4-page Case Study - Posted 2/21/2008

Views: 245

Rate This Evidence:

AMRI

Pharmaceutical Firm Streamlines IT with Easy-to-Deploy Microsoft Client Security Solution

AMRI provides scientific services and technologies to pharmaceutical companies, and it conducts internal proprietary research. In late 2006, the company’s client-computer security solution, based on leading competitive products, began to have performance and reliability problems. These problems made the solution difficult and time-consuming to manage. To address these issues, AMRI tested software from several vendors, ultimately choosing Microsoft® Forefront™ Client Security. Working with BT INS—a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner—AMRI deployed a beta version of the software in a pilot project and later began deploying the market-release version enterprisewide. The new solution tightly integrates with the company’s Windows®-based IT environment and is expected to save IT labor and costs through easier management, convenient reporting, and higher performance.

Situation

For what we really need it to do—secure the computers that store our company’s critical data—Forefront Client Security is a robust, stable solution that does the job reliably.  James Edwards Systems Administrator AMRI

AMRI has standardized most of its core IT infrastructure on Microsoft® software, including the Windows Server® 2003, Windows® XP, and Windows 2000 Server operating systems. However, until recently, the company used third-party security products to protect its client computers from intrusions and malware.

Because security is very important to AMRI, the company closely monitors the performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of its security products. “As a pharmaceutical supplier, AMRI stores valuable intellectual properties—both ours and our customers,” says Mark Klompas, IT Manager at AMRI. “We have to carefully control and secure the IT environment, but we must still manage the environment efficiently, keeping costs down, because we don’t have a lot of IT labor resources.”

In late 2006, AMRI began having difficulty managing its client security software. “We realized that the product we were using was not providing adequate spyware coverage, so we supplemented it with another antispyware solution,” explains Klompas. “Unfortunately, the two programs had interaction problems and were too resource-intensive, sometimes consuming 100 percent of CPU capacity for no apparent reason.”

By 2007, the security software’s performance problems had become particularly bothersome. “Computers would stop responding or spontaneously restart,” adds James Edwards, Systems Administrator at AMRI. “Trying to fix these problems consumed a lot of time. In some cases, it seemed our security software was worse than the infections it was supposed to be protecting us from.”

To address these issues, AMRI decided to replace its existing client security products with a new solution that would reliably protect its computers while being easy and cost-effective to deploy, manage, and support.

Solution

Because we can automate the deployment of Forefront Client Security through Windows Server Update Services, we don’t even have to use an Administrator console to push it out to the environment. It supports a set-and-forget-it approach.  Mark Klompas IT Manager AMRI

“We figured that if we’re in a Windows environment, who better to secure it than the company that designed its infrastructure software?” adds Edwards. “We expected Forefront Client Security to perform well against our third-party backup option.”

To help it plan and deploy the pilot project, AMRI turned to BT INS, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and worldwide provider of IT and telecommunications services and solutions. With operations in 170 countries, BT INS specializes in networked IT services, telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and Internet products and services.

In March, AMRI initially installed Forefront Client Security on 50 of the company’s more than 1,200 personal computers, with plans to expand the deployment in a staged manner. Over the next few weeks, AMRI tested the new solution’s manageability, performance, and effectiveness. These tests included intentionally exposing certain computers to infections, which Forefront Client Security successfully blocked.

In April, AMRI concluded its evaluation and was pleased with the results. “The Forefront Client Security pilot went very well,” says Klompas. “And when we occasionally had technical issues, we got the answers we needed from Microsoft support.” 

After the official release of Forefront Client Security, AMRI began deploying the solution on more than 700 computers in the company’s U.S. offices. Enterprisewide deployment, including the company’s 500 employee computers in overseas offices, soon will be complete.

Benefits

By replacing its previous client-security products with Forefront Client Security, AMRI has gained a unified solution for virus and spyware threats that is more reliable and does not diminish client-computer performance. Also, because Forefront Client Security is easier to deploy and manage, the IT department uses its resources more efficiently, which is expected to lower the solution’s total cost of ownership over time.

Easy Deployment and Management

Installing the new solution on individual computers and deploying it throughout the enterprise was a simple process, and, once deployed, it integrated easily into the company’s IT environment. “Setting up Forefront Client Security was straightforward,” says Edwards. “It really was a matter of installing it and then just sitting back and watching it.”

AMRI is particularly impressed with Windows Server Update Services as a tool for deploying client-computer software. Klompas adds, “Microsoft has made deploying the client agents easier for us. Because we can automate the deployment of Forefront Client Security through Windows Server Update Services, we don’t even have to use an Administrator console to push it out to the environment. It supports a set-and-forget-it approach that keeps IT management simple.”

Because Forefront Client Security is easier to manage, we expect it to lower the total cost of ownership over time by reducing the labor hours that are wasted on administrative and maintenance overhead.  Mark Klompas IT Manager AMRI

High Performance and Reliability

After deploying Forefront Client Security in the pilot project, AMRI saw significantly improved performance on its computers. An important factor in the improvement is that AMRI is now getting the same or superior protection from one product that it used to get from two. Specifically, AMRI now maintains one product running on one server instead two products from different vendors running on two servers. Additionally, the company has experienced a 50 percent improvement in the use of hardware system resources.

“The performance of the new solution is quite good, especially when you consider that it’s a first-generation release,” says Edwards. “In terms of the effectiveness of its core functionality, Forefront Client Security is solid. For what we really need it to do—secure the computers that store our company’s critical data—Forefront Client Security is a robust, stable solution that does the job reliably.”

Convenient Reporting

Reporting features in Forefront Client Security make it easier for the company’s IT department to identify potential security issues before they become critical problems. “For example, with the deployment summary report in Forefront Client Security, we can see the status of our clients and determine whether they are using the latest security policies and virus definitions,” says Klompas.

“Vulnerability reports are also helpful,” he continues. “They give us better visibility into our environment by identifying a computer’s configuration settings, how many administrator accounts have been set up on it, which services it is running, and so on. With this information, we know exactly what to correct on a particular computer, which helps prevent security problems from developing later.”

Efficient Use of IT Resources and Lower Cost of Ownership

Because Forefront Client Security is easier to manage, is more reliable, and helps prevent security problems proactively, the IT department operates more efficiently. Edwards says, “In the past, we’ve spent an awful lot of labor hours maintaining and troubleshooting our client security software, and we really don’t have time for that. Forefront Client Security is resolving our previous client-security maintenance issues, which will free our people for more important IT work.”

Klompas amplifies this point from a cost perspective: “Because Forefront Client Security is easier to manage, we expect it to lower the total cost of ownership over time by reducing the labor hours that are wasted on administrative and maintenance overhead.”

Klompas concludes, “Microsoft is the company we trust for our operating systems, and it seems natural to us to trust Microsoft for security too.”

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 BT INS products and services, call (408) 330- 2700 or visit the Web site at:
http://www.ins.com/

For more information about ARMI products and services, call (518) 464-0279 or visit the Web site at:
http://www.amriglobal.com/

Microsoft Forefront Product Portfolio

The Microsoft Forefront comprehensive line of business security products provides greater protection and control through integration with your existing IT infrastructure and through simplified deployment, management, and analysis. Forefront is a comprehensive solution that helps provide protection for the client operating system, application servers, and the network edge.

For more information about the Forefront product portfolio, go to:
www.microsoft.com/forefront

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

Document published February 2008