America's leading domestic hunger-relief charity Feeding America has ditched Blackberry support and is on its way to Windows Phone. The organization already makes use of Microsoft products including Office 2010 and Lync Server 2010, so the move makes sense with further integration possible while mobile. The Lync Windows Phone app and Office Hub are good examples of this.
The move not only connects already utilised services, but the charity also calculated that savings could be found with the avoidance of costly annual server maintenance expenses. The cost reductions also hit devices with a 24% price drop per Windows Phone, with each smartphone improving access to information and services that employees rely on for productivity.
Kevin Lutz, vice president of Technology at Feeding America, had the following to comment on the Windows Phone adoption:
"Windows Phone provides a level of integration with Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 and Lync Server 2010 that are not available with the iPhone, iPad or Android."
A feel good Tuesday story. Check out the press release after the break.
Source: Microsoft; thanks Morris for the tip!
CHICAGO — May 15, 2012 — Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, left its support of Blackberry devices in favor of Windows Phone. The move strengthens Feeding America’s capabilities as it complements the organization’s use of other Microsoft solutions including Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2010.
In an effort to be fiscally responsible, Feeding America conducted a review of its former Blackberry environment and explored other wireless devices, including Android, iPhone and Windows Phone. By migrating from Blackberry to Windows Phone, the company discovered it could avoid costly annual server maintenance expenses. In addition, the organization’s move has resulted in several benefits, including a 24 percent reduction in cost per device and improved access to the information and IT services that employees rely on to collaborate and be productive.
“Windows Phone provides a level of integration with Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 and Lync Server 2010 that are not available with the iPhone, iPad or Android,” said Kevin Lutz, vice president of Technology at Feeding America.
Feeding America was particularly satisfied with the ease of interoperation between Windows Phone and its existing Microsoft products. It was also impressed with the excellent end-user experience, which was seamless, coherent and familiar across all Microsoft products and services.
“With Office Mobile built into Windows Phone, employees were able to be immediately productive,” said Andy Isztok, director of Service Delivery at Feeding America. “The Office Hub in Windows Phone is great for quickly getting to PowerPoint presentations, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets — regardless of whether they’re stored on your phone or in the cloud on Windows Live SkyDrive. More and more employees are also discovering Microsoft OneNote Mobile; they love how it uses Windows Live to give them access to their OneNote notebooks on their phones, on their PCs and on the Web.”
With its mobile devices budget in better order, Feeding America is able to remain focused on its mission to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of more than 200 member food banks, which serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through its member food banks, Feeding America is able to distribute more than 3 billion pounds of food and grocery products each year.
