Microsoft is set to move Australian aged care provider, Feros, and its workforce of 500 into the Cloud.
Following a successful trial, Feros Care is now implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online (CRMOL) and Office 365 throughout its Australia-wide network of villages, at-home services, allied health and wellness programs and telehealthcare.
According to a company statement, Feros Care sees the moving to the Cloud with Microsoft as an essential step to maintaining a competitive edge.
With many of its staff working remotely, it is focused on using technology to help keep aged Australians in their own homes for as long as possible.
It will use the services from the Microsoft Australia datacentres to maintain data sovereignty.
Feros Care is a not-for-profit organisation that’s been offering quality care and support services for older Australians since 1990.
It has been recognised nationally for its innovation in the use of smart technology, telehealthcare services, virtual work environments and improved service delivery models.
Feros Care, chief information officer, Glenn Payne, said innovation was not about looking at competitors.
“It’s more around coming up with new service models that no one has thought about before in our industry. To look at your counterparts is just to stay mediocre,” he said.
Payne said technology underpinned many of Feros Care’s successful models and that it would continue to play a part in the organisation’s future.
“CRMOL will be used by our sales teams for a lot of outbound marketing and campaigning," he said.
"Office 365 gives us the benefit of being connected anywhere, anytime and SharePoint gives us real time information and allows people to comment on news on the intranet.
"We’re still investigating the whole package to see what we can do around the social media listening capacity and a number of other features."
Payne said once the decision was made to have a Cloud-first approach, an important reason for Feros Care choosing Dynamics CRM Online was that they liked that familiar look and feel.
"It is integrated with the rest of the suites that the company is used to with Microsoft Office," he said.
Feros Care employees use Android devices, which dovetail perfectly with Dynamics CRMOL and Office 365 cross platform capabilities.
