Executive Summary On a large project team, it’s never easy to synchronize schedules and make sure all the players get the information they need. Any breakdowns in communication can bring the team to grinding halt. For world technology leaders such as Lockheed Martin, this problem is even more complicated. Lockheed’s teams, scattered across the globe, typically pull together high-pressure projects. Decisions must be made quickly to get products to the market fast. Otherwise this Fortune 500 company risks losing its leadership role in a highly competitive marketplace. That’s why Lockheed turned to Microsoft technology when it needed a fast and easy software solution that would support internal communications, better collaboration, and, of course, greater productivity. On This PageThe Microsoft Solution: IM Using Office Live Communications Server 2003
 | At Lockheed Martin, collaboration is a key business driver. Integrating IM into our existing enterprise infrastructure was very appealing. |  | | Massimo Villinger
Chief Technology Officer
Lockheed Martin Enterprise Information Systems | |
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For Lockheed Martin, the answer was to use instant messaging (IM) and Microsoft Office Live Communications Server to facilitate collaboration. According to Lockheed officials, Live Communications Server was the only solution that could help consolidate and streamline the proliferation of various desktop collaboration products that were growing difficult to manage. "At Lockheed Martin, collaboration is a key business driver," explained Massimo Villinger, chief technical officer for Lockheed Martin Enterprise Information Systems. "Integrating IM into our existing enterprise infrastructure was very appealing." Connecting Real People In Real TimeUsing Microsoft tools and software, Lockheed implemented an enterprise-wide push to improve collaboration and increase productivity through an easy-to-use integrated solution. Collaboration was seamlessly integrated into the desktops of Lockheed employees. Users around the world could see which members of their team were “present” without having to leave their business applications. Everyone on the team, from engineers to production managers, was able to see who was online. Initiating an instant messaging, voice, video, or data collaboration session could be done in a flash. “As we are sharing a presentation online, it’s very easy to send instant messages to various team members to make comments or suggest changes,” Villinger added. From an administrative standpoint, the system was simple to manage. The server could be monitored through any Windows-compliant console, and there were no extra passwords to remember. Users liked that they only had to log on to the network once. Advanced encryption help to protect Lockheed's sensitive communications including server-to-server traffic as well as client-to-server traffic. As an added bonus, the system's logging and archiving capabilities kept close track of valuable enterprise information used during internal communications. So Simple, Everyone Uses ItBecause employees already knew and were comfortable with the Microsoft platform, they quickly learned and adopted the new protocols. Lockheed was amazed at how easily basic daily collaboration activities could be simplified. Using this integrated solution, Lockheed Martin employees are making better decisions faster. Read the Complete Case Study
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