Harcourts Gold Real Estate, based in Christchurch, is a leading real estate agency known for its commitment to excellence in buying, selling, and property management. With multiple branches and a team of dynamic agents, Harcourts Gold has established itself as a trusted name in the real estate market.

Harcourts Gold relied on legacy on-premise file shares and user home drives to manage documentation and workflows. This setup faced several challenges:

• Outdated Infrastructure: On-premise servers were nearing end-of-life, requiring costly maintenance and upgrades.
• Collaboration Limitations: Agents found it challenging to collaborate on files and share information securely with clients and colleagues.
• Operational Inefficiency: Managing branch-specific file servers created redundancies and inefficiencies in resource allocation.
• Scalability Constraints: The existing setup could not meet the demands of a growing, modern real estate agency.

To modernize Harcourts Gold’s IT infrastructure, Intellium Technology executed a comprehensive migration strategy:

1. Data Migration: Migrated over 11TB of legacy file shares and home drives to Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
2. Server Decommissioning: Retired on-premise servers at all branches, transferring critical servers to a private cloud for enhanced performance and reliability.
3. Collaboration Tools: Configured Microsoft Teams and SharePoint to enable agents to collaborate seamlessly on documentation, securely share buying information with clients, and improve internal communication.
4. Unified File Structure: Designed an organized file structure within SharePoint to simplify access and management for branches, agents, and administrators.

1. Enhanced Collaboration: Agents can now work together on documents in real-time and securely share information with prospective buyers.
2. Operational Efficiency: Centralizing files in the cloud eliminated redundancies, improving access and reducing administrative overhead.
3. Improved Communication: Microsoft Teams streamlined communication across branches and teams.
4. Cost Savings: Decommissioning on-premise servers significantly reduced hardware and maintenance costs.
5. Scalability: A cloud-based solution offers flexibility to grow with the business while meeting the demands of a modern real estate market.

1. 1. Data Integrity: Ensuring no data loss during the migration of over 11TB of files.
   2. User Training: Helping agents and staff adapt to new tools like Teams and SharePoint.
   3. Downtime Minimization: Conducting phased migrations to minimize disruption to daily operations.
   4. Security: Implementing robust permissions and access controls to protect sensitive real estate data.

• Reduced Maintenance Costs: Eliminating on-premise servers lowered IT overhead.
• Improved Productivity: Enhanced collaboration tools reduced delays and improved turnaround times for transactions.
• Optimized Infrastructure: The move to a private cloud and Microsoft 365 reduced future capital expenditures.
• Improved Operational Expense with a leading design: Intellium Solution Architect Craig Corfield leveraged his Microsoft knowledge to accommodate large data storage in a cost effective manner. The design used OneDrive storage to accommodate up to 25TB of data storage per account.

The migration to Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive has revolutionized how Harcourts Gold operates. By transitioning to a modern, cloud-based solution, the agency has empowered its agents with the tools to collaborate efficiently, communicate effectively, and deliver exceptional service to clients.

With the support of Intellium Technology, Harcourts Gold has not only modernized its IT infrastructure but also established a scalable foundation for future growth, ensuring it remains a leader in the competitive real estate industry.

Get in touch today to discuss how Intellium can transform and optimize your way of working.