The Sharing Minds Support Team - Get to know Rob!

We’d love to introduce you to Rob Bayly, our Practice Lead for Sharing Minds Support Services, who has been with us for over 9 years. His skills and experience have saved the day more times than we can recall, and here he is to share some weekday wisdom!

What are two things you’re currently working on?

  • Changes to legacy reporting services reports and associated store procedures

  • Post migration remediation of SharePoint document libraries, updating missing people-picker details from Azure Entra (formerly Active Directory)

Do you have a speciality you enjoy working on?

  • SharePoint Search and customised displays

  • Dynamics 365 Customer Engagment and Sales

  • Microsoft SQL Services

What is the most different, oddest or funniest call you’ve received?

"Hey Rob, can you put a remote camera feed on the SharePoint home page? How about 10? And can you make it so we can zoom in too?"

What is one thing you are most proud of in relation to the role?

  • The high level of customer service the team deliver every day.

Rob with the team: (from front) John, Joe and Wade.


 Our team would love to chat to you more about your individual needs. Simply fill in the form below and one of our skilled team will touch base with you. What could be easier?

 
 

2023 quick thoughts with Adam

We got a quick chat with company founder and Director Adam Clark after he returned refreshed and ready for 2023.  Here’s some thoughts he shared:

SOMETHING FOR THE IT INDUSTRY:

This year we’re going to see a renewed focus on the hybrid workplace.  Businesses like ours are the ones who make it possible for others to do more with less.  So the question is, how can we ensure that an organisation’s various departments spread across geographical chasms, with all the uncertainty we continue to see, can operate with confidence and even more resilience?

I believe with the tightening of the market at the moment, that we’re going to see a lot of people trying to do better with their time, their agility and their technology.

I’m actually really interested to see what kind of innovations will start coming out, especially with people trying to do more with less.  I’m interested to see if organisations are looking to do big capital works to achieve large change, or incremental works to embed a more organic style?

  

SOMETHING ABOUT SHARING MINDS:

Quite a few of our customers have a need for efficiency, getting back to basics and not being so worried about perception, but using technology to amplify what they can do and getting the job done.  Our focus is definitely on efficiency and outcomes.

SOMETHING FOR ME:

  • Something I’d like to focus on this year is swimming with the kids more often. 

  • A quote I’ve been thinking about is from James Clear, author of ‘Atomic Habits’:
    If you never question things, your life ends up being limited by other people's imaginations.

  • I’m looking forward to being able to smoke the perfect brisket.

If you think we can help with clarifying your organisation’s technology roadmap for the year, or working with your team to bring about internal change, please reach out. I’m always up for a chat, especially where there’s coffee.

All the best for 2023.

WORK FROM HOME SERIES: Dev Superstar, Jack

Working from home is a new experience for many around the world, as we navigate #COVID19 and the effects of social distancing. Some of our team members have been working from home for years, others only weeks, but they’re all ready to give you a sneak peek into what helps them stay productive and focussed.

Jack Curtis - SharePoint Developer

 
Jack Curtis, Sharing Minds
 

MY SITUATION: YOU’LL NORMALLY FIND ME WORKING AT OUR BRISBANE HEAD OFFICE, BUT I’M 100% REMOTE DURING COVID-19.

Working from home hasn’t really been a challenge for me as I've worked from home before, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. That being said, being stuck inside for a number of weeks since we shut our office, things have been a bit lonely and different. It really makes you think about how much you miss your colleagues and the social interaction/banter around the office.

However, working from home actually does have some positives! For myself, one of the best perks is the extra hour of sleep in the mornings.


Here are some tips that might help you if you are struggling with working from home:

  • Get up for regular breaks! Stop sitting down for so long and get up, stretch your legs and get some fresh air.

  • Play some music – The perks of working from home is I can play my tunes as loud as I like!

  • Call your colleagues – keep in touch, whether it's for a chat or work purposes. Communication is key in times like these.

  • Plan your tasks – At the start of the day, allocate yourself some time to get your tasks in order.

I hope you’re making the most of your WFH time, but if these tips have helped, shout out in the comments.

Jack Curtis, Sharing Minds

Best wishes,
Jack

Jack.Curtis(at)sharingminds.com.au

Stay tuned as we interview more of our team for their
unique and effective
work from home tips.

WORK FROM HOME SERIES: William the Great

Working from home is a new experience for many around the world, as we navigate #COVID19 and the effects of social distancing. Some of our team members have been working from home for years, others only weeks, but they’re all ready to give you a sneak peek into what helps them stay productive and focussed.

William Cornwill - Specialist SharePoint Consultant

William Cornwill

MY SITUATION: Occasionally working from our Melbourne office and client sites, but right now I’m 100% at the home office.


During my three years at Sharing Minds I have often operated out of my home office along with our WeWorks office in the Melbourne CBD, and of course the many coffee shops that I often review (Insta: @coffee_catchup).  I have found that working from home requires an extra level of discipline to ensure that interruptions are kept to a minimum.  My daughter has been doing her high school via distance learning from home since year 9 and this year is completing her VCE, so being home allows me to balance my work and life nicely. 

About two years ago I was diagnosed with a lung disease called pulmonary sarcoidosis, a chronic condition that causes me to have breathing difficulties and fatigue especially when I am stressed.  So being able to work from my home based office also provides me with a calming and reduced stress environment and one that I can control.  During this COVID19 crisis, and due to my lung condition, it has been advised by my doctors to lockdown and self-isolate for about 12 weeks. 

Now, as someone who loves to get out and catch up for coffee, this is proving extremely challenging.  As the rest of the company has begun working from home, I have found the level of communication, especially with the morning all hand video call, to provide the social connection that I had been missing.

My tips for working from home:

  • Create a calming work space that is separate from the rest of the household activities – preferably one with views to outside (I use my study and not the kitchen table)

  • Only check emails in the morning and towards the end of the day (don’t live in Outlook – get things done)

  • Plan your days activities (I use Microsoft To Do to create check lists of activities to be done)

  • Take regular breaks to stretch and clear your mind and have a decent lunch

  • Listen to some music, burn a candle (in my case I also turn on my salt lamp and humidifier)

  • Check in with others regularly (using Microsoft Teams chat and video calls)

  • Leave work behind at the end of the day (make sure you knock off)

I hope these tips will help you to find your groove while you get used to working from home.

