Microsoft enables cloud-based collaboration for RCS MediaGroup

REDMOND, USA: RCS MediaGroup, the Italian multimedia publishing company, primarily operating in Italy and Spain, has modernized and unified its communications infrastructure and enabled flexible, cloud-based collaboration through a comprehensive Microsoft technology solution that includes Microsoft Office 365, Windows Azure, Microsoft Lync 2013, Windows Server 2012 and Microsoft SharePoint 2013.

RCS, longtime partner with Microsoft, turned to Microsoft Corp. because it needed to modernize its existing infrastructure while maintaining the security and quality of its business data and systems.

With Microsoft cloud solutions, RCS has benefited from security-enhanced cloud storage, improved its disaster preparedness through the protection of relevant assets such as digitized historical archives of newspapers, simplified its communications infrastructure, and provided agile project management offerings for a mobile, distributed workforce that is using these solutions to manage more than 200 projects within its Digital Product Development Department.

Using the modern Windows app, they can directly place orders from the catalogue in front of the customer, dramatically reducing the selling cycle. After an agent's visit, the modern Windows app allows the customer to review the catalog through a Web interface and place additional orders. The sales agents benefit as well from using Office 365 and Lync to communicate with their network, within and outside RCS.

Moreover, the new platform provides the marketing teams with a new collaborative environment, based on Office 365, where they can invite selected customers to focus groups to discuss and vote on the new digital products that RCS is planning to release.

Using a combination of Office 365 cloud environment and SharePoint 2013 on-premises, RCS will transform its intranet from a pure top-down communications tool to an interactive self-service feature for virtual desk.

In addition to company information and self-service features for administrative tasks, it provides all employees with tools that support their business activities, allow them to collaborate with their network, contribute to and search the enterprise knowledge base, access their personal productivity tools (email, calendar, tasks, etc.), and manage their personal profile, information and files.

The integrated solution enables RCS employees to share documents and images, manage projects, and communicate from virtually any location with mobile technology tools that support access from smartphones, tablets and other devices.