Greek Ministry of Migration and

Asylum streamlines migration process

with Microsoft 365
With around 100,000 asylum applicants each year, Greece’s government established a
new Ministry of Migration and Asylum in 2020. Its aim was to streamline administrative
backlogs and speed up procedures for migrants and asylum seekers. However, its legacy,
on-premises technology was curbing effective internal collaboration. The Ministry, in
collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Governance, opted to switch to Microsoft 365
to address these challenges. Thanks to swift adoption, staff can access critical documents
and collaborate securely from anywhere, clarifying workflows for everyone and
accelerating the entire migration process.

Ministry of Migration and Asylum

Country: Greece
Industry: Government
Solution: Microsoft 365
Customer size: Large (1,000 - 9,999 employees)
Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum streamlines migration process with Microsoft
365

Operating since January 2020, the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum works to
control Greek borders and ensure migrants and asylum seekers receive the proper
support to navigate the procedural process for entering the country.
“In 2020, Greece had almost 100,000 new asylum seekers, which created a massive
backlog of applications,” explains Konstantinos Kostakos, Head of the Cabinet of the
Minister. “We were using legacy and open-source systems and basic on-premises
capabilities. We lacked strong collaboration tools and security that could enable us to
give the efficient and accurate assistance asylum seekers would require.”

Helping migrants through mobile work

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic made remote, real-time collaboration even
more necessary and urgent. The Ministry wanted to ensure the safety of its workers while
preventing any delays for applicants. With 37 accommodation centers for refugees and
more than 10 Regional Asylum Offices spread across the country, the Ministry’s
employees needed to be far more mobile.
“We began with a Microsoft 365 trial subscription, and immediately started using Word,
PowerPoint and Outlook online,” says Kostakos. “All our files were instantly available
online. When the COVID-19 lockdown happened, we had everything on the cloud, and
were able to operate well. Some people worked from their homes, and some at the
office. We particularly relied on Microsoft Teams screen sharing capabilities to keep
everyone on the same page, sometimes quite literally.”

“Thanks to Microsoft technology, we experienced a swift

and painless overhaul of our working practices.”
—Notis Mitarachi, Minister of Migration and Asylum

Improved visibility, greater productivity

“Microsoft 365 is an excellent tool for us, facilitating a democratic and clear approach to
work,” says Anastasios Salis, the Ministry's Director General of ICT. “You know what's
being done, and who is doing it. There are no dark corners anymore. No one can say
Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum streamlines migration process with Microsoft
365

they don’t have access to the files they need. We’ve received positive feedback from
everybody, especially about the option to join meetings through Microsoft Teams, either
in the office or from anywhere via their phone.”
According to an internal Ministry survey, more than 83 percent of Microsoft Teams users
feel that the technology has significantly contributed to smoother collaboration and time
savings. 81 percent reported that personal cloud storage OneDrive has helped make
work more efficient by facilitating the storage and sharing of documents. 96 percent
reported that Microsoft’s cloud-based solution made them feel more organized.

Looking ahead with more clarity

“We can now rapidly organize our employees’ data and accounts and systematize the
way we register new migration and asylum seeker flows,“ highlights Notis Mitarachi,
Minister of Migration and Asylum. “In addition, we were able to provide our employees
with a unified environment for accessing email and cloud-storage services. The upgrade
also improved our ability to manage crises and still carry out our mandate to help
migrants to the best of our ability. Basically, thanks to Microsoft technology, we
experienced a swift and painless overhaul of our working practices and the ‘best of our
ability’ has now significantly and positively improved.”

“We’ve received positive feedback from everybody,

especially about the option to join meetings through Teams,
either in the office or from anywhere else via their phone.”
—Anastasios Salis, Director General, Ministry of Migration and Asylum
Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum streamlines migration process with Microsoft
365

Products and services

Microsoft 365
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft OneDrive for Business
SharePoint Online

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This case study is for informational purposes only.

MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published June 2021