I’d also love to hear any other useful tips that you’ve come across, so let me know in the comments below.

William Cornwill

All the best,
William

William.Cornwill(at)sharingminds.com.au

Stay tuned as we interview more of our team for their
unique and effective
work from home tips.

WORK FROM HOME SERIES: One of our Superstars, Ashish

Working from home is a new experience for many around the world, as we navigate #COVID19 and the effects of social distancing. Some of our team members have been working from home for years, others only weeks, but they’re all ready to give you a sneak peek into what helps them stay productive and focussed.


Ashish Ghai, Senior Consultant

Ashish - Brisbane balcony - Sharing Minds

MY SITUATION: Mostly working from office and Client Sites with a bit of interstate travel. Right now, I’m working exclusively at home.

Throughout my career, I have been working in a corporate/office environment with a lot of friends (colleagues) and the luxurious facilities that an office provides to facilitate efficiency. I "had" a very strong belief that working in a formal work environment provides discipline, better coordination and teamwork, resulting in a high level of productivity.

When I heard we are going to be working from home due to the current situation, I was a bit thoughtful about how productive it is going be. At home, I have my wife who is a full-time homemaker and a teenager who is schooling from home, like myself. I was a bit sceptical of how it will work with two of us locked in office/class (our rooms) and my wife a bit disconnected in the same premise for most of the day.

I am a morning person, so to get ahead of the day I start early (7ish) to knock a few tasks out of the park, when it is quiet and fresh. Then have a break on the breakfast table with family to get set for the day. We have our daily stand-up via MS Teams on video every morning from 9:15am, a catch-up with all the colleagues on camera.

Key Challenges:

  • Keep focus when you have one family member in next room trying to do activities like juicing/ vacuuming 😊

  • It can become monotonous working in the same room every day for many days alone without colleagues around.

  • At times there are too many meetings and at the end of the day you may find you haven’t got much done.

  • Physical stress in sitting stationery for long hours - stiff neck and back.

 

A few of my tips and tricks to stay focused and be productive:

Adding spices to the curry!

Adding spices to the curry!

  1. Start early to get a lot done and look forward to a break with family.

  2. Stay on camera on a daily stand-up and have some fun with your colleagues.

  3. Go for 10 minute breaks every 2 hours, or after a long activity or meeting. I head to my apartment balcony to have a refreshing river view and get some fresh air to the brain, or get into the kitchen to add some spices into the curry that is getting cooked. This is my key to break monotony.

  4. Watch the meeting times and number of meetings for the day.

  5. Track the tasks completed everyday through our timesheet tool - Autotask.

  6. Use Microsoft Planner for creating project tasks and that helps me to stay on track for the projects.

  7. Use Microsoft Teams to conduct meetings, use more chat than audio to allow multi-tasking.

  8. To manage the physical stress, I do a bit of stretching when I feel like I need it, and at the end of the day we make sure we use the balcony, or go down to a park and kick the soccer ball around or play softball cricket with my son.

All this above has enabled me to stay on task and be better connected with the family. I think I am more productive as it gives me back the travel time into work.

Hope you’re all doing well, too.

Ashish Ghai - Sharing Minds

Cheers,
Ashish

Ashish.Ghai(at)sharingminds.com.au

 

Stay tuned as we interview more of our team for their
unique and effective
work from home tips.

WORK FROM HOME SERIES: New Microsoft Teams preview feature - Live Captions

For those working from home or remote spaces, with hearing impairment or with loud or distracting noises in the background, a new preview feature in Microsoft Teams is Live Captions.

With live captions, Teams can detect what’s said in a meeting and present real-time captions for anyone who wants them.

To find out more on this feature and how to turn it on/off, visit:

 
 

Published by: Sharing Minds’ Communication Dept.
Published: Tuesday 24 March, 2020

Projects Update - October/November 2019

Projects Summary Q3 2019.jpeg

Quarter 3 saw our service delivery teams working across a range of projects, using all facets of the Office 365 platform to produce intelligent solutions for our clients. Read on below for a snapshot of the types of projects we have recently completed and those which we are continuing to work on.

For a Brisbane-based financial organisation, we conducted a migration to SharePoint Online/Office 365. The tool used to assist with the process was AvePoint’s Fly product, which allowed the migration to occur faster than the initial estimation.  

To assist the China team of a large health organisation, Sharing Minds have been developing SharePoint sites within their China tenant. The team have had to ensure that the sites and their permissions comply with Chinese government regulations. These sites will better connect the Chinese team to the rest of the organisation and enable better collaboration. 

Sharing Minds have been working alongside a property development group to create a document management system for their organisation utilising SharePoint Online. The new system will allow the organisation to access their files anywhere, anytime and will better organise all of their information.

We are currently working on re-building the intranet of a global health organisation’s Australian division. The new intranet will be built on SharePoint Online and will leverage Wizdom’s intranet design technology. The new site will also include Hyperfish’s directory functionality to ensure all employee directory information is current and accurate. This project includes the largest roll out of Wizdom to date in Australia.  

Sharing Minds has been providing onsite project management for the migration of a mining organisation to SharePoint Online. One of our Service Delivery Managers has been flying down to the regional NSW location on alternating weeks to oversee the project and ensure the staff know how to use their new technology through hands-on workshops and training sessions. 

If your organisation is interested in making the move to Office 365 to better connect your people to their information, please get in touch.

Published by: Sharing Minds’ Communication Dept.
Published: Friday 8 November, 2019

Event Recap: Sharing Minds & Nintex September Workshops

Event Recap Sharing Minds Nintex 2019.jpg

In mid-September we welcomed our partner, Nintex, to the Sharing Minds Brisbane office to host two jam packed mornings of workshops. Across the two days, the attendees were treated to hands-on training from the Nintex experts on process management and excellence.

Nintex Senior Product Evangelist, Thomas Kohlenbach, leading the Process Management Masterclass

Nintex Senior Product Evangelist, Thomas Kohlenbach, leading the Process Management Masterclass

Chris Ellis, Nintex’s APAC Technical Evangelism Manager, presenting the Process Excellence in a Day workshop

Chris Ellis, Nintex’s APAC Technical Evangelism Manager, presenting the Process Excellence in a Day workshop

The first day was all about process mapping and management, with Nintex Promapp master Thomas Kohlenbach taking the participants through the capability and functionality of the Nintex Promapp product to map out business processes. The second half of the session gave the attendees the practical experience of working through an example business process map from start to finish, with Thomas providing guidance and advice throughout.

