ZS Associates accelerates new project launches by 75% and improves productivity using Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365

Before ZS Associates (ZS) began its cloud journey in 2015, the global healthcare consulting firm and Microsoft partner had been running its infrastructure in a colocated datacenter. However, as the firm rapidly grew, it needed to streamline its processes and improve collaboration while strengthening security.

After exploring various cloud options for enterprise use, ZS moved forward with Microsoft Azure to give its employees better access to data and collaboration tools while making its infrastructure scalable and maintaining strong security. The firm has improved productivity while enhancing visibility for both its internal teams and clients.

Migrating to the cloud to streamline collaboration

ZS is a consulting and technology firm founded in 1983 that uses data analytics and science to create insights for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. In just four years, ZS grew from 5,000 to 15,000 employees in 35 offices around the world. This period of rapid growth highlighted the need to automate processes and improve efficiency.

The firm was managing a colocated datacenter, manually pushing updates, and regularly upgrading hardware. However, its growth made it difficult to maintain its existing infrastructure. “Projects took a long time to plan and deliver,” says Animesh Bhattacharya, IT Manager for Enterprise Systems at ZS Associates. “We wanted to deliver a frictionless collaboration model between our client and our delivery team.”

ZS wanted to create a streamlined system that would improve productivity and facilitate secure collaboration across teams. “Our IT team makes sure every project has a secure environment,” says Remmie Weidman, Director of IT Planning and Strategy at ZS Associates.

To meet the company’s needs, ZS began testing Azure Virtual Desktop in summer 2019. “We wanted to use connected solutions that process information in real time,” says Val Mushinskiy, Vice President of Cloud Services at ZS Associates.

In early 2020, the firm expanded its use of Azure Virtual Desktop so that more employees could access work tools securely on their personal devices. ZS deployed 3,000 virtual desktops in just 12 months. As a result, the firm no longer had to deal with the limited supply of laptops caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Improving productivity and visibility using Microsoft 365

Before the migration, ZS had to install VPNs on all employee computers when they were outside of the office. On Microsoft 365, that secure connection is available over the internet, so employees can connect from any place and device that has access to the internet.

“When we shifted from our original system to Microsoft 365 and other Microsoft services, our teams really appreciated the change,” says Bhattacharya. “Now, our people can travel to meet clients and still use all the services they need from their smartphones.” Plus, team members can collaborate more easily by viewing each other’s calendars to schedule meetings.

The migration improved ZS’s productivity too. Imaging laptops involves taking snapshots of a computer’s software and data as a form of backup. The process used to take one and a half hours for each device. Now, it takes only 30 minutes.

The firm is also using Microsoft Power BI to improve visibility and gain new insights. “When we started using Microsoft services, we started seeing the value in data we hadn’t previously considered,” says Bhattacharya.

The firm has more real-time business insights available to drive adoption and identify opportunities. This benefits its clients as well. “Using the Microsoft Cloud, we can look at the information across different departments and create actionable insights that weren’t possible before,” says Mushinskiy. “It’s all happening at a much faster pace and with better results for our clients and us.”

ZS began using Microsoft 365 E5 in 2021 to bring advanced security, analytics, and Power BI capabilities to its internal teams and end users. Its enterprise stakeholders no longer have to open support tickets to request reports. Instead, they can use Power BI to access, filter, and visualize data however they want.

In addition, ZS has unlocked automation opportunities. Previously, setting up a secure environment for a new project involved a ticketing process that took as long as two days. Using the Microsoft Teams PowerShell module and Azure Active Directory, ZS automates this process and protects the security of its customers’ data.

“We’re able to generate a secure project location and get the new project’s team up and running within 12 hours,” says Weidman. ZS has also automated project archiving steps, from setting data retention limits to removing project members.

With better efficiency, higher productivity, and scalable infrastructure, ZS can deliver more value to clients as it grows. “We’ve created capabilities far beyond what we’d done with our traditional datacenter,” says Mushinskiy. “That’s been a huge growth factor for us and a significant catalyst for our clients.”

Expanding in the cloud to support employees and drive growth

The professional services firm plans to continue expanding its use of Microsoft technology as it grows its presence in the cloud.

“We’re using Microsoft technology to provide more power and capabilities to support our growing employee base with the tools to do great work for our clients,” says Mushinskiy. “We’ve optimized the experience for our employees and expanded our capabilities in a seamless and streamlined way.”