V8 Supercars is now using Microsoft Office 365 to support its highly mobile and often far-flung workforce. Here’s what your business can take from their story.
When you watch the V8s fly around the track, it’s easy to forget that the spectacle is, first and foremost, a product sold by a company with the same demands and concerns as any other business.
V8 Supercars is based on the Gold Coast. They have 70 staff that organise (and often event manage) 15 enormous motorsport meets across three countries. In April they will host events in Tasmania, Pukekohe on the outskirts of Auckland and Perth. Next month they head to Austin, Texas for their first American rally. This involves managing 18 teams, 28 cars, hundreds of support staff, an army of contractors and an in-house film crew.
The logistics boggle the mind particularly when you consider that the company was pretty much running on outdated hardware and a broadband connection until Director of Finance & Systems Peter Trimble identified the situation as a significant risk to the business.
They found themselves in an all-too familiar scenario for many small-to-medium businesses where staff struggled to carry out their designated duties due to systems failures and speed issues.
V8 Supercars turned to the Cloud for salvation and settled on Microsoft Office 365 after situational analysis determined it would be the best fit for their workforce.
After a month-long trial in the financial division, staff across the company can now access emails and company files from anywhere in the world.
And while they aren’t receiving a cost saving yet (this is expected to come in the future), they have made gains in reliability and productivity according to CEO David Malone. More importantly, they have future-proofed the business.
“As long we have an internet connection we can do business,” says Malone. “[Office 365] has also lead to less [staff] burn out and higher productivity.”
While your business might not be in the habit of shipping hundreds of people and heavy machine around the world on a regular basis, the need for an effective software solution remains the same.
Relying on outdated technology makes your business less dynamic and hampers productivity. It also leaves your business open to financial risk and places your staff under enormous pressure.