Day two focused on the entire Nintex Process Platform and how each of the components work together to provide a complete business process solution. Chris Ellis dazzled the room with his process knowledge, leading a presentation which explained each product that comprises the Nintex Platform. This presentation also included an update of the product roadmap for Nintex over the next year and what features are in development to be released in the next year. Chris’ session highlighted the importance of creating a process-focused culture, which encourages process excellence to be at the forefront of how the business operates to achieve better productivity and efficiencies.

Thanks again to our co-hosts Nintex for leading these sessions and sharing their process wisdom with us all. We were delighted to hear these two days were the most registered for and attended events Nintex has co-hosted in the APAC region.  If you missed the session or are interested in more information about the Nintex Platform and how it could work for your business, please get in touch.

Published by: Sharing Minds Communications Dept.
Publication date: Friday 1 November, 2019

Entering the IT Industry - My Experience Starting Out as a Junior Developer

Jack Blog Post 1.jpg

I wanted to talk about what it's like starting out in the growing IT industry and my experiences, since I know many other young people are interested in this field.

Before joining Sharing Minds, I had no prior experience, never had a formal job and didn’t enjoy socialising with people. This is partially due to the fact I have Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism which makes it harder to communicate because we interpret social cues and environments differently.

After finishing high school, I was unsure of which career direction to take. I have always had an interest in technology, computers especially, so software development felt like a natural fit. With the enrolment cut-off date looming, I decided to enrol at TAFE Brisbane. I knew I didn’t meet all of the eligibility criteria, but I worked up the courage to contact the program coordinator to convince him to let me in. I plead my case and he agreed, the course took me a year to complete and I graduated with my diploma, which I’m very grateful for and proud to have achieved.

After graduating, I applied for numerous jobs in many roles including Software Developer, IT Technician and Web Developer, and was consistently getting knocked back; either denied upfront or not passing the interview stage. This went on for about a year and a half until, fortuitously, one of my friends from TAFE forwarded me an email from a former teacher advertising that Sharing Minds was hiring software developers. I got excited and instantly took the opportunity to give them a call to express interest.

Jack Blog Post 2.jpg

The day of the interview arrived, and I was extremely nervous. I was anxious that I was going to mess up my speech or say something silly. Afterwards, I was skeptical whether I would be offered a position but a few days later I got a call offering me a four-week internship! I was excited but also terrified. I knew I would have to push myself to impress my manager and the executives to secure a permanent position in the company. During the 4 weeks, I learned the fundamentals of Office 365 and how custom development worked with SharePoint. Regardless of the outcome, I was thrilled that I had that chance to learn so much from the great people around me. On the last day of the internship, I was invited into a meeting and offered a full-time position - I was stoked! I raced home and told my girlfriend and parents who were all ecstatic for me.

I must admit, the nervousness I felt before the first interview didn’t lift until a few months into the role. But my anxiety eventually settled down and I now have the best work family I could ever imagine. I’ve now been in my job for over a year and can't express my gratitude enough. I have been given so much support and encouragement to learn which has guided me to where I am now.

I want the takeaway message of this post to be you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I used to be a person who never went outside and struggled talking to people. But now I'm social, I go out and enjoy life on the weekends and I'm extremely happy and grateful to work with a team like Sharing Minds. If anyone is struggling with starting into the IT industry all I can say is stick in there and if you have the willpower to learn and succeed you will go far!

Jack Curtis_SM2019.jpg


Cheers,
Jack

Jack.Curtis(at)sharingminds.com.au

 

Projects Update - June/July 2019

 
Sharing Minds_Projects Update 1.jpg
 

This past quarter has been a great couple of months for us, with lots of exciting and challenging projects in the works. Here’s a snapshot of the types of solutions we have been delivering for our vast array of clients:

Provision of business process automation assistance to one of our clients through the use of PowerApps and Microsoft Flow. Several departments across the organisation, including HR and Operations are included in the process automation solution and are receiving great improvements in their day-to-day processes as a result. 

This project assisted the client in the governance of Microsoft Teams through the development of scripts in PowerApps to coincide with provisioning of new Teams in Microsoft Teams.

Change management and training services to coincide with the approximately 500-seat organisation’s move from Windows 7 and Office 2016 to Windows 10 and Office 365. The training and change activities will help to ensure this organisation’s staff are able to realise the potential and benefits of their new, powerful workplace technologies.

Development of a complaints form, utilising PowerApps, to help streamline administrative processes for the not-for-profit client.

Training services provided to coincide with the organisation’s roll out of Windows 10 and Office 365. A series of sessions focusing on introductions to Office 365 and Windows 10 were delivered to assist the organisation’s staff in understanding how to use their new technologies to their full potential.

Strategic discovery to determine a roadmap for migrating the client into the cloud, including SharePoint Online and Office 365.

Creation of a SharePoint Online intranet with re-configured and improved search for a not-for-profit organisation. The intranet will be the organisation’s document management system, with automatic metadata tagging incorporated to ensure the file structure system is preserved. All existing documents were migrated into the new document system.

Provided migration services to merge two different organisations on Office 365/LiveTiles utilising ShareGate via scripting. User migration, licensing, infrastructure and content migration were all merged under an agreed roadmap.

 
Sharing Minds_Projects Update 2.jpg
 

Review of Dynamics 365 CRM to identify and address Outlook synchronisation issues, solution configuration and deployment status.

A custom Microsoft Teams template was designed and developed for use by internal and external related project bodies (guests). The organisation was configured with guest access enabled across the tenancy but only enabled for this workflow approved pathway via Teams/Office 365 Group custom templates, security groups and domain whitelisting. Therefore, the solution required that standard, internally created Teams could not invite guests.

Development of an app utilising PowerApps, to allow for real-time data capture and more accurate information being recorded for the health industry client.

Establishment of new SharePoint 2013 test and production environments, and the migration of content and related material from existing SharePoint 2010 platform.

