Modernizing TRCA’s Business Technology with Office 365

March 20, 2018

I am excited to share with you our recent decision to move toward Microsoft Office 365 as the primary business applications platform for TRCA.

Our migration to Office 365 from IBM Lotus Notes will occur in stages between now and the end of 2019. While we won’t be abandoning Lotus Notes altogether, since many of our critical databases rely on Notes, it is my goal for all TRCA staff to be using Office 365 for common business functions like email, calendars and scheduling, contact management and resources reservations by the end of 2018.

With your support, and the support of the Information Technology Management (ITM) team who will be working with you to achieve this goal, I am confident we will be successful.

Office 365 is an industry-leading cloud-based software platform that provides integrated solutions for many common applications, including identity management (so we can all have a single password for the majority of TRCA software applications), standard business desktop tools such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel, collaboration software, and communication tools.

All of these tools are designed to work well with each other; as we roll them out, and as you begin to use them I am sure you will discover opportunities to work more efficiently and effectively.

As you can appreciate, transitioning from a software platform on which we have relied for 20 years to an entirely new one presents many challenges. Our ITM team has been working hard for months planning this transition to ensure that it occurs with minimal disruption to your work. Office 365 will provide important tools for all of us, so we can deliver the quality of work our communities and partners deserve.

Stay tuned for updates from the ITM team on the roll-out of Office 365 in the coming months.

John MacKenzie M.Sc.(Pl)MCIP,RPP
Chief Executive Officer
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)