AGC Automotive

Manufacturer Cuts Data Center Management Costs by 50 Percent with Software Solution

Due to a downturn in U.S. automobile sales, auto glass manufacturer AGC Automotive needed to cut costs and make its IT staff more efficient and productive. The company worked with CDW, a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, to deploy Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, and Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007. Using this integrated suite of management programs to handle routine chores and manage its Microsoft and non-Microsoft data center holdings, AGC has been able to reduce the time spent on systems management tasks by up to 50 percent. For example, IT staffers have reduced software deployment time by 50 percent and streamlined help-desk support, freeing them to work on higher-value activities. The company has also reduced outside systems management fees by U.S.$75,000 annually.

 

Situation

AGC Automotive is the world’s largest automotive glass supplier, with a 30 percent global market share. Part of the Tokyo-based AGC Group, AGC Automotive is headquartered in Hebron, Kentucky, and employs 1,500 people.

Using System Center solutions, we’ve realized a 50 percent reduction in the overall time it takes to manage our data center. Steve Gray, Manager of Support Services, AGC Automotive

The automotive industry has been experiencing a downturn since 2007 due to rising oil prices, which has affected AGC’s business. Management tightened budgets and asked all departments to cut costs by 20 percent. Although the number of servers in the IT department has grown by 25 percent in the last year to accommodate new services, there was no corresponding increase in support staff. The three-person technical support staff needed help managing an increasingly complex and crowded data center.

“Performing routine tasks such as deploying new desktop and notebook computers was taking way too much time, and we were in reactive mode when it came to keeping critical server-based systems up and running,” says Steve Gray, Manager of Support Services for AGC Automotive. In 2006, the staff brought in Microsoft® Systems Management Server, which helped the staff more easily and consistently build standard software images for desktop and notebook computers. However, the staff still spent two weeks building each image and two hours per machine, deploying the image using the WinINSTALL program (from Attachmate). “If we were trying to deploy 50 machines in a three-month period, two weeks for image creation would be unacceptable,” Gray says. “Also, WinINSTALL licensing was expensive and required an additional learning curve for our staff, who are trained on the Windows® operating system.”

AGC also needed help in managing client computer assets. It leases its desktop and notebook computers, and had a difficult time predicting when these units should be replaced.

On the server side, the staff spent up to 70 percent of its time fighting fires. The IT staff used several different products for server configuration, patch management, network management, and system monitoring, but Gray notes that “None of these third-party products were designed to work together and didn’t provide an adequate understanding of what was going on in our environment, requiring that we spend more time investigating than fixing problems.”

Solution

The AGC IT team wanted a more integrated view of both its data center and its fleet of client computers, so that it could perform routine system management activities more efficiently. The company looked at a newer version of WinINSTALL, Install Shield (from Acresso Software), and several other products. However, with a data center that was already very Microsoft-centric, AGC wanted to see what Microsoft had to offer on the systems management front.

AGC turned to its longtime technology partner, CDW, for guidance. CDW, of Vernon Hills, Illinois, is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government, and education. CDW employs approximately 6,300 people and, as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, provides consulting and software across the entire Microsoft product line.

“When customers deploy Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007, they want to know how they will secure and manage those products,” says Jaime Waterfield, Solutions Manager for Core Infrastructure, Unified Communications, and Security at CDW. “If they’re rolling out the Microsoft Office Outlook® messaging and collaboration client, they want to know the easiest way to deploy it. To be a full solution provider, we have to present a complete offering. We’ve also found that the best solution for deploying and monitoring an application often comes from the company that created the application. If customers are investing in Microsoft programs, they typically want Microsoft solutions to monitor, deploy, and secure those programs.”

CDW recommended that AGC deploy several programs from the Microsoft System Center family, beginning with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007—the newest version of Microsoft Systems Management Server—and Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007. System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides a way to comprehensively assess, deploy, and update servers, clients, and devices across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments. System Center Operations Manager 2007 is an end-to-end service monitoring solution for Windows and non-Windows operating system environments, IT services, and applications.

CDW worked with AGC to deploy both solutions in just ten weeks. “I attribute our success in deploying System Center Operations Manager 2007 and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to CDW,” Gray says. “We didn’t have the staff or the experience to install these programs; with CDW managing the project, we were able to deploy both products in a very short time. CDW worked with our staff to transfer knowledge so that we had a good idea of how to use the programs effectively.”

CDW also helped AGC determine the best way to license the System Center programs. “The Microsoft licensing model helps customers get the most for their dollar,” Waterfield says. “A big part of what we do is to educate our customers on Microsoft licensing programs and help them get the best value for their dollar.”

Within a few hours, we can create a standard image versus the two weeks required before. Brad Ludwig Senior Network Analyst, AGC Automotive Group

“If we have questions about any new Microsoft technology, CDW puts us in touch with the right CDW person to provide answers, whether it’s about licensing or specific programs,” says Brad Ludwig, Senior Network Analyst at AGC Automotive Group.

AGC is using System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to deploy client and server software and updates and System Center Operations Manager 2007 to monitor its servers. It plans to use Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 to back up file servers, Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft SQL Server® 2005 database software, and Office SharePoint Server 2007 collaboration sites.

