4-page Case Study - Posted 1/14/2008

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Hörby Kommun

New Solution Gives Swedish Municipality a Way to Increase Security, Save Money

Hörby Kommun is a municipality in southern Sweden. The municipality’s IT services department manages an infrastructure based on the Windows Server® 2003 operating system. This IT environment includes a portal system for local residents and an IT network used by the municipal employees as well as the region’s schools. Hörby Kommun sought to simplify administration and improve security for the two IT network domains. It also wanted to increase remote server security and provide better network collaboration capabilities. With the help of technology partner Qbranch, Hörby Kommun deployed the Windows Server 2008 operating system, which simplifies IT management, improves system security, and provides federation capabilities. The municipality will benefit from reduced costs based on the solution’s virtualization and consolidation features.

Situation

With Windows Server 2008, we can consolidate servers and reduce our operating costs. As a result, we will save at least €50,000 [U.S.$73,165].  Anders Wahlberg CIO Hörby Kommun

The management office of Hörby Kommun, which is responsible for operating all municipal resident services, includes a small IT department. Eight people in this department oversee a growing Windows®−based infrastructure that consists of 70 server computers running the Windows Server® 2003 operating system. IT employees manage this environment using Active Directory®.

Hörby Kommun manages a range of hosted Web applications for regional residents. These applications include a portal system that collects updated economic data and other personal information. The department also operates an Active Directory domain for the municipality’s employees and a domain for the educational system, which is used by more than one thousand students and teachers.

In early 2006, the municipality decided it needed to combine its two domains to simplify management and ensure the best possible experience for users. “It was very challenging from an IT perspective to operate two domains,” says Anders Wahlberg, IT Manager at Hörby Kommun. “Managing user account information was completely different for the schools than it was for the residents, and it was hard to keep track of new users.”

Different administrators in the two domains found it particularly difficult to set security policies. “Security is critical for both domains, because we’re dealing with highly personal information that needs to be protected,” Wahlberg says. However, IT administrators could apply only one password and account policy to all users in each domain. “We could not set different policies for a domain,” he says.

In addition, Hörby Kommun struggled to manage security for its servers at several remote sites throughout the municipality. “We have a very small department and do not really have the time to spend at those locations,” says Wahlberg. “We needed to find a way to secure those sites while not adding overhead.”

Hörby Kommun also wanted to find a software solution that would provide better collaboration capabilities. “There are eight municipalities in this part of Sweden that increasingly work closely with us on projects,” Wahlberg says. “We want employees from these municipalities to be able to come to Hörby Kommun and connect securely to their own municipality’s network. As the demand for collaboration continues to grow, that is a major issue for us.”

In May 2006, Hörby Kommun started its search for a new solution that would help it resolve these security and management concerns.

Solution

The fine-grained password policies feature in Windows Server 2008 gives us the option of setting policies based on different security levels. That will greatly improve security.  Anders Wahlberg CIO Hörby Kommun

During the presentation, Qbranch talked about the new features in the Windows Server 2008 operating system. “We are always interested in the latest technology from Microsoft,” Wahlberg says. “We have a long history with Windows Server in particular, so we were very excited to hear about the new administration and management features in Windows Server 2008.”

Hörby Kommun was particularly interested in the solution’s new enhancements to Terminal Services, a set of technologies through which the municipality can centrally provide and manage its portal system for area residents, as well as its IT network for schools.

Hörby Kommun administrators also wanted to take advantage of the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008, which gives them the ability to install only the files required to have manageable servers and systems.

Another element of Windows Server 2008 that attracted Hörby Kommun was the solution’s upgraded security support. For example, with the fine-grained password policies feature, Hörby Kommun administrators can implement password policies on a user and group level instead of being limited to applying only one password policy per domain. “That is important, because we need to set separate policies for general system users and students,” Wahlberg says.

Another new feature, Active Directory Federation Services, gives the municipality’s administrators the ability to create an identity access solution that operates across multiple platforms. “That will really help us as we continue to collaborate with other municipalities,” says Wahlberg.

Hörby Kommun also expressed interest in the Windows Server 2008 Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC) feature, through which Active Directory domain controllers can be set up in the organization’s remote environments, where server security is at risk.

Following its presentation on these and other features in Windows Server 2008, Qbranch invited Hörby Kommun to participate in an early adoption program for the solution. In September 2006, Hörby Kommun began its deployment of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise by using a combination of HP and Dell server computers powered by Intel processors. “We are currently running Windows Server 2008 in both domains,” says Wahlberg. The municipality plans to consolidate both domains in 2008.

