Project Goals:

The primary objective was to establish a new Microsoft 365 environment for a newly created legal entity of Kwikot, ensuring the seamless transition of 300 employees and their core services.

The project aimed to:

• Migrate 300 user mailboxes and 10 Microsoft Teams Rooms to a fresh Microsoft 365 tenant.
• Implement Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, Intune with Autopilot, and Active Directory to support productivity and device management.
• Ensure a secure, efficient, and user-friendly migration process while minimizing disruption.

 

Client/Customer Context

Who Was the Client/Customer?

Kwikot, established in 1903, is a leading South African brand specializing in domestic, commercial, and industrial hot water systems. With over 120 years of experience, the company offers a comprehensive range of water-heating solutions, including electric geysers, solar water heaters, gas water heaters, and heat pumps, renowned for quality, reliability, and energy efficiency.

In December 2024, Kwikot became part of Haier, a global leader in technology and innovation, positioning the company to expand its offerings with advanced water-heating technologies for the South African market. Operating from an ISO 9001 accredited manufacturing facility in Benoni, Kwikot remains committed to its legacy of excellence, fostering sustainability and maintaining compliance with SABS standards.

Why Did They Choose Mint’s Solution?

Mint’s expertise in Microsoft 365 migrations and device management, combined with a tailored approach to address Kwikot’s specific needs, stood out. Mint’s focus on minimizing disruption and providing remote implementation was particularly compelling for Kwikot’s geographically distributed teams.

 

Project Background & Problem Statement

Context and Situation:

With Kwikot’s acquisition by Haier in December 2024, the company required the establishment of a dedicated IT environment for 300 employees. The need for a secure, scalable, and modern IT infrastructure to support collaboration and device management was critical.

Problem or Opportunity:

Kwikot faced a dual challenge:

• Migrating existing user data and services to a new environment without service interruption.
• Implementing a secure and efficient IT framework to support long-term productivity.

 

Challenges & Obstacles

Key Challenges:

• Complex Migration: Transitioning 300 mailboxes while ensuring data integrity and minimizing downtime.
• Remote Implementation: All tasks, including device onboarding and domain controller setups, were to be conducted remotely, requiring meticulous coordination.
• License Management: Accurately provisioning Windows Server 2022 licenses to match Kwikot’s hardware configurations.

 

Solutions & Strategies

Implementation Plan:

• Developing a detailed migration strategy for Exchange Online, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
• Implementing Autopilot for device deployment and provisioning Active Directory services remotely

Technologies or Tools Used:

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Exchange Online
• Microsoft Teams
• Windows Server 2022 Standard

 

 

Results & Impact

Quantifiable Results:

• Mailbox Migration Efficiency: Migrated 349 mailboxes, including seven with extremely large sizes, which exceeded standard migration size limitations, after export.
• OneDrive Data Migration: Successfully transitioned 9 TB of OneDrive data, which consisted of 282 accounts ensuring continuity of employee workflows.
• SharePoint Migration: Migrated 232 SharePoint sites with a total data size of 1.5 TB.

Qualitative Impact:

• Enhanced employee collaboration through modernized Microsoft Teams Rooms and SharePoint setup.
• Streamlined device management, reducing IT overhead and empowering employees to onboard devices independently.

 

Lessons Learned

Insights from the Project:

• Starting with smaller migration batches allowed for performance assessment and risk mitigation, ensuring a smooth scaling process.
• Remote coordination and clear documentation were pivotal in achieving efficiency.

What Would You Do Differently?

• Introduce a pre-migration employee training session to further streamline onboarding and reduce post-migration support requests.

 

Future Opportunities & Next Steps

Planned Follow-Up:

• Kwikot plans to expand its Microsoft 365 environment to include additional services and automate more IT processes, paving the way for future iterations.

Implications for Future Projects:

• This project’s success highlights the scalability of Mint’s migration strategy, which can be applied to other clients requiring tenant migrations or device management solutions.

 

Client Testimonial

“Mint’s expertise and meticulous planning made a complex migration feel seamless. Our employees experienced minimal disruption, and the new IT environment is a game-changer for productivity.” — Head of IT – Johan van Pletzen