Creation of a new supply chain site in SharePoint Online integrated with CRM system, with training and change management communications to assist with the roll-out.

Development of a roadmap, detailing how Office 365 could be incorporated and utilised for a large financial organisation.

Designed and implemented several eForms for the client, utilising a combination of Microsoft Forms and PowerApps.

Conducted a Deep Dive Review for the health client, providing recommendations for an improved intranet and a modern collaboration environment which will last the test of time.

A complex form stored as an Excel file was developed as a Nintex Forms and Workflow solution, which allowed far greater consistency of data input and reporting. 200+ manual Excel forms per month stored on file servers could now be created, collated and reported on in one SharePoint Online list. Most of the manual system checking was removed by staff members and users could receive their updated information quickly and effectively.

The last quarter saw the final department of this organisation migrated into SharePoint Online. At the same time, we have readied their controlled documents in their Azure SharePoint environment, and the final migration in this area will commence in the coming weeks. The client has experienced a high level of team member participation and satisfaction with their new SharePoint environment, and the on-site admin team has been fully trained to manage the on-going governance of their site. The next quarter will see the commencement of another phase of the project, as we begin the migration effort with one of their other locations in NSW.

Developed a form and associated workflow for the client, combining SharePoint Modern Framework (SPFX) and Microsoft Flow for the solution.

Assistance provided to help the client prepare for moving into a SharePoint Online Microsoft Teams-based environment. AvePoint will be utilised for the migration, which includes more than 10,000 files over 1GB in size.

 
Sharing Minds_Projects Update 3.jpg
 

Provision of training and change management services to coincide with an organisation-wide deployment of Skype for Business to enable collaboration and communication across the large, community-oriented client.

Creation of a new modern intranet, moving the government agency client from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint Online and Office 365. LiveTiles was utilised to improve the user experience of the intranet, and AvePoint’s Cloud Records solution incorporated to ensure the proper governance frameworks are in place for the new intranet.

Redesign of a SharePoint Online intranet, with LiveTiles design features incorporated, for the national transportation client with over 10,000 employees. The new site will allow the organisation’s staff to more effectively work together and connect in real-time.

Design and deployment of a series of Nintex workflows to improve business productivity for the NSW-based financial organisation.

Published by: Sharing Minds Communications Dept.
Publication date: Wednesday, 31 July 2019

Sharing Minds' Lead Trainers - What Makes Them Tick

 
Above: Owen Huth and Ben Creamer delivering a training session to a client

Above: Owen Huth and Ben Creamer delivering a training session to a client

 

Who are they?

Ben Creamer (BC): I joined Sharing Minds in January 2018 as the General Manager. Over the last 20 years, my career has taken me around the world supporting a range of businesses on Microsoft technology. I have experience in a wide array of skills from my early technical days in IT, to managing and growing teams and building businesses. I love advising customers and partners on the most appropriate use of cloud services and technology but it’s training and change management that really excites me.

Owen Huth (OH): I joined Sharing Minds in 2019 as a Change Manager to support an existing team of IT professionals. During my career, I have had the opportunity to work in organisations that have various sized footprints, which has given me great insight into various IT ecosystems. Through working and living through the range of technology lifecycles, I have developed a passion for enabling organisations and their people to embrace the challenges these changes bring about.

Best part about the job?

BC: It is fantastic to work as part of a close-knit team of knowledgeable, fun-loving people who are passionate about what they do. I really enjoy the days when I’m out visiting our clients and get the chance to show and teach them how their new online environment works and what they can achieve with it. Recently, I was on a client site in the middle of outback Queensland delivering training on Office 365, which is a testament to how easily accessible the product is, even from the most remote places.

OH: Working with a team that supports one another to achieve a delivery that exceeds the expectations of our customers. This has been achieved by working with highly motivated individuals from different backgrounds banding together. A recent project required a very quick turnaround of a deliverable that I was able to share with my peers, get and action feedback to confidently deliver to a customer (collaborated through Microsoft Teams).

 
Above: Ben Creamer onsite delivering training to a client in regional QLD

Above: Ben Creamer onsite delivering training to a client in regional QLD

 

Favourite moment at Sharing Minds so far?

BC: I was delighted to be a part of Sharing Minds’ 10-year anniversary celebrations in mid-2018. Building a business and growing it over a 10-year period is a significant milestone and credit for the guys before me in making this possible. We made sure to celebrate with the team and stop and smell the roses!

OH: Watching the team band together to face a recent resourcing issue with a deliverable. It was a proud moment to watch as team members came in to assist on the project. This was a favourite moment as I know if I were facing the same issue, the team would have my back.

Why do you love training?

BC: This may sound a little cheesy, but I will never get tired of watching someone’s face during a training session when they realise how much more productive, they can be with their new solution. Whether it’s that taxing task they would usually dread doing everyday now being automated, or the moment when all the dots connect and they discover a new way to do something. That’s the best part about being a Trainer.

OH: Everyone has a different way of working and approaching a task, sometimes the approach works, other times it does not. What I love about training is the delivery of ‘wow moments’, where users realise that something that has been giving them grief for a long time is now resolved.

 
Above: Owen Huth presenting a training session on Office 365 to a client.

Above: Owen Huth presenting a training session on Office 365 to a client.

 

What’s the best training you have received?

BC: I have sat in on many courses over the last 20 years when mentoring and growing my trainer’s capabilities. I always look for energy in the delivery of material, subject matter knowledge and the ability of the trainer to build trust so participants can get involved in discussions and ask questions. I once saw a junior trainer deliver a course to a dozen experts in their field and rather than lecture them, he used their knowledge to facilitate the course and share the info between students.

OH: Throughout my career, I have attended many sessions to achieve a level of professional development. While everyone has a slightly different delivery method, I have found the best deliveries to engage and incorporate the participants. One method involved participants of a lecture in forming groups before delivering their theories on a concept; the trainer then used these theories to expand and enrich everyone’s idea of the concept. This method has always resonated with me when training users, as understanding where a user has come from allows you to deliver much more value.

What do you get up to when you’re not in the office?

BC: Living on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, nothing is better than getting out and about and enjoying the region. I keep busy by playing any sport I can as I love exercising and spending time with friends. My kids love taking their dog down to the beach so that means plenty of weekends by the water.