Benefits

With Windows Server 2008, Hörby Kommun has a new server solution that provides IT administrators with easy IT management, solid security, federation capabilities, and the ability to virtualize and consolidate systems and servers. The municipality will have the opportunity to save money because of these combined capabilities.

We expect to reduce the total number of servers from 70 to 10. By doing that, we will save a lot of time previously spent maintaining, securing, and upgrading server hardware.  Anders Wahlberg CIO Hörby Kommun

Easy IT Management

Windows Server 2008 gives Hörby Kommun new IT administration features that will greatly simplify system management. Terminal Services, for example, provides Wahlberg and his colleagues with a centralized way to access and manage Web and other critical applications. “Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services helps make our jobs much easier as IT managers, because we can make applications available on one central server, easily accessible over the Internet,” says Wahlberg. “Software management and upgrading will be much easier for us.”

Additionally, Hörby Kommun can use the Server Core installation option to implement a minimal operating system that is easier to maintain and manage. After administrators configure the server, they can easily manage it either locally or remotely. “Managing a streamlined IT environment with the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 definitely makes our jobs less complex,” adds Wahlberg.

Improved System Security

Overall system security is improved for Hörby Kommun because Windows Server 2008 contains strong new IT administration features. “The fine-grained password policies feature in Windows Server 2008 gives us the option of setting policies based on different security levels,” says Wahlberg. “That will greatly improve security, because once we consolidate our two domains, we will be able to apply different password restrictions to different user groups in the same domain.”

Hörby Kommun can also take advantage of the Windows Server 2008 RODC feature at remote sites. “With the Windows Server 2008 Read-Only Domain Controller, we will not have to worry as much about our remote servers,” says Wahlberg. “As a result, we will not spend as much time visiting those sites.”

Closer Collaboration

As it increases its collaboration with neighboring municipalities, Hörby Kommun will be able to use Active Directory Federation Services to provide federation capabilities. With this technology, IT administrators can give Web-based users access to shared applications through single sign on, even if users work from different networks.

“This will really help us work together more effectively with the other eight municipalities,” Wahlberg remarks. “Although each one can still manage its own IT network, we can still accept and protect their user identities with Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Federation Services when needed. That will help improve collaboration.”

Server Consolidation

The new server solution contains powerful new virtualization capabilities, which provide Hörby Kommun with the ability to virtualize multiple operating systems onto one physical server. By using the built-in Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V™ technology, the municipality can greatly reduce the number of server computers required to host Web applications and other important systems on its network.

“As we begin merging our two domains into one during this next year, we will only need to use half the number of servers as before because of the new Windows Server 2008 virtualization features,” says Wahlberg. “We expect to reduce the total number of servers from 70 to 10. By doing that, we will save a lot of time previously spent maintaining, securing, and upgrading server hardware.”

Cost Savings

Hörby Kommun will not have as many expenses related to power, physical space, and overall system management because of server consolidation. “With Windows Server 2008, we can consolidate servers and reduce our operating costs,” says Wahlberg. “As a result, we will save at least €50,000 [U.S.$73,165].”

In addition, the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 will help the municipality reduce operational costs. “A more minimal operating environment will be less costly to manage,” Wahlberg says. “Everything related to system management, including security and maintenance, will be reduced because of the Windows Server 2008 Server Core installation option. Combined with the reduction in hardware made possible by virtualization, this gives us a great opportunity to conserve resources as we continue our deployment in 2008.”

For More Information

For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/

For more information about Qbranch products and services, call 08 672 50 00 or visit the Web site at:
http://www.qbranch.se/

For more information about Hörby Kommun products and services, call 0415 18000 or visit the Web site at:
http://www.horby.se/

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008, with built-in Web and virtualization technologies, enables you to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure. New virtualization tools, Web resources, and security enhancements help you save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and optimized datacenter. Powerful new tools like IIS 7.0, Server Manager, and Windows PowerShell™, allow you to have more control over your servers and streamline Web, configuration, and management tasks. Advanced security and reliability enhancements like Network Access Protection and the Read-Only Domain Controller option for Active Directory Domain Services harden the operating system and help protect your server environment to ensure you have a solid foundation on which to build your business.

For more information, go to:
www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published January 2008