2 page Case Study - Posted 6/18/2008
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Consulting Firm Saves Time and Travel with New Desktop Software
Australian business-process consulting firm Productiv wanted to standardize its desktop computing environment on a software platform that would help its 11 employees work together from dispersed locations. After adopting the Windows Vista® Business operating system and the 2007 Microsoft® Office system, Productiv’s employees now can collaborate easily from anywhere, and are working faster, thanks to a more user-friendly computing environment.
Business Needs
Based in Brisbane, Australia, Productiv is a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner specializing in the development of innovative productivity solutions. As a systems integrator, Productiv employs a consultative approach to solution design and custom application development. The company builds solutions based on Microsoft technology which support business process management, enterprise content management, basic content services, and enterprise portals. Formed in 2007 by the merger of two smaller firms, the company now has 11 employees serving a wide range of clients.
With customers across Australia, Productiv employees spend most of their time onsite at customer offices. The mobile work style sometimes became a challenge for employees when they needed to collaborate with coworkers, and for managers who needed to maintain oversight of multiple projects. “We do work at several client sites across Queensland, but managers are still required to be in touch with all our staff and vendors, no matter where we are,” says Alyssa Blackburn, Business Consultancy Manager for Productiv. “We need open communication at all times.”
A lack of standardization among employees’ computing software complicated matters. After the merger of Productiv’s two predecessor companies, all employees were running the Windows® XP Professional operating system, but some were running Microsoft Office 2003, while others had upgraded to the 2007 Microsoft Office system. The company also was using a dedicated server running the Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 operating system, and was planning a deployment of Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 3.0 business software.
“We wanted to standardize the desktop environment so that all our employees would be working with the same set of software tools. At the same time, we wanted to help them work as efficiently as possible and collaborate easily, regardless of physical location,” says Blackburn.
Solution
For help evaluating potential software upgrades, Productiv consulted with Networking Plus, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and IT consultancy. “Because we had been using Windows Vista® and the 2007 Microsoft Office system at Networking Plus for several months, we felt the advances in user productivity and mobile computing would provide an ideal operating environment for Productiv,” says Briony Haslam, Marketing Manager at Networking Plus.
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Constant communication is critical for us, and by using the new tools in Windows Vista Business, we are keeping those communication lines open. |
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Alyssa Blackburn Business Consultancy Manager, Productiv |
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In November of 2007, Productiv replaced all 11 notebook computers with new Dell Latitude computers running a standardized desktop consisting of the Windows Vista Business operating system and Microsoft Office Professional 2007. The transition to the standardized environment was quick and simple, and Productiv’s key software applications worked well right away. Says Blackburn, “It was very easy for employees to adjust to Windows Vista. A few staff members who were accustomed to the Office 2003 user interface had to make some adjustments to Office 2007, but we had them take the online tutorials and within a few weeks, everyone was up and running.”
Benefits
By taking advantage of features in Windows Vista Business, Productiv is improving its employees’ ability to work together while traveling and boosting overall productivity from any location.
Collaboration Anywhere, Anytime
Employees are taking advantage of features in Windows Vista Business to work more productively while out of the office. “Having access to all company information 24 hours a day is an imperative, and working at client sites can make that a challenge. With the Remote Desktop Connection feature, we can access our applications and data as if we were in the office, and it is very easy to use,” says Blackburn.
By using Windows Vista collaboration tools, teammates can work together from multiple locations. Says Blackburn, “Windows Meeting Space has been a huge time-saver for us. For example, we were working closely with one of our Sydney-based vendors on a recent project bid. The process required a lot of collaborative work on technical specifications. Before adopting Windows Vista, we would have had to make at least one 1,000-kilometer trip to the vendor’s office to work through the details. But using Windows Meeting Space, we can work together on documents from separate locations, saving us the time, money, and hassle of traveling.”
Blackburn adds, “Constant communication is critical for us, and by using the new tools in Windows Vista Business, we are keeping those communication lines open.”
More Efficient Computing
A company of Productiv’s size needs to have all members working as efficiently as possible in order to provide the best service to clients. Blackburn has found that before Windows Vista, employees spent up to an hour to find appropriate information. With the new Windows Aero® user interface (UI) in Windows Vista, they are finding and using information within minutes. “The Windows Vista UI is more streamlined than Windows XP,” says Blackburn. “It’s easier to see available applications and documents at a glance, the application toolbars are more user-friendly, and you can use the preview panes to find the content you want much more quickly than with Windows XP. Using Windows Vista, it’s easy for individuals to customize their desktop configurations.”
Blackburn adds, “With the Instant Search feature, it’s much easier to find a document, spreadsheet, contact, or e-mail. Our employees used to browse through their personal folders to find a particular document, but now we can access the Instant Search tool right on the Start menu, and it will search the entire network in a matter of seconds. Finding information quickly has definitely made us more efficient.”
Supporting Rapid Growth
“This has been an exciting time for our company,” says Blackburn. “In the last year, we’ve completed a merger, moved to new office space, and expanded our client base. Within the next three months, we expect to add another five employees, expanding our size by nearly 50 percent. By standardizing our desktop environment on Windows Vista Business and Office Professional 2007, we’re able to help our employees work quickly and efficiently from anywhere—a prerequisite for continuing our growth trajectory.”