OH: When I am not in the office, I am spending time with family and enjoying trips out to the family farm. I enjoy playing team sports and am an active Volleyball player. I enjoy drinking coffee, listening to audio books and am a big fan of the Marvel and DC universes.

Are you interested in Office 365 training with Sharing Minds? Please contact us to book your session or for more information.

Get to Know Sharing Minds' Lead Sydney Consultant

 
Sharing Minds_Sydney Blog Article 2019.jpg
 

Meghan Kemp joined Sharing Minds in March 2019 as our first Sydney-based Consultant. In joining the team, Meghan has brought with her a wealth of knowledge accumulated from her 15 years in technology consulting across the government, legal, medical, construction, engineering, health and sport sectors. We recently sat down with Meghan to talk about her extensive client-facing, project experience and love of connecting people, which has led her to a career in Microsoft and SharePoint consulting.

Meghan didn’t immediately realise technology would be her calling, setting out initially to pursue a legal career, but after seeing the level of employee burnout in the industry, she turned her hand to coaching her legal teammates to work smarter, not harder, which led her towards the consulting path.

 
Meghan Kemp, Senior Consultant - NSW

Meghan Kemp, Senior Consultant - NSW

 

Coaching is a strong theme in both Meghan’s professional and personal lives. Outside of the office, Meghan is a basketball enthusiast, not only playing in the Dulwich Newtown Basketball Div 1 Women’s team, but also coaching young kids starting their basketball journey, and even stepping in as the club’s acting General Manager.

What draws Meghan to basketball is the same as what drives her passion for technology consulting: seeing the ‘a-ha moment’. Whether it be a young kid figuring out the strategy of the game, or a business realising that their SharePoint intranet can be leveraged simultaneously for collaboration, communication and document management. Helping people and businesses realise their full potential, utilising the tools (technology or otherwise) available to them, is a driving force for Meghan.

“I remember being onsite in a previous role where I was helping the company implement a SharePoint site,” she recounts, “the culture in this office was very formal, there was a strict hierarchy and the front-line junior team would NEVER be spoken to by the executives, outside of the annual staff Christmas party. This meant the execs had no idea of the capability of their team or the wealth of untapped knowledge sitting right by them. Once the intranet site was live, these two disparate groups had a shared resource, to communicate and collaborate, which fostered a culture of connection which led to more innovative business processes.”

Why do you love SharePoint?

“I remember attending a conference, maybe nine or ten years ago now, where a demonstration of SharePoint was being shown. I was in awe! Since then, I have been able to see the ability for SharePoint to connect everyone in an organisation, but the platform can still be moulded to fit the purpose and need. The way I see it, SharePoint is the ultimate vehicle for culture, communication and change for a business.”

What’s the best part of living in Sydney?

“My favourite place of all in Sydney is my basketball club in the Inner West, that’s where I feel most at home. But I will never get tired of seeing the magnificent Harbour. I recently flew up to Brisbane to meet the team in the Head office and spend some time onsite with a client. Flying back into Sydney over the Harbour is truly spectacular, no matter how many times you’ve seen it before.”

Are you interested in Office 365 and SharePoint for your business in Sydney? To book your first consultation or for more information, please email us or call 1300 611 359.

A Guide to Making the Most of Microsoft Inspire

Microsoft Inspire 2018.

Microsoft Inspire 2018.

Article originally published on 30 May 2019 on the Microsoft Partner Network.

Every year Microsoft Inspire provides diverse opportunities for partners to network and learn with peers, and Microsoft teams and leaders from all over the world.

Last year was the largest conference yet with more than 17,000 partners in attendance from 130 countries. To maximise your Microsoft Inspire ROI, we asked three partners who attended last year’s event to share their top tips.

1. Be Clear

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Be clear on what you want to achieve.” Tim Goodman, CTO and Founder BizTech Enterprise Solutions

“Ideally”, Tim continues, “you should have one full day of scheduled meetings and one full day left open for networking and setting up meetings through your networking. Preparation made our Inspire experience so much better than we had expected.”

Tim recommends working closely with your Partner Account Manager to set goals for Microsoft Inspire and advice on how to reach them. He also suggests doing research on the partners you will/want to meet with and have a solid understanding of your desired meeting outcomes. Also deliver clarity, by preparing a 15-30 second elevator pitch to explain your business quickly and effectively.

2. Be Open

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“Be open to inspiration. This was the first time I was inspired by a CEO’s views on how technology companies should behave, what their role is in the world and what we as technology professionals should be striving for.” Michael Patishman, CEO BizTech Enterprise Solutions

Microsoft Inspire is a unique opportunity to hear directly from Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, about the role of partners in Microsoft’s strategy; and the technology and partner strategies that are driving the most impactful change and transformation for customers. Michael believes being open to new ideas and new ways of thinking can give you a step ahead of your competitors.

This came to life for BizTech following Microsoft Inspire last year. As BizTech’s customers became more interested in the industry direction on AI, Michael and his team used insights from Microsoft Inspire to drive customer conversations. “AI is something a lot of our customers are wanting to talk about. We have the pleasure of demonstrating Microsoft AI and business intelligence tools and it has been received really well by our customers.”

3. Be Brave

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“Be brave. Chat to people. Find like-minded people to partner with.” Ben Creamer, General Manager Sharing Minds

“My Microsoft Inspire goal was to meet people and help other businesses deliver more Services! I wanted to meet businesses who were looking for capability and delivery services in the SharePoint and Office 365 space, and then discuss how we could provide value to them and their customers.”

There are no shortages of opportunities to meet partners and start a conversation while at Microsoft Inspire. Ben recalls that some of the best conversations happened in the most unlikely locations during the event. Whether it was across a lunchroom table, after a session finished, or even on a party bus while heading to the Bruno Mars concert; every moment provides an opportunity to reach out and connect with other partners.

As Sharing Minds provides specialised Microsoft SharePoint Services, Microsoft Inspire also helped Ben find partners to expand its own solution delivery capability: “By going to Inspire, I can meet partners who deliver complimentary services to ours. I can make trusted connections and that helps me build my standing as a trusted advisor to my customers. It also delivers a competitive advantage by having the latest Microsoft knowledge in your toolkit direct when its delivered, rather than wait for it to hit Australian shores.”

