Migration to a cloud-only platform

Emmi relies on a Microsoft-only strategy to manage its mobile devices in Switzerland. The article describes the project requirements of the milk processor, the implementation process and the results.

Emmi is the leading milk processor in Switzerland. The group has 25 production plants in Switzerland alone. Just under half of the group’s sales of around 3.9 billion Swiss francs are generated in Switzerland. And slightly more than a third of the approximately 9000 employees work in Switzerland. Of these, around 2000 use a mobile device in their daily work. The majority of these are smartphones with the iOS or Android operating system; a few of the mobile helpers are tablets.

Mobile device management

When it comes to mobile workplace services, Emmi is now increasingly relying on cloud services from Microsoft. “We are finding that Microsoft will be investing a lot in endpoint management in the near future, and we generally see Microsoft as a strategic partner for cloud services,” says Tobias Herzog, Workplace Services Team Leader at Emmi Switzerland. “In addition, cost management is an important issue at Emmi. For this reason, we rely on a one-vendor strategy wherever Microsoft offers the same functionality as an existing supplier.”

In the present case of mobile device management (smartphones and tablets), there is much to be said for this. The Microsoft 365 licence used by Emmi includes Office apps, e-mail and calendar, intranet and file access services, as well as functionalities for secure device and app management – regardless of whether they are used by the corporate customer or not. The licence therefore not only includes all important tools and services, but also device and access management for all employees at the workplace, on the road or in the home office.

Management in the Cloud

The bundle can also be used to manage devices and applications of various kinds and to provide secure access to company data. “In particular, we see an advantage because more and more services are being operated in the cloud,” says Herzog. In general, devices are easiest to manage where the services are located. So if a large part of the services run in the Microsoft cloud and not “on-premises” in one’s own data centre, the services should also be managed in the Microsoft cloud. Especially if the affected functionalities are already included in the existing licence.

In addition to the question of the operating model, an equally compelling argument is the operating costs. In Emmi’s case, the savings that can be achieved with the migration of the unified endpoint management system are considerable. “With the switch to Microsoft Endpoint Manager, we save a mid-five-figure amount per year in Switzerland alone.

Complete article as PDF

(Published in KMU-Magazin 4-5/2022, www.kmu-magazin.ch)