{"id":5974,"date":"2020-12-10T12:28:29","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T20:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=5974"},"modified":"2023-06-11T14:23:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-11T21:23:09","slug":"modernizing-microsoft-consulting-services-with-move-to-sap-on-microsoft-azure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/modernizing-microsoft-consulting-services-with-move-to-sap-on-microsoft-azure\/","title":{"rendered":"Modernizing Microsoft consulting services with move to SAP on Microsoft Azure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This content has been archived, and while it was correct at time of publication, it may no longer be accurate or reflect the current situation at Microsoft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Reginald Albert worked as a field seller at Microsoft for over 20 years, where he had a front row seat to see how teams, customers, and partners use Microsoft technology to power their work. When looking for his next role at the company, he wanted a challenge.<\/p>\n
He got one.<\/p>\n
As the director of Services Business Operations in the company\u2019s Worldwide Commercial Business division, Albert led the company\u2019s project to modernize the tools used by Microsoft consultants.<\/p>\n
These Microsoft project managers and consultants work on a range of customer projects from migrating services to Microsoft Azure to optimizing the deployment of a Microsoft product. They required multiple tools to plan projects, track spending, and fulfill customer contracts. They also had a business process outsourcing team that would copy data across these systems and track financial revenue using Microsoft Excel.<\/p>\n
Now, the tools used by Microsoft consultants are being moved to SAP, an enterprise resource planning software, on Microsoft Azure.<\/p>\n
I wanted to shift from selling Microsoft products to connecting field sellers and project managers with the tools they need to empower customers to drive transformation with Microsoft products.<\/p>\n
– Reginald Albert, director of Services Business Operations<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cWe wanted to simplify, integrate, and stitch together these tools and systems into a seamless experience for customers who need support and consultants who are offering their services,\u201d Albert says. \u201cWeaving them all into SAP was a way to help customers get the most out of their Microsoft products and services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Microsoft consultants in the field support thousands of customers, and they can track project delivery, invoicing, and revenue with a modernized customer resource management solution. It also ensures that the engineering team can monitor service health using Azure-based dashboards that connects all the data in one place.<\/p>\nReginald Albert is the director of Services Business Operations at Microsoft, and he\u2019s leading the team modernizing the tools used by Microsoft consultants. (Photo submitted by Reginald Albert | Inside Track)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cI wanted to shift from selling Microsoft products to connecting field sellers and project managers with the tools they need to empower customers to drive transformation with Microsoft products,\u201d Albert says.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoving to SAP reduces operational costs and enables consultants to make real-time decisions on which projects to pursue,\u201d says Jeremy Heber, the engineering lead for this project and principal program manager in Microsoft Digital who supported the engineering efforts on this project.<\/p>\n
Having the Microsoft consulting services business on SAP makes it easier to create a single customer invoice for customers using Microsoft products and services across lines of business. It also empowers employees to spend more time with customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy simplifying administrative processes, employees can manage their projects hands-on and view all delivery information on project and customer in one place,\u201d says Tara Kelly, a senior global program manager in Microsoft Business Operations.<\/p>\n
By running on SAP, the Microsoft consulting services team has real-time visibility into business performance and operations. This enables teams to determine if they have the resources to expand customer projects when requested.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone needed us to extend the project, we didn\u2019t know if we had the resources to do so,\u201d Heber says. “Now that we\u2019re using SAP, we have the most current data to make real-time decisions to build our relationships.”<\/p>\n