Ben credits his attendance at Microsoft Inspire with signing new partners, numerous new projects, and increased service delivery across Australia.

4. Be Better

“The way I measure my life is ‘Am I better than I was last year?’” Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft

Each year Microsoft Inspire evolves into a better and more inspiring event than it was the year before. And each year brings new industry insights, new ideas to be workshopped and new connections to be made.

Michael, Tim and Ben all agree that if you’re a Microsoft partner, then there is no question that there will be great value in attending Microsoft Inspire. As Ben puts it: “Where else do you get a chance to mingle and meet with that many people who are partner focused in the one room?”


Sharing Minds’ Ben Creamer and Adam Clark will be heading to Vegas for Microsoft Inspire 2019. If you would like to arrange a time to meet while there, please get in touch.

SharePoint Conference 2019 Wrap Up

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This year, I had the pleasure of attending the annual SharePoint Conference (SPC) with one of our Senior Consultants, Shannon Carey, in tow. SPC is the premier SharePoint event offering sessions with expert tips on how to best utilise the platform and updates about the product roadmap as well as providing opportunities for networking with colleagues across the industry. This year was no exception as it was the 20th year since SharePoint’s humble beginnings running on an old server under Jeff Teper’s desk.

 
SharePoint Home Sites. Image credit: Microsoft

SharePoint Home Sites. Image credit: Microsoft

 

SharePoint Home Sites

The keynote session opened the conference with a range of speakers from Microsoft, and so too came one of the biggest announcements of the event, the launch of SharePoint Home sites. Through leveraging Communication sites, Home sites combines news, events, content, conversations and video which will emphasise organisational priorities and branding. Home sites are intended to be used with one per Office 365 tenancy and will eventually become the Home page on the SharePoint mobile app. 15 SharePoint Home sites launch partners were announced to coincide with the release and we were proud to hear Sharing Minds partners LiveTiles, Hyperfish and Wizdom are part of this cohort.

SharePoint Search Updates

There are many improvements to the Search functionality rolled out across the Microsoft 365 suite. In December 2019 custom refiners and verticals, display templates, more extensibility, more scalability, more content types, inline @Office help assistance and many more updates will be made available. As a result, content will be searchable within 15 seconds of an addition or change.

Multi-Geo Capabilities. Image credit: Microsoft

Multi-Geo Capabilities. Image credit: Microsoft

Multi-Geo Capability

New multi-geo capabilities have been announced for Office 365 Groups and SharePoint, which will enable users to store data in one or more locations they have selected. These capabilities satisfy data sovereignty requirements in each location and the user requirement has been lowered to organisations with 500+ users. This makes this feature available to more businesses that before and provides enterprise functionality for mid-sized organisations.

SharePoint Admin Centre Site URL Rename Functionality. Image credit: Microsoft.

SharePoint Admin Centre Site URL Rename Functionality. Image credit: Microsoft.

SharePoint Admin Centre - Site URL Rename

A host of improvements and updates to the SharePoint Admin Centre were announced during Jeff Teper’s opening keynote address. The most notable of which, site URL rename, was met with a raucous applause by the room of SharePoint devotees. This change will allow for the URL address of a site to be updated simultaneously when the site name changes and all future requests redirected to the new URL.

OneDrive Updates

Rolling out later in 2019 will be OneDrive Differential Sync, a new functionality which will only sync changes to files within a OneDrive, avoiding the need for the whole listing to be synced. This will save data and time usage for OneDrive users on the move.

Between sessions, I managed to find a few friendly faces around the exhibition, including Sharing Minds partners AvePoint, LiveTiles, Nintex and ShareGate. Keep an eye out on the Sharing Minds social media channels for some exclusive interviews I recorded with each of the partners about their product roadmaps and exciting updates.

Ben Creamer with Jeff Teper, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Office, OneDrive SharePoint and Office Media Group.

Ben Creamer with Jeff Teper, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Office, OneDrive SharePoint and Office Media Group.

A personal highlight of the event for me was meeting the legendary Jeff Teper. Known in the industry as the Godfather of SharePoint, it was a real honour to meet with Jeff and have a quick chat about the journey of SharePoint and where its headed in the future.

Already looking forward to next year’s SPC!

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Cheers,
Ben
Ben.Creamer(at)sharingminds.com.au

New Sharing Minds Melbourne Location

L-R: Shannon Carey, Greg Larkins and William Cornwill.

L-R: Shannon Carey, Greg Larkins and William Cornwill.

Recently, our Melbourne team settled into their new base in the heart of the CBD at WeWork’s Exhibition St location. This new space will not only allow our Melbourne consultants to work together with more face time, but will also provide more facilities for meetings, training sessions and events. The central location in the city also places the team close to our clients and partners.   

“The WeWork range of offices has been instrumental in providing world class facilities in our Melbourne and Sydney offices. It has allowed Sharing Minds to grow our business and provide a comfortable and collaborative home for staff to work from” said Adam Clark, Sharing Minds’ CTO and Company Director.

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The Exhibition St location offers an array of amenities which the Melbourne team will be able to enjoy, including hot desks, meeting spaces, coffee, fruit water, rooftop facilities, BBQ, training rooms, PlayStation games room/children’s spaces and on tap beer and water, which the staff will no doubt love. 

“The central office location will allow the Melbourne office to better service our customers while building our own unique local company culture.  The WeWork facilities are very modern and exciting” explained William Cornwill, Specialist SharePoint Consultant.

Please get in touch if you would like to catch up to discuss Office 365 and your modern workplace requirements with our Melbourne consultants.

A Passion for Sharing Minds and Sharing Coffee

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With over 22 years’ IT industry experience, it is no wonder that I have gained a passion for the intoxicating flavours of a good brew of coffee.  Over the years, I have definitely consumed my good share of the golden elixir, and in the various sales roles I held earlier in my career, many a deal has been struck over a napkin in a busy café.  My passion for coffee is as strong as my passion for helping my customer gain control over their information using SharePoint and Office 365.

 
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Recently, I decided to take my coffee passion into the next gear and enrolled in a barista course.  I was not expecting too much other than to increase my understanding of what makes a great coffee and improve my ability to make some heart or leaf art on top of my latte.  I was surprised at how much science goes into making the perfect coffee, from the roasting process, understanding turn-around and the first and second cracking, through to the size of the grind and amount of coffee required for an espresso versus doppio.  I learnt so much, definitely improved my coffee-making skills and reignited my love for coffee.

