 365 for the next three years, which means a significant cost saving for us.”
The case for African businesses to move to the cloud “If something can help us focus on our core business I will go for it, especially if it impacts my budget and more so if it helps me to be compliant with regulations,” he says. |
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“The general argument has always been that there is no internet in Africa, but this is changing. With a little push, there is no reason African businesses can’t move some of their services to the cloud. Whether your business is African or American, there is no doubt that cloud has value to offer.”
“Now that we operate in the cloud, we have freed three physical servers that we previously used for exchange on our premises. Selling these has paid for Office 365 for the next three years, which means a significant cost saving for us.