Dublin: 26th November 2013: The GAA & Microsoft have announced a new strategic technology agreement between both organisations today. This agreement will see the GAA migrate to Microsoft Office365, enabling the Association to meet its growing technology and communication needs now and into the future. Microsoft Office 365 will be provided to clubs and county boards and will be managed centrally through the strategic agreement with Microsoft. It will be supported by migration and other services provided by Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Ergo 
This new agreement with Microsoft seeks to achieve the following for GAA:
Develop a cohesive technology strategy for the Association linked to the GAA’s ethos and vision
- Strengthen and grow the Association’s communication channels
- Improve overall quality and accuracy of data
- Increase the number of technology tools and services available to the GAA
- Provide an integrated solution with other key core applications.
Martin Cullen, Director SMS&P Microsft Ireland commented on the agreement:
“The GAA’s decision to enter into this agreement on Microsoft Office365 is a big milestone. Microsoft delivers secure and interoperable cloud services which increase productivity allowing Irish organisations to reach their full potential. Microsoft Office365 will enable the GAA to streamline their processes and create a service which enables them to collaborate with their growing membership here in Ireland and around the globe as the GAA’s popularity continues to grow. Implementing Microsoft Office 365 will help produce a more complete and secure experience for it’s users with greater flexibility to scale as demand and interest in the GAA continues to increase.”
Migration will take place starting today and will see the entire Cloud based platform up and running for January 1st 2014. This includes migrating all GAA user data such as email, calendars and documents. By moving to Microsoft Office 365 the GAA’s users will now have 50GB of storage for Outlook email and 25GB for SkyDrive Pro.
“Microsoft’s global devices and services vision will enable the GAA to grow its technology and communication tools into a one stop solution that fits all requirements. The immediate benefits will help to increase our administrators productivity while decreasing our overall annual licencing costs. Along with these important objectives, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Ergo, will provide us with even more services and greater capacity which will benefit our administrators. Microsoft’s dedicated expertise and resources will help grow the GAAs IT strategic vision,” commented Declan Fanning GAA IT Manager.
Support and Training:
Microsoft will also provide training material and training videos which will be uploaded onto the GAA eLearning platform. Training sessions will be provided online and in a teacher lead training environment to help officers get up to speed quickly on the new system. Ergo will provide a support desk and support email for users.
Ends
About Microsoft Ireland
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential. Microsoft was first established in Ireland in 1985, and now has four local divisions: the EMEA Operations Centre (EOC); the European Development Centre (EDC), EMEA Data Centre and the Irish Sales, Marketing and Services Operation, which was established in 1991. Microsoft employs over 1,200 full-time employees in Ireland. For more information on Microsoft’s products and solutions, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/ireland/about
Tá tuilleadh eolais ag Alan MacMaoldúin, Ceannasaí Caidrimh na Meán 018363222
For more information contact Alan Milton GAA Head of Media Relations on 018363222
nó / or
Caroline Kohn
Slattery Communications
+353 01 6342546 or 0868049600