I have been rating cafes I have visited for a few years now on my Instagram and recently turned this into a blog called CoffeeCatchup (thanks to Adam Clark for the name idea).

This week, during my visit at our headquarters in Brisbane, my colleagues wanted to put my nearly acquired skills to the test.  I wanted to thank Sybylla from Marketing, who produced “William’s CoffeeCatchup Pop-up Café” signs which turned the normally quiet kitchen area into a busy coffee shop (for one afternoon only).  We went to our local café, Café Amaretto and purchased some of the local Fonzie Abbott blend and then I got to work.

 
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I am always happy to catch up with someone for a coffee and a decent conversation, and it doesn’t always need to be about work (that just helps me expense them back 😊).  So please reach out and I’ll be happy to shout a coffee and share my mind.

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Cheers,
William

William.Cornwill(at)SharingMinds.com.au

Projects Update - March 2019

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Below is a summary of the projects we have been, and currently are, working on:

Development of two PowerApps and delivering of tailored training services to accompany the roll out of Windows 10 and Office 365 for a not-for-profit organisation.

Development of two custom tiles within LiveTiles as part of a custom intranet for a client in the training industry.

Organisational change management to support implementation of a new Office 365 intranet for a leading national airline organisation with over 10,000 seats.

Migration from JDE to SharePoint with organisational change management and communications planning to accompany the roll out for the Australian branch of a global organisation.

Intranet migration and redevelopment, moving from a SharePoint 2013 On Premises environment to SharePoint Online and a moderising of the user interface.

Configuration and deployment of a SharePoint 2016 environment for the client. Migration and upgrade from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint 2016 was also performed. Finally, a PowerShell script was utilised to batch update QA documentation metadata across multiple libraries, while maintaining current versioning.

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For a global firm with over 8,000 employees, a Document Review System and Auto Document Number Generation Platform was designed, developed and deployed. Additionally, several SharePoint Online quality of life improvements were made, including the complete automation of site deployment.

Merging of two intranet environments, one LiveTiles and the other SharePoint Online, following the amalgamation of two government departments. All content was consolidated and merged, leveraging the existing intranet environments.

Working with a state government department to migrate their SharePoint 2007 and 2013 environments to SharePoint Online, utilising ShareGate for both migrations. PowerShell scripts were used to assist with the migration process. Support services also supplied throughout the migration.

Development of two PowerApps (utilising Flow to manage process) for a health and wellbeing client. The client is currently developing a Power BI dashboard for management to allow them better visibility of incidents and hazards within their organisation.

Creation of a PowerApp for a mining client, which allows their Geo Tech Team to conduct mine (underground) inspections and record details by annotating mine maps, recording photo imagery and completing predefined inspection forms.  These details are then used to produce a Power BI report and dashboard, highlighting inspection numbers, ground conditions, activity by person over time, corrosion levels and more.  A specific requirement for the development of the app was to make it available at all times, even when many (most) of the inspections are and beyond network coverage.  The application takes advantage of PowerApps offline capability, something that was introduced in early 2018 and extended again in October last year.

New intranet created using LiveTiles with custom tile development, utilising ReactJS and Office UI Fabric for the construction client. A form was created using Microsoft Forms, Plumsail Forms and Microsoft Flow, as well as the design of a PowerApp for the client.

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Migration from SharePoint 2007 and 2013 (client had two environments) using ShareGate. PowerShell scripts were utilised to assist with the migration. Support services were given to manage the roll-out for this state government department with over 1500 existing SharePoint sites.

A Migration Deep Dive Discovery exercise was undertaken, resulting in the development of a strategy to determine the best approach. Onsite assistance provided to assist with the migration, which is being undertaken by the client. A Power BI dashboard proof of concept with Asana integration was also produced for this health industry client.  A new internal job feed was also developed for the human resources team using and RSS feed and XSLT.

A migration of intranet and collaboration information moving from legacy SharePoint and file share environments to SharePoint Online, using a mixture LiveTiles and modern user interface designs.

Workshops and design to develop an External Collaboration Sites Framework to allow this large state government department to collaborate with other government entities as well as corporate organisations.

Published by: Sharing Minds Communications Dept.
Publication date: Tuesday, 19 March 2019

Making Your New Intranet a Success: Change Management Tips to Encourage User Adoption Rates

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You could spend thousands of project dollars developing and designing a new intranet, but if it isn’t going to be used (or used to its potential) what’s the (Share)point? Here are three common threats to successful adoption and some suggestions on how to avoid them when developing your Change Management Plan.

Lack of engagement with staff during decision-making (staff don’t want to use the new platform)

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You could build the most visually stunning intranet design with every possible feature of the cloud, but if your staff feel disenfranchised and not involved in the process, they will be reluctant to use it. It sounds strange to say, but your staff need to feel a connection with the new platform, that their input has been valued and appreciate the intended benefits of the change – early on.

Our top tip to avoid this is to have a communication plan that engages staff early and informs them:

  • What the change is about

  • Why it is being introduced

  • What the expected benefits are

  • The impact to their work

  • When it will be happening

  • Where they can find out more

Ensure information is available to everyone in the organisation and provide them with a mechanism to participate. Messaging needs to be clear and cohesive with visible support and leadership from an ambassador or sponsor.

This may mean different types of engagement like workshops, video conferences or something more straightforward such as an intranet portal with direct information sources. Incorporate feedback channels into your communications plan so any queries or concerns can be addressed before a system-wide change is made.

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Inadequate support or training (staff are resisting the new platform)

If your staff don’t know how to operate their new platform, or how it will make their life easier and more effective, they will be reluctant to use it. Ensure that the training needs of staff are well understood and remember that we are all different and have different learning styles so think about training and support that is multifaceted. The days of just running a traditional classroom training course are over!

Once the design is complete and deployed, organise training sessions for your staff on how to use their new solution. Factors to be considered when designing a Training Plan include:

  •  Are some staff members time-poor?

  • Would they benefit from short demonstration video clips, or would they prefer to flick through a procedure manual? 

  • Would you be better off arranging a Change Champion to spend time walking the floor and troubleshooting face-to-face?