AGC runs its System Center suite on two HP DL380 servers. One runs System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and System Center Operations Manager 2007, and the second is the database server. Both run the Windows Server® 2003 operating system.

AGC is also using System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 to replace another backup program, “which was falling short of providing us with consistent backups,” Ludwig says. “We were eating up a lot of time every day babysitting backup jobs and troubleshooting failures. Once we started moving to System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and System Center Operations Manager 2007, we saw that System Center Data Protection Manager 2007, as part of the System Center family, would be more cost-effective than the other product. It also worked better with Microsoft workloads.” Also, because many AGC backups are performed remotely, using servers in facilities with no IT staff, AGC can use System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 to remotely perform branch-office backups. AGC also plans to back up IBM AIX-based systems using System Center Data Protection Manager 2007.

Benefits

Using Microsoft System Center, AGC Automotive is able to get a comprehensive, proactive view of data center operations so that it can avert server and application failures before they affect user productivity. The IT staff has also realized significant time savings from more efficient software deployment, computer asset management, and server monitoring.

More Dependable Infrastructure

AGC uses System Center Operations Manager 2007 to learn about potential server and line-of-business application problems before they have an impact on operations. “Using System Center Operations Manager 2007, we

In the past, we had an outside consultant here on a frequent basis to help with data center operations. With System Center solutions, we’ve reduced those fees by $75,000 annually. Steve Gray, Manager of Support Services, AGC Automotive

can see how applications are running, how well CPUs are being utilized, and every detail about a server’s performance,” Ludwig says. “We don’t have to rely on user feedback, as we did before. This enables us to be more proactive and to quickly pinpoint problems. Before, we were in reactionary mode.” AGC has set up System Center Operations Manager 2007 to send e-mail or phone messages to technicians at any time of the day or night if it detects a problem.

By using System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 as its new backup software, AGC has reduced backup times by 40 percent. It many cases, AGC is able to recover files in minutes versus the hours required with its previous backup solution.

“Before we brought in System Center solutions, many of our support calls were desktop-related,” Ludwig says. “Today, those calls have mostly disappeared, because we are able to address those problems proactively, before users even notice that anything is wrong.”

AGC also appreciates having good, consistent support from a single vendor for its entire infrastructure. “With other vendors, we’ve gotten runarounds,” Gray says. “With Microsoft and CDW, we get immediate results.”

Reduction of 50 Percent in Data Center Management

The staff has greatly reduced the time needed to build and deploy client computer software images and deploy necessary applications to users’ desktops. “Within a few hours, we can create a standard image versus the two weeks required before,” Ludwig says. “The client deployment process is down from many hours to 45 minutes, and we can get 8 to 10 going at one time. We’ve cut our desktop build time by 200 percent.”

When the help desk receives a call from a user who needs a new application, that application can be installed within 15 minutes, versus the hours or days it required before. Additionally, first-level support staffers can handle this task rather than escalating the call to scarcer and more expensive second- or third–level support people. “Probably 100 of 750 tickets per month are software installations, so this efficiency adds up to a significant resource savings.

“Using System Center solutions, we’ve realized a 50 percent reduction in the overall time it takes to manage our data center,” Gray continues. “Plus, by reducing firefighting, we’re able to take on a more strategic role for the company and reduce outside consulting fees. In the past, we had an outside consultant here on a frequent basis to help with data center operations. With System Center solutions, we’ve reduced those fees by $75,000 annually.” AGC also uses System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to track desktop and notebook assets, so now it knows when leased equipment needs to be replaced.

AGC has also seen end-user and IT staff efficiencies from its use of Microsoft Forefront™ Client Security to help provide unified malware protection for desktop, notebook, and server computers. “We’ve been very pleased with its ability to detect viruses and malware,” says Mike Walker, Systems Administrator at AGC Automotive. “Also, desktop performance has been great. Our previous antivirus product was very resource-intensive; while it was scanning your computer, you had to go to lunch because the program burdened system performance so severely. When Forefront Client Security is running, employees can actually use their computers.

“Forefront Client Security is also a thousand times easier to manage, and has saved me a lot of time,” Walker continues. “When we had an influx of spyware, I spent a lot of time cleaning things up. The only time I spend on Forefront Client Security is to make sure that it is installing updates properly, which is more of an occasional monitoring than the constant break-fix situation I was in before.”

More Time for New Projects

With the time savings and the data center management know-how that AGC Automotive has reaped from its use of Microsoft System Center programs, the IT staff has been able to take on new projects and even help sister companies be more efficient in their operations. “We now have time to replace old equipment, take on many more projects, and generally keep ahead of problems,” Ludwig says.

“The objective of System Center programs is to lower total cost of ownership by building efficiency into IT,” says CDW’s Waterfield. “When customers lower the cost of IT operations, they have additional time and money to plow into other initiatives. After we help customers simplify server deployment and monitoring, for example, they want to get into virtualization and other new areas. They are freed up to undertake new services that they may have otherwise put off because the IT staff was overwhelmed with basic systems management.”

