dnata Travel Group empowers its global and mobile workforce while enhancing data security with Windows 365

Founded in 1959 in the UAE, dnata Travel Group has become a global leader in leisure and corporate travel services. With remote agents, hybrid workers, and international contractors, they needed to provide secure access to corporate systems for their mobile workforce.

The team decided to move away from the traditional solution of setting up local devices and chose Windows 365 Cloud PCs to create a highly secure, cloud-based environment that can be reached from any device.

Now they can easily add new users, reduce hardware costs, and improve operational efficiency. With support from Microsoft, dnata Travel is set for continued growth.

Founded in 1959 in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai National Air Travel Agency (dnata) has grown into a global powerhouse in the travel and transportation industry. Its travel division, dnata Travel Group, handles more than 1.7 travel bookings, annually. “Our history is rooted in the growth of the United Arab Emirates’ pioneering travel industry,” shares Steve Mullis, Head of Infrastructure Management at dnata Travel Group. “We strive to be the world's most admired travel services provider, which includes providing our customers with great travel experiences anywhere in the world.”

Evolving digital needs for global operations

As the dnata Travel Group’s operations have expanded, it became clear that traditional technology solutions were insufficient in supporting a growing remote workforce. "Over the years, more and more of our employees’ work has become mobile and they need to be able to access corporate systems remotely,” Steve Mullis highlights. “In offering this, we also need to make sure we maintain the security of our systems and customer data.”

This challenge was amplified by the diversity of the dnata Travel Group’s operations, which include remote agents, hybrid workers, and international contractors operating from regions such as Asia and Europe. The company realized that a traditional solution of setting up local devices and using a VPN was going to be complicated and costly. “Because of local regulations, it was sometimes not possible to share data across countries, and stability was not always guaranteed, meaning we sometimes experienced downtimes. We also couldn’t manage all the devices centrally, which made it difficult to resolve user issues quickly and maintain security,” adds Steve Mullis.

For the dnata Travel Group, ensuring the protection of customer data was paramount. Steve Mullis emphasizes, "Our customers' data is a privilege to hold. Not only do we naturally want to protect it, but are also obliged to do so by compliance, regulation, and law." The complexities of managing different technology standards between regions and the security risks posed by third-party devices underscored the need for a more centralized and secure solution.

We performed several feasibility studies and ultimately landed on Windows 365 as the best choice to create a secure environment for cloud PCs and enable employees to work from any device or location.

Sean Kelly, Vice President of Information Technology, dnata Travel Group

Windows 365 emerged as the answer. Sean Kelly, Vice President of Information Technology at dnata Travel Group, explains, "There were many different solutions in the marketplace. We performed several feasibility studies and ultimately landed on Windows 365 as the best choice to create a secure environment for cloud PCs and enable employees to work from any device or location.”

Seamless implementation, strong support

The rollout of Windows 365 began by moving part of dnata Travel Group UK’s sales office of 25 contact center employees to Belgrade, Serbia. “It was very easy to give remote access to the devices employees already had, which also allowed us to maintain the necessary level of security,” shares Steve Mullis. “That was the start of us realizing how effective this was in setting up teams abroad.”

"The expectations were high, but Microsoft provided consistent support," recalls Mustak Patel, Senior Digital Workplace Lead at dnata Travel Group. “Within 30 days, we were celebrating and going live with Windows 365. Now we have 150 users globally, and they all love it. The success has inspired us to expand the solution to more employees in the company.”

Throughout the implementation, Microsoft's support played a pivotal role. Mustak Patel emphasized, "We would ask a question, and within 24 hours, the Microsoft team would get back to us with answers and support." This level of engagement ensured that any issues were promptly addressed, facilitating a seamless transition and stable operations.

Windows 365 enabled dnata Travel Group to cater to various user requirements efficiently. Steve Mullis highlights, "We can set up the higher-end configurations for our development engineers and provide a standard desktop experience for our mobile sales representatives." With this level of flexibility, dnata Travel Group is already planning to transition from the traditional hardware refresh cycle to adopting Windows 365 across its entire hardware estate.

When a user applies for a license, it's available within two hours, as opposed to waiting several days when distributing physical devices, drastically reducing downtime.

Mustak Patel, Senior Digital Workplace Lead, dnata Travel Group

Rapid response time, enhanced agility

Windows 365 transformed dnata Travel Group’s operational efficiency. “One of the biggest benefits has been the reduction in IT time and resources required for onboarding users. When a user applies for a license, it's available within two hours, as opposed to waiting several days when distributing physical devices, drastically reducing downtime,” emphasizes Mustak Patel. This rapid provisioning enables new employees to begin work almost instantly.

dnata Travel Group has also reduced costs associated with hardware procurement, shipping, and maintenance. “We no longer need to procure laptops centrally; each dnata Travel Group business unit can use its own devices, saving approximately USD700 per user," Mustak Patel highlights. The company also identified cost savings through other operational efficiencies. For instance, it reduced engineering time, saving two person-days previously spent on provisioning and maintaining hardware, so it can allocate resources more effectively.

The impact on technical support has been significant. “If there's an issue, the downtime typically associated with sending the laptop for repair has been eliminated, allowing our employees to quickly return to serving customers,” remarks Mustak Patel. “And with only a two-hour provision time for Windows 365, the scalability is phenomenal."

We optimized costs well, improved how fast we served customers around the world, and even gained new market share.

Steve Mullis, Head of Infrastructure Management, dnata Travel Group

This agility has been crucial during the dnata Travel Group’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. "Having these solutions that are so rapid to deploy improved our response time and helped the business adapt more quickly to changing needs. We optimized costs well, improved how fast we served customers around the world, and even gained new market share," Steve Mullis explains. “Ten years ago, we also went through many mergers and acquisitions as we grew the business. Though we initially ran as a siloed business, now we seamlessly collaborate across the globe using Microsoft 365, Teams, and Windows 365.”

Strategic roadmap for growth

Support from dnata Travel Group management was central to its success in standardizing the experience for its global workforce. "They provided us with the space and time to gain expertise. Instead of rushing through the onboarding process and then continuing to fix problems long afterward, we made sure to get it right from the first go," Mustak Patel emphasizes. Reflecting on the journey, Steve Mullis adds. As the dnata Travel Group continues to innovate and standardize its operations, the company remains committed to capitalizing on technology to provide exceptional travel experiences. "We have a strategic roadmap for growth and we’re only midway through that journey," Steve Mullis concludes.

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