Sielte

Italian Technology Company Enhances Productivity with Integrated Software

A leading Italian provider of engineering and information services, Sielte has established a long-term commitment to technological innovation. In order to take advantage of new productivity features, Sielte is upgrading its computers to the Windows Vista® operating system and the 2007 Microsoft® Office system. The initial deployment to 600 computers has already helped improve employee productivity by an estimated 20 percent, while contributing to a 20 percent reduction in help-desk calls. The company is using new IT management tools to automate and streamline deployment, and is taking advantage of Microsoft training resources to help ensure a smooth transition for employees. It is also capitalizing on integrated communication technologies to help its employees work together easily. Sielte plans to deploy the new desktop software to 80 percent of its computers by the end of 2008.

Situation

Founded in 1925 in Genoa, Italy, Sielte specializes in advanced engineering and technology installations. Formerly a member of the Ericsson group of companies, it became a part of the Sieti-Itel industrial group in 1998. With headquarters in Rome and Catania, and 25 offices across Italy and four foreign countries, Sielte employs more than 1,700 people and generates about 200 million Euros (USD $310 million) in annual revenues.

From a user productivity standpoint, we’ve recorded 20% improvement. We’ve also noted that a number of deployment phases have been streamlined with the new technology. Salvo Rosa CEO, Sielte

Sielte has three operational divisions: Telecommunications, the core business; Technology Systems; and Transport. The company boasts a wide range of system installation services in the transport sector, with technology systems tailored to the various market segments: traction, electricity, signaling, telecommunications, security and video surveillance. Sielte’s customers include Aem Milano, Aereoporti di Roma, Autostrade per l’Italia, Enel, Fastweb, H3G, Telecom Italia, Tim, Tiscali, Vodafone, Wind, and various government organizations.

Sielte’s position as an innovative technology company demands that it consistently evaluate latest-generation technology, choosing products from a select group of partners to ensure a high level of IT integration.

Sielte’s computer inventory includes 500 handheld mobile devices for its operating teams, while its service staff and managers mainly use notebook computers. “We’re a company on the move, both in what we do and in the technology we’ve adopted,” says Salvo Rosa, CEO of Sielte. “All our users have access to the company’s intranet and can dialogue with our central systems.”

For many years the company has primarily used Microsoft® software, starting with Microsoft Dynamics® NAV management software, and including the Windows® XP operating system, Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft SharePoint® Portal Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, and Windows Server 2003.

“When the Windows Vista® operating system was introduced, it was in our interest to understand its innovative capabilities and how to integrate it with our infrastructure,” explains Rosa. The company began testing beta versions of Windows Vista in 2006.

“There are a great many advances in Windows Vista,” emphasizes Rosa. “First and foremost, its interface is definitely more geared towards the user. It is leaner at an operating level and its content-oriented Instant Search function provides more immediate access to resources.”

Solution

Sielte began to migrate its computers to Windows Vista Enterprise and the 2007 Microsoft Office system, installing the new software on 400 machines by the end of 2007. The project has continued in 2008, with 600 total computers currently deployed. Corporate management has set an 80 percent installation target for the end of 2008.

“We’ve had positive feedback from all our divisions. In addition to making use of multiple functions, the user’s experience is much simpler, both in terms of its interface and the level of cooperation between the suite’s various products.” Salvo Rosa CEO, Sielte

The company is conducting a phased migration because all computers are leased for a three-year period. “We initiated a granular type of migration, taking into consideration the various contract expiry rates,” explains Rosa. “Having set up our systems with applications hosted on central servers, we had no problem in managing this type of migration.”

To reduce deployment times and costs, Sielte implemented Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, assisted by Reply, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Using client/server logic, Sielte thus manages to ship the majority of workstations (70 percent of which are mobile) to its various branch offices directly from its two centers in Rome and Catania.

Sielte intends to use Microsoft Zero Touch technology in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to automate deployment of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system. At the same time, management is updating its virtual application platform to Windows Server 2008 from Windows Server 2003.

Benefits

Sielte is already seeing tangible benefits from the limited deployment of its new desktop software. An enhanced user experience is leading to productivity gains for IT managers and the general employee pool.

