Case Study | Webexpenses | Financial Services | Microsoft 365 Migration
Delivering a seamless Microsoft 365 migration for Webexpenses
As a global software provider supporting finance teams worldwide, reliable internal systems are critical to Webexpenses’ day-to-day operations.
Founded in 2000, Webexpenses supports more than 2,000 finance teams and 300,000 users across 70 countries. That scale leaves little room for error when making changes to internal systems.
Migrating between different providers presents many challenges, and the desire to change from Google to Microsoft 365 was no different.
Based in Witney, Webexpenses reached out to fellow Oxfordshire-based OX IT Solutions, working in partnership with Proximitum, to handle the migration and ensure a smooth transition.
Project Brief
Webexpenses had been using Google Workplace for their internal workplace solution, using Google Mail and Google Docs for everyday, internal tasks.
The goal was to migrate to Microsoft 365, a more widely used platform and one that was already familiar to the majority of staff.
In the past, Webexpenses had experienced significant challenges during software migrations, including data loss and issues with email delivery, making reliability a top priority.
Shaun Roe, Technical Director at Proximitum, said:
“Webexpenses just wanted peace of mind. They didn't want any data loss; they didn't want any issues during the migration, and they wanted a short cutover time.
“They just wanted a smooth project and so they got in contact with OX IT and Proximitum to provide it for them.”
The Solution
Webexpenses purchased the licensing for Microsoft 365 from OX IT Solutions, who in turn called upon Proximitum to lead a project team and support the migration of their data and emails.
Chris Cope, Head of Managed Services, OX IT Solutions, said:
“The combined expertise of OX IT Solutions and Proximitum gave Webexpenses complete confidence that risks would be avoided and that the migration could be delivered with minimal downtime.”
Shaun said:
“The main risks when moving from Google to Microsoft for email, for data and for everything else is data loss and email delivery.
“You really need to make sure that all your data is accounted for, and email delivery is one that used to be an issue back in the day, but these days it's quite simple to achieve without any issues.”
During the implementation, some challenges arose. These were quickly identified and resolved by the Proximitum team during the pilot phase.
“We had a pilot phase where we discovered issues with data,” Shaun said. “We discovered issues with email too, so we decided to use a third-party tool for email.
“With the data, we overcame the challenges after fixing permissions issues and after the pilot phase, we implemented those changes and the rest of the project went smoothly.”
Chris explained:
“We were able to work with Proximitum in this flexible way because our knowledge and skill sets are so compatible; on this occasion Proximitum lead on project management and OX IT took care of the commercials and ensuring the project could meet the budgets set aside for this project, but sometimes it is the other way round, it really depends on the client, the project requirements, and where each team can add the most value. That flexibility means we can move quickly, overcome challenges early, and ultimately deliver a smoother experience for the customer.”
The Benefits
Since moving to Microsoft 365, productivity across the Webexpenses team has increased. Staff familiarity with the system has helped to ensure that, but the peace of mind that OX IT and Proximitum are on hand to tackle any issues that may arise has filled the workplace with confidence.
After the migration, OX IT Solutions and Proximitum continued to support Webexpenses, ensuring the new Microsoft 365 environment was fully embedded across the business.
The team provided ongoing support and guidance, helping Webexpenses’ internal IT team build confidence in managing the new tenant and resolving any issues quickly. This approach ensured a smooth handover, with the reassurance that expert support remained available whenever it was needed.
Shaun said:
“OX IT and Proximitum solved the issues for Webexpenses, in that they didn't want any data loss. They've had bad experience in the past, so the partnership we provided to them for the licensing and email migration really solved the issues.”
