Stena switches to SharePoint

Ferry operator uses Microsoft solution to enable staff to more easily update web sites

Stena Group, parent group of ferry operator Stena Line, has migrated four of its public facing web sites to SharePoint 2010, in a move that will see its online services offer more personalised and social functionality.

The company called on SharePoint consultancy ClearPeople to migrate its web content management system (CMS) to the Microsoft solution.

"Our legacy platform was holding us back, but with SharePoint 2010 we now have a flexible, user-friendly solution that enables us to deploy new web sites quickly," said Pär Persson, business technology manager at Stena.

He added that the SharePoint-enabled web sites help the firm to engage with customers through personalisation.

"A good example is our property business where we are developing a new, personalised experience for more than 24,000 tenants, to give them information that will be relevant to them and their relationship with Stena," said Persson.

Stena said that SharePoint 2010 addresses one of its major challenges: enabling timely and efficient updates to web sites by individual marketing departments without having to involve the IT department.

The firm added that, with SharePoint, each business unit can manage its own content, making the web sites more relevant and useful for their respective audiences, with minimal training. The new SharePoint CMS also provides the capability to add social media features.

Having migrated the first four web sites, Stena now plans to move other web sites to the new platform in the coming year.