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Lack of UI/UX (staff don’t like using the new platform)

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) are an essential component of any intranet design. The layout and look and feel of the new site must inherently make sense to your end-users otherwise they won’t use it. One way to prevent this from happening is to widely consult your organisation and find out what your staff like about their current site and what they would like to change. Collate these responses and incorporate the feedback into the design process. Just because the legacy system is outdated doesn’t necessarily mean it should be scrapped altogether. Make sure the features and design choices that still work well are retained in the new solution. Remember: incremental change is just as important as revolutionary change.

Another recommendation is to make sure the naming system and menus of the final design are clear so any user from any department of the organisation can easily navigate their way around.

A new intranet is an exciting time and can be a great step for any business offering a new and innovative way to operate. Focusing only on the completion of the project and not the bigger picture could jeopardise your user adoption rates and value of the new site.

Engagement, and early engagement, is key. Set out with a clear vision of what the project is, what it means and why you’re doing it - then communicate widely and in a variety of ways. Allow the whole organisation to be as excited about the change as you are.

 

Are you interested in Change Management Services? For more information, or to book your first Change Management consultation, please contact us via the form below or call 1300 611 359.

Microsoft Ignite The Tour | Sydney Wrap-Up

L-R: Shannon Carey, Ben Creamer, Adam Clark and Geoff Boddington.

L-R: Shannon Carey, Ben Creamer, Adam Clark and Geoff Boddington.

Now that Ignite Sydney has come to a close for 2019, I’d like to share some of my experiences throughout the two days of the event. Firstly, I’ll start out by acknowledging everyone that made it such a special event for us - from mingling with our fellow industry colleagues, to our network of partners we were able to catch up with in and around the event, and of course the many, invaluable, one-on-one conversations we were able to have with the Microsoft experts.

To set the scene, The Hub is where we met with different vendors and partners showcasing their vast array of products and capabilities. AvePoint’s ‘The Claw’ vending machine was a favourite, as was, Logitech’s Microsoft Teams Meeting Room devices and Vive’s headsets.  

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As always, it was great to see our partners Rhipe and Nintex at their separate booths and the team at LiveTiles roaming around the exhibition floor. There were so many others we managed to catch up with over the two days; it’s always great to see so many familiar faces in the crowd.  

Adam Clark with Nintex Sales Engineer Mathew Johnson at the Nintex booth. Photo credit: Nintex.

Adam Clark with Nintex Sales Engineer Mathew Johnson at the Nintex booth. Photo credit: Nintex.

Of all the sessions, my favourite was a presentation from Brian Holt, all about designing resilient cloud applications. It really made me think about all the different possibilities when designing solutions. Brian is proficient at building out applications using node.js and showed how the infrastructure can be stood up in Azure in just a matter of minutes.  

He then showed how this could be made globally redundant and efficient using a new feature in Azure Front Door which was a highlight for me.  

It also got me thinking about how to incorporate Cosmos DB into applications, rather than relying on SQL. 

Logic Apps made its way into most of the sessions that I attended. Generally, this was spoken about as the glue that wires up application in Azure, or even to spin up Azure infrastructure. I hopped into a session on custom connectors that can be consumed in Logic Apps or Power Apps and was surprised by how easy this process is. Drop me a line if you would like some more information on this.

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It was refreshing to hear stories around how AI is being used for good and solving complex problems, never before possible.  

case study about the counting of rare fish using underwater drones and AI, which enables government policy to be written in a timely manner to protect the fish in the Northern Territory, really stood out as a perfect example of AI being embraced in a new and innovative way to help society.  

Finally, I’ll leave you with a learning which has really stuck with me since returning to the office after Ignite: 

Traditional monitoring and alerting are built from the server level up, modern monitoring and alerting happens from the client down. 

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Cheers

Shannon
Shannon.Carey(at)sharingminds.com.au

LiveTiles Featured Article: Three intelligent transformation tools for your business

A featured article originally written
by Kane Grose, LiveTiles

The phrase ‘work smarter, not harder’ has been around since the 1930s, but it’s something we’ve taken to heart here at LiveTiles. So much so, that even our workplaces are intelligent now!

The intelligent workplace, as we see it, is the natural progression from the digital workplace. It allows us to work more efficiently and creatively and progress into a realm of genuine ideation, instead of just mindlessly trudging through our daily tasks.

This is done through the infusion of simple artificial intelligence, usage analytics, and informed design iteration into our online work environments.

Three intelligent transformation tools for your business

We’ve built our intelligent workplace platform using a combination of three elements. These are LiveTiles Design, Bots, and Intelligence. Here’s a bit of a breakdown:

LiveTiles Design is the foundation of our intelligent workplace. Instead of jumping between a bunch of disparate apps and sites in order to do your work, Design allows you to pull all your tools together in one mobile-friendly interface, making your workspace more efficient and easier to navigate.

(above) LiveTiles Design-built Human Resources Portal

(above) LiveTiles Design-built Human Resources Portal

LiveTiles Intelligence takes the design platform to the next level. Gone of the days of ‘close enough is good enough’ when it comes to our collaborative workspaces.

Intelligence provides ongoing usage analytics and feedback that designers can use to inform their redesign choices. This means that the intelligent workplace can evolve to be precisely what users need it to be, instead of collecting a bunch of stale, redundant pages that no-one uses.

(above) LiveTiles site wide Intelligence Visitor Overview dashboard

(above) LiveTiles site wide Intelligence Visitor Overview dashboard

To truly have an intelligent workplace, though, you need one that will learn how to work with you. That’s where our bots come in.

Essentially, LiveTiles Bots will be your digital personal assistants that can help you with a wide range of repeatable, mundane tasks. This gives you more time to concentrate on the tasks that need genuine human cognition to complete.

(above) LiveTiles Bots’ ability selection menu

(above) LiveTiles Bots’ ability selection menu

Don’t be daunted though – the UI of our bot design platform makes it simple to update your helpers, meaning that they can evolve at the pace your workplace requires.

Through a combination of these components, you can create a dynamic and engaging workplace that has the capacity to grow and change to meet all your user needs.

Request your own LiveTiles demo here.

Find out more about how Sharing Minds can help you explore the world of LiveTiles’ technologies by contacting us here, or give us a call on 1300 611 359.