Expedia is the world's leading online travel company, providing business and leisure travelers with tools and information to easily research, plan, book, and experience travel. As the company’s early rapid growth stabilized, its IT department sought ways to help employees become more productive and collaborate more effectively across long distances. To meet this goal, the department deployed Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Customer Solution Case Study
Online Travel Company Empowers Remote Workers with Messaging Solution Overview "The convergence of our major brands creates a Country or Region: United States Industry: Retail greater need for effective collaboration across great distances. Exchange Server 2007 is the linchpin of Customer Profile Expedia has approximately 4,400 full-time our strategy to meet that need." employees worldwide. Its vision is to Mark Whitehurst, Director, Applications Engineering, Expedia become the largest and most profitable seller of travel services and products in the Expedia is the world's leading online travel company, providing world. business and leisure travelers with tools and information to easily Business Situation research, plan, book, and experience travel. Based in Bellevue, Following a period of intense growth, Expedia sought to help its employees Washington, Expedia operates internationally in Canada, the United collaborate more productively across long Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, and distances. China. As the company's early rapid growth stabilized, its IT Solution department sought ways to help employees become more Working with communication and collaboration specialists at Wadeware and productive and collaborate more effectively across long distances. Gold Systems, Expedia deployed To meet this goal, the department deployed Microsoft® Exchange Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007. Server 2007. The communication and collaboration server's Benefits integration with Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services enables „ Unified e-mail, voice mail, and fax „ Information-rich Web mail interface remote users to easily access documents on the company's „ Empowered mobile workers network, and mobile devices powered by Microsoft Windows „ Easier administration ® Mobile 5.0 give employees a flexible messaging solution while they're on the road.
Situation "Remote access is very big for us right now," The mission of Expedia, one of the leading says Chris Wolfe, Senior Systems Engineer at travel services companies in the world, is to Expedia. "Many of our employees use the provide its customers with everything they network from remote office locations or while need to research, plan, and purchase a trip. traveling. It's important to us that they be The company gives consumers direct access able to access the resources they need in a to travel products and services through its secure, compartmentalized way that's North American Web site, localized versions appropriate to their roles." Some of the ways throughout Europe, and extensive that remote and mobile workers access the partnerships in Asia. Expedia-branded Web Expedia network is through Microsoft Office sites feature airline tickets, hotel Outlook® Web Access, virtual private reservations, car rentals, cruises, and many networking, and a variety of mobile devices. other in-destination services from a broad selection of partners. The company's portfolio Solution of brands includes Expedia.com, hotels.com, As part of its search for tools that would Hotwire, Expedia Corporate Travel, better enable long-distance collaboration, TripAdvisor, and Classic Vacations. Expedia deployed Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 in October 2006. Microsoft Services "The role of IT at Expedia is to provide demonstrated the beta version of Exchange applications, connectivity, and anything else Server 2007 to Expedia technicians in April that's needed in order for the business to 2006, seeking their feedback on the meet its goals," says Mark Whitehurst, installation process and administrative Director, Applications Engineering at Expedia. console. When it came time to deploy the "For a long time, our focus was on facilitating software at Expedia in October, Expedia drew and managing rapid growth during our first upon the expertise of Wadeware, a consulting couple of years. Now we want to make more firm specializing in communication and progress in the area of productivity, and one collaboration. of the keys to that is effective long-distance collaboration." Bill Wade, Senior Consultant at Wadeware, says, "We used the Microsoft Exchange The company's messaging and collaboration Server Best Practices Analyzer prior to the environment is built on Microsoft® Exchange inst... [download for more]
