By 2019, it was clear things had to change. “Each school had its own intranet, its own way of working, and people relied heavily on email,” says Paul Schoemaker, ICT team member. “We needed a central system that could work for everyone, and still flex for each location.”

One starting point for every user

In collaboration with yellow arrow, Galilei implemented Workspace 365 as a unified layer over Microsoft. “We wanted to offer a familiar and accessible environment that brings everything together: applications, documents and communication.”

Now, everyone starts their day in the same digital workplace. Group permissions control access to apps, documents and tools, tailored by role, audience, and location. At the same time, each school can personalise its own Hub with relevant local updates.

“Everyone enters through the same door, but can take their own route,” says Paul.

From IT silos to cross-campus collaboration

Previously, every school had its own systems, isolated intranets and separate IT staff. “System admins barely collaborated or knew how others worked,” Paul explains. Since he joined in 2018, he’s focused on strengthening collaboration.

“We now have a proactive team of system administrators that support each other across all locations. Everyone still works from their own site, but the collaboration is much stronger.” This central approach enables synergy and allows more functionality with the same people.

“That’s essential, especially with the increasing pressure on IT support in education.”

Communication that actually gets read

Before, newsletters were long, sometimes nine pages, and engagement was low. Today, internal updates are shared via the Workspace 365 Hub in bite-sized chunks. “People actually read updates now,” says Paul. “Shorter messages mean more visibility, and higher impact.”

It’s not just cleaner, it’s more targeted. The central office can tailor communication by audience, school or role, all from one place.

Effective onboarding: clarity from day one

Because new employees join regularly, effective onboarding is essential. “Without proper guidance, new staff can easily get lost in the digital workplace,” Paul explains. That’s why new colleagues receive early access to the digital workplace, where a dedicated tile provides clear instructions and helpful documentation. Some schools also offer personal coaching support. “Locations that invest in guiding new employees see far fewer support requests. A clear onboarding journey makes all the difference.”

A critical lens on ROI and future potential

Even after five years of success, Paul keeps a sharp focus on impact. “I always keep ROI in mind. We make a significant annual investment in our digital workplace, so it’s important we get the most value from it,” he says.

Some integrations, such as Magister or Zermelo, haven’t seen widespread use and many teachers still prefer tools like SharePoint or Outlook for specific tasks. Rather than seeing this as a drawback, Paul views it as part of the evolving relationship between people and platforms.

“We’ve started asking if some features, like central access or our intranet structure, could one day be delivered through Microsoft tools, with the right external support. It’s worth exploring. But that doesn’t take away from what Workspace 365 delivers today.”

Because for new joiners, whether students or staff, the value is immediate.