In this day and age, data privacy and security has become more important than ever before. Widespread cyberattacks, along with commercial data breaches becoming more prevalent, has underscored the need for more robust security measures and enhanced privacy controls to be put in place, to minimise the risk of valuable data falling into the hands of cybercriminals.
All across the world, data privacy measures are being enforced to safeguard the rights of individuals in protecting their personal data. Singapore, with its Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and the European Union (EU), with its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), are examples of some of the regulations that have been put in place to govern the collection, use and disclosure of personal data for the digital age.
In anticipation of the security challenges that many businesses are facing today and will face in the future, Microsoft introduced a purpose-built solution for small to medium-sized businesses – Microsoft 365 Business.
With services such as Office 365 – which is the leading productivity service in the market, Enterprise Mobility and Security – and the rock-solid Windows 10, Microsoft 365 enables us to service our customers through the hyperscale cloud, infused with artificial intelligence.
“We make sure that we balance productivity services that enable customers to be productive on-the-go with security features that will help them fend off attacks, stay safe from malware and prevent data breaches and leaks, to empower them with the ability to stay ahead of their competition,” said Borko Kovacevic, Director of Modern Workplace Solutions, Microsoft Singapore.
As a company that needed to move out its legacy systems rapidly due to organisation restructuring, AdvanIDe (Advanced Identification Electronics), one of the leading semiconductor providers headquartered in Singapore with operations across multiple countries including Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Taiwan, USA, Uruguay, etc., recognised the need to look for a technology partner that can empower the company to transform into a modern workplace, while safeguarding the business and ensuring compliance with EU’s GDPR.
Here’s a look at AdvanIDe’s digital transformation journey, as they partner with Microsoft to collectively build a modern workplace and lay the security and compliance foundation for the future of their business.
Making the shift to Microsoft 365
“AdvanIDe’s core products are used in the secure access market, including access management and control, automated fare collection and object identification, and secure ID and transactions. With security being a top priority for us, Microsoft’s ability to provide a secure foundation, along with its familiar ecosystem, ease of scalability and ability for rapid deployment, made Microsoft 365 Business a natural choice for us,” said Timothy Ngui, Chief Operating Officer, AdvanIDe Holdings.
“The familiarity with the Microsoft ecosystem made it very easy for us to migrate, and our staff got the hang of Office 365 very quickly. We now have a greater sense of security when we share documents. We feel safer with the privacy that Microsoft 365 offers; and with the policies that we have put in place, we are able to ensure that our data is secure, even as we transact with partners and customers outside of our organisation,” added Ngui.
The solution also ensures that our data is compliant with GDPR – this is especially important for us as we deal with our European customers and also manage a key operations facility based in Germany, which is part of the European Union.
Empowering employees with ease of collaboration
Since the move to Microsoft 365 Business, AdvanIDe has seen marked improvements in communication efficiency, resulting in growth in confidence among the employees in the company’s ability to grow and meet the demands of the future.
“In the past, we used to have issues collaborating on shared documents. But now, different employees are able to co-author the same file, without worrying about each other’s versions. This way, we are able to collaborate more efficiently and effectively without messing up one another’s work across the different offices,” said Ngui.
“Additionally, with Skype for Business, it makes it really easy for us to set up meetings with partners and customers around the world. Communication is now much clearer than before, and we also save time and money from travel as a result,” said Joe Lo, Head of Secure ID and Transactions segment, AdvanIDe Holdings.
Ensuring data security and compliance in the changing business landscape
Besides enhancing the ease of collaboration, the ability for AdvanIDe to apply flexible mobile device controls while protecting company information through Microsoft 365, has empowered its employees with the freedom to work with their preferred devices on-the-go.
“In the past, we could only wipe the mobile device data completely through a full reset. But with Microsoft Intune, we can now choose to only erase the Corporate Content while leaving the employees personal information intact. This ring-fencing protects both personal and corporate data, and enables us to comply with personal data regulations in time to come,” said Ngui.
Come May 2018, GDPR will become a reality for many companies, not just for those headquartered or incorporated in the EU. AdvanIDe has a subsidiary in Germany, and GDPR will apply to us as well. With the eDiscovery tool by Microsoft, we will be able to ensure compliance with GDPR, putting us in good stead to fulfil new data privacy and data protection regulations in the coming months.
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