Technology-enabled language service provider

The Client:

Our 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 that provides innovative, industry-leading language solutions at every stage of the translation supply chain. Among them are 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. 

“While our migration project was deeply complex, it was clear that Nero Blanco had managed migrations with even greater levels of complexity and scale. They capably managed our initial concerns and questions and quickly gained our full trust.”

“After a three-month scoping exercise, the delivery phase lasted around nine months. We worked closely with Nero Blanco to agree on the best way to mobilise our people and work streams, then organised our project team around delivery work streams and functional areas.”

– Head of Technical Architecture

The Options:

After an in-depth audit and analysis of their environments, Nero Blanco helped the client define the right migration path from three options: 

1. Migrate all of the acquired company’s users into our client’s existing tenant 
2. Migrate all of our client’s users into the acquired company’s existing tenant  
3. Migrate all client and acquired company’s users into a new greenfield Microsoft 365 tenant 

Option three was the most complex, costly and technically challenging. It required the synchronisation of identities from both sides before migrating all workloads, tenants and devices – yet it also offered the greatest business benefits. 

The Decision:

The business agreed to proceed with option three: a future-proof alternative that provided both businesses with a fresh start. This route offered potential for seamless future expansion through further mergers and acquisitions and, of course, the unification required for effective operational efficiency. 

Nero Blanco designed the architecture solution for the migration, and phase one of the project – internally dubbed Highlander – kicked off in May 2022. 

Phase one consisted of a three-month discovery process that helped Nero Blanco gain a deep understanding of the potential challenges and agree on an approach.   

Phase two involved design and planning, followed by the migration of ~70,000 users (including ~60,000+ external user accounts for vendors and customers), 14,360 Mailboxes, 11,964 SharePoint sites, 8,314 Teams & Groups 9,000 workstations over a single cutover weekend, removing the need for profile recreation and coexistence. 

Extend your IT team with Nero Blanco

Imagine what it’s like to have Nero Blanco’s expertise and experience on tap – when and where you need it. 

Your internal IT team do a good job of day-to-day helpdesk provision and occasional larger projects. What you need is a strategic partner to handle more complex plans, to ensure you’re leveraging the best that Microsoft has to offer, and to keep your organisation running smoothly. 

If you’d like to benefit from ongoing support and expertise, get in touch with us today. We would love to find out more about your business, and to talk you through how we can help to unify your organisation.