Better User Experience

By deploying Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system, Sielte is maximizing the integration of its information systems, thus enabling better productivity, faster computing and simpler sharing of information between computers. For instance, a staff member who doesn’t have his or her computer handy can, for instance, use any other workstation, accessing all company resources just as easily.

“We’ve had positive feedback from all our divisions,” adds Rosa. “In addition to making use of multiple functions, the user’s experience is much simpler, both in terms of its interface and the level of cooperation between the suite’s various products. Above all our managerial, sales and operating divisions have increased their capacity to generate analytical reports and produce quotations and high quality presentations.”

 “Tools such as Office Word and Office Excel are widely used in our company.  We’ve noted an increase in productivity due to the 2007 Office suite’s easy-to-use and intuitive interface,” says Rosa.

Valuable Learning Resources

Microsoft has assisted Sielte by setting up a training program for improving the use of the Windows Vista operating system and 2007 Office suite.  “Not all our staff are technical, therefore specific training is necessary,” explains Rosa. “Microsoft has helped harmonize the migration, offering us a session for 200 users in three different offices: Milan, Rome and Catania. This very much confirmed Microsoft’s value as a partner.”

Windows Vista has offered us new resource optimization features that are perfectly in tune with our corporate energy-savings policies. Salvo Rosa CEO, Sielte

The new software’s functions were explained to Sielte employees in a single day and then explored further with in-depth training sessions. Sielte uses the e-Learning formula and Office Online resources provided by Microsoft for better access to product functions. Users connect for updates and additional information through the portal.

Furthermore, the Microsoft Software Assurance contract provides planning services and DDPS (Desktop Deployment Planning Services), which Sielte has used to optimize its client platform, in collaboration with Reply.

Measurable Productivity Improvements

Although the migration is not yet complete, Sielte is already in a position to make some return-on-investment (ROI) estimates. “With 600 machines currently migrated, we’ve already calculated our ROI,” explains Rosa. “From a user productivity standpoint, we’ve recorded 20 percent improvement.  We’ve also noted that a number of deployment phases have been streamlined with the new technology; for example, we now need just two employees to manage the newly installed setup, whereas we used to need four people to do the same job.”

“What’s more, we’ve managed to cut back on help desk calls by 20 percent,” Rosa adds. In fact, the enhanced simplicity of Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system has reduced the support contact center’s workload: users call more often to ask for information and less frequently to sort out problems. Sielte management is further encouraged by the potential of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, which gave evidence of further improvements in just its first test week. 

Sielte is also taking advantage of Windows Vista to help meet its energy-conservation objectives. “We are currently obliged to reduce our energy costs: by increasing the number of technology applications, consumption also increases, and we are beginning to feel the pinch,” comments Rosa. “Windows Vista has offered us new resource optimization features that are perfectly in tune with our corporate energy-savings policies.”

Integrated Communications

“Today, we can say that we’ve created a comprehensive communication network,” says Rosa. “We’re currently migrating from Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange Server 2007 and we’re implementing Microsoft Unified Communications, making use of innovative communication systems with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Live Meeting, enabling us to create virtual meeting spaces and much more. To further assist users, we’re implementing a series of integration points so that Microsoft Dynamics NAV data outputs directly into Office 2007 formats, which users can then configure as they see fit.”

“There’s no doubt that the new Office 2007 platform’s integrated communications tools have had a strong impact on our daily work. They are helping us facilitate communication across a number of branch offices,” concludes Rosa.

With Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007, Sielte has been able to improve individual productivity within the IT department. In addition, by optimizing the flow of information, the company has managed to simplify its operations, gaining greater control over corporate processes and ensuring better support for the business.

Windows Vista
Windows Vista can help your organization use information technology to gain a competitive advantage in today’s new world of work. Your people will be able to find and use information more effectively. You will be able to support your mobile work force with better access to shared data and collaboration tools. And your IT staff will have better tools and technologies to enhance corporate IT security, data protection, and more efficient deployment and management. For more information about Windows Vista, go to: www.microsoft.com/windowsvista
 
Microsoft Office System
The Microsoft Office system is the business world’s chosen environment for information work, providing the programs, servers, and services that help you succeed by transforming information into impact. For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to:
www.microsoft.com/office

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: www.microsoft.com

For more information about Reply products and services, visit the Web site at: www.reply.it

For more information about Sielte products and services, visit the Web site at: www.sielte.it