A travel agency gets the most from Microsoft 365 and Teams by using it as more than just email: secure, reliable Exchange Online for the mailboxes and shared inboxes the desk runs on, Teams for fast internal communication across offices and time zones, SharePoint and OneDrive for shared files, all protected with multi-factor authentication, managed security and proper backup. Set up and managed well, it is the productivity backbone of the business, and is usually part of managed IT at about £45 to £100 per user per month.
Most travel agencies already pay for Microsoft 365 but use a fraction of it. Used properly, it ties a global desk together. Here is how to get real value from it.
Email and shared inboxes done right
Email is the lifeblood of a travel desk, so Exchange Online needs to be reliable, secure and well organised, with proper shared mailboxes for sales and operations rather than shared passwords. Add managed filtering and multi-factor authentication and the mailboxes the business depends on are both dependable and protected.
Teams for a global desk
Teams gives consultants across offices, home and overseas a fast way to talk, share and hand work over, by chat, call or video, which is invaluable when a query crosses time zones. Set up with sensible structure, it cuts internal email and keeps a distributed team working as one.
SharePoint and OneDrive for files
Storing shared files in SharePoint and OneDrive, rather than on local machines or an ageing server, means staff reach the right documents securely from anywhere, with version history and proper access control. For a travel business with people in several countries, that shared, controlled access keeps everyone working from the same, current information.
Security and compliance built in
Microsoft 365 includes strong security capabilities, but they need configuring: multi-factor authentication, sensible access policies, and protection for accounts and data. Setting these up properly turns Microsoft 365 from a risk into a well-defended platform, which matters for a business handling payments and sensitive client and crew data.
Do not forget backup
Microsoft 365 is resilient, but it does not back your data up the way most people assume, so a dedicated backup of email, SharePoint and OneDrive protects you from accidental deletion, departing staff and ransomware. It is the piece that is most often missing from an otherwise solid setup.
What to ask a provider
A specialist for travel agencies should be able to answer:
- Have you supported travel agencies, hosted desktops and systems like Amadeus, Navitas, FareXpert or TRAMS before?
- How do you give office, remote and overseas staff secure, reliable access in any time zone?
- How do you protect us from invoice, supplier and crew payment fraud, and help with PCI DSS?
- What is your response time when a booking or payment is at risk, out of hours?
- Is the price clear and per user, with security included rather than charged separately?
Where to start
If you are not sure where your agency stands, a short review is the quickest way to find out: confirm multi-factor authentication is on for every account including overseas machines, check that booking systems and backups are managed and test-restored, confirm a strict bank-detail verification process is followed every time, and make sure only approved software can run. Those few steps remove most of the risk and show where a travel-aware managed setup pays off.
The bottom line
When a travel agency’s IT is right, the business simply runs: people in every office and time zone reach the same fast systems, payments go where they should, threats are caught early, and travellers get answers whatever the hour. The technology fades into the background and the team gets on with looking after clients and crew.
That dependability comes from a setup designed, secured and actively managed for how travel actually works, not a generic contract. For a business that runs long hours, handles money and depends on a few specialist systems, a predictable per-user cost for that reliability is far cheaper than the downtime, fraud or lost productivity an ad-hoc setup eventually causes.
Why travel agencies choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including travel agencies and travel management companies, and we understand the systems a travel desk runs on: Amadeus, Navitas, FareXpert and TRAMS, delivered securely over hosted desktops, alongside Microsoft 365. We support travel businesses based in Essex, Hertfordshire and London with teams working worldwide. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we have been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including teams working internationally.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want your data, your tools and your provider all working for you? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT.