uhlsport GmbH – Modern, innovative collaboration – uhlsport turns to Microsoft 365.

For more than 70 years, uhlsport GmbH has been providing athletes with the equipment they need to achieve top performance. uhlsport and Kempa are two renowned brands within German sport with the SME developing products ranging from goalkeeper gloves to premium apparel with technological innovation and a desire to consistently achieve more. To ensure innovative and secure collaboration between its globally dispersed locations, Bechtle introduced Microsoft 365 Cloud Services, giving uhlsport central device management, secure e-mail systems in the cloud and Teams as its central collaboration tool.

Project details.

Services

Cloud
Client Management

Industry

Manufacturing

Manufacturer

Microsoft

Company size

< 250 employees

Challenge.

uhlsport GmbH is a major player in the world of football and handball. Famous for its goalkeeper gloves, handball shoe soles and high-quality apparel, uhlsport produces premium products for athletes. Quality, innovation and a deep connection to sport are what characterise the SME located in Balingen, Baden-Württemberg. When the company took the decision to modernise its internal processes and communications channels, it started looking for a solution that would help it remain a pioneer in its field and optimise internal and external collaboration. It quickly became clear that, by making the switch from the locally-run Microsoft environment to Microsoft 365, uhlsport would be able to create a platform that allowed seamless collaboration and with the Office apps 150 users were already familiar with. The introduction of a modern working environment, cloud technology, teamwork via Microsoft Teams and integrated security demand a dynamic environment and form the basis for more efficient workflows, optimised security mechanisms and better global networking.

Collaboration with Bechtle was fantastic. Our IT staff were well-supported every step of the way towards Microsoft 365, were always kept up-to-date and knew what was expected of them. The migration took place without impacting ongoing operations and came in within budget and Bechtle has helped us break down the barriers of communicating purely by e-mail. Our employees and subsidiaries can now work together using one shared system.

Markus Raidt, Head of IT, uhlsport GmbH

Solution.

Bechtle responded to uhlsport’s request for Microsoft 365 licences, but went above and beyond simply procuring them for all of their locations. With the perfect solution concept for the rollout based on M365 Business Premium, Bechtle was able to configure a suitable hybrid cloud structure to seamlessly connect uhlsport’s local IT with Microsoft 365 Cloud Services.

In a first step, Bechtle created a hybrid identity for each user that can be used to gain access to local applications as well as those in the cloud with Azure AD Connect being used to synchronise the local Active Directly with the Azure Active Directory in the cloud. By rolling out Conditional Access, corporate policies were able to be implemented on the basis of if/then rules. The security architecture was strengthened through the introduction of Azure MFA, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft Office 365, as well as modern authentication methods used in Microsoft 365 for third-party applications. Bechtle also migrated all mailboxes to Exchange Online to replace the old Exchange servers before finally configuring Teams, SharePoint Online and OneDrive to uhlsport’s precise needs to act as a central in-house communications hub. Microsoft Teams replaced the previously used video conference solution and Bechtle also leveraged the Microsoft endpoint manager, Intune, to introduce centralised mobile device management and Windows clients. All clients running Windows or macOS as well as individual applications are now automatically installed with Microsoft Autopilot, which allows uhlsport to deploy standardised clients with the correct application and the required language packages to its locations and subsidiaries, which can then be centrally managed from Germany in the cloud.

Business benefits.

Bechtle tailored its approach precisely to uhlsport’s needs to facilitate the successful roll out of Microsoft 365, creating the foundation of a trusting partnership from the very first day. By working closely with uhlsport’s existing IT infrastructure and developing suitable solution strategies, the manufacturer of sporting goods has been able to enjoy the maximum benefits of Microsoft 365. The targeted approach not only optimised the IT infrastructure, but also workflows at uhlsport and its subsidiaries, while the switch to the cloud and the introduction of Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Online has taken collaboration to a whole new level. All employees can now efficiently and directly communicate with each other no matter where they are in the world. At the same time, the central management of mobile devices and an enhanced security architecture has seen IT security strengthened and the standardised Office environment on all systems together with the ability to make audio calls has opened the door to even better working conditions. Bechtle consolidated the legacy infrastructure and software solutions, replacing them with Microsoft solutions that allowed uhlsport to lower its IT costs. The company can now work innovatively and efficiently and is well-equipped for whatever the future holds, meaning there are no virtually limits to further developments with the fast-paced clothing industry.