“Without Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, we wouldn’t have been able to put together a course such as this, based on practical knowledge.”Tomáš Kubálek, Associate Professor of Engineering, School of International Relations at the

Economics University

The School of International Relations at the Economics University (VŠE) in Prague combines academic excellence with the practical skills its graduates need when they start their careers as managers, political scientists, and diplomats. From 2010, those studying IT management gained access to a new tool—Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, a set of Microsoft-hosted communication and collaboration solutions that give students access to the resources they need at any time, from anywhere with an internet connection.

Business NeedsVŠE is the largest state-run economics university in the Czech Republic. It is divided into six schools offering students a broad range of subjects in bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and doctoral studies.

In addition to providing highly rated qualifications, one of the university’s priorities is to give students the practical experience in the skills they might need in

the workplace. Modern corporate communications can be a challenge, so the university wanted to educate students on the tools used in industry. Tomáš Kubálek, Associate Professor of Engineering at the School of International Relations at the Economics University (VŠE), says: “Our task is to prepare students for real situations they will encounter in their future employment as managers, and, in many cases, members of international teams. Effective communication within a company is an essential element for its success, so we wanted to expose students to technologies that have widespread adoption—such as those offered by Microsoft.”

But Kubálek and his colleagues anticipated that to standardise on Microsoft technologies at the university would require considerable financial investment and time in overseeing installation and configuration—a service it didn’t have sufficient capacity to provide.

The university wanted to give students access to the tools they need from both on and off campus. And, for this, it required an infrastructure that was not only accessible, but also secure. It needed to be deployed quickly and cost effectively, without changing the university’s central IT infrastructure.

SolutionMicrosoft provided the opportunity to evaluate Business Productivity Online Standard Suite for 30 days. This gave Kubálek enough time to familiarise himself with the system and begin to develop a new course based on it. “I quickly saw the benefit of using these tools in the teaching and learning process,” says Kubálek. “Thanks to the free trial period, we were able to get a new subject up and running in record time.”

Customer: School of International Relations at the Economics UniversityWebsite: www.vse.czNumber of Employees: 1,000Country or Region: Czech RepublicIndustry: Education—Higher education

Customer ProfileThe School of International Relations at the Economics University in Prague is the largest state-run economics university in the Czech Republic.

Software and Services Microsoft Online Services− Microsoft Business Productivity

Online Standard Suite− Microsoft Exchange Online− Microsoft SharePoint Online− Microsoft Office Communications

Online Microsoft Office− Microsoft Office Live Meeting− Microsoft Outlook 2010− Microsoft Office Outlook Web

Access Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies

Microsoft Online ServicesCustomer Solution Case Study

University Uses Online Services to Prepare Its Students for the Workplace

Kubálek’s early experience with Business Productivity Online Standard Suite convinced administrators that it was the ideal solution for the university. It provides full access to Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Communications Online, and Microsoft Office Live Meeting. Deployment was almost immediate and required no additional infrastructure or installation of applications.

Students now get immediate access to the tools they need. “The annual fees for a Microsoft Online Services licence are lower than the cost of setting up a similar system on-site. And that’s without any mention of the outlay on maintenance, regular updating of these applications, and replacement of hardware,” says Kubálek.

The course that Kubálek developed—IT for Managers 4—focuses on using SharePoint Online as a tool for team communication and collaboration. Students learn to create a company intranet, including using advanced functions such as announcements, questionnaires, and shared spaces for documents. They also learn advanced uses of Microsoft Outlook 2010 messaging and collaboration client, including the way it links to the SharePoint Online environment.

BenefitsThrough Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, students get the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art IT tools at a price that doesn’t strain the resources of the university. Users can work on projects at the university, at home, or anywhere with an internet connection.

Quick deployment speeds access to educational resources. “There was no need to install or configure anything,”

says Kubálek. “Also, using Microsoft Online Services made it easy to prepare the new course, IT for Managers 4. Without Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, we wouldn’t have been able to put together a course such as this, based on practical knowledge.”

State-of-the-art technology prepares students for the workplace. After completing the class, students are, among other things, able to build and present a company website, and intranet. “This is a good example of using Microsoft technology in the classroom to acquire knowledge and skills that would otherwise be learnt with difficulty on the job,” says Kubálek.

Learning environment does not rely on existing IT infrastructure. Using a hosted environment lowers the cost of ownership and provides more flexibility than a similar system set up on the university’s own infrastructure.

Hosted solution supplies anytime, anywhere access to learning tools. An online infrastructure, hosted by Microsoft, provides access to homework at any time, from anywhere with an internet connection. “Students today expect online access 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Kubálek. “Business Productivity Online Standard Suite provides a stable IT environment that’s available when students need it.”

Easy-to-manage system needs no additional staff resources. Setting up and managing accounts is easy for the IT team. “Microsoft Online Services tools are ideal for instances such as this, where a limited group of users in a large organisation need access to a similar set of tools,” says Kubálek.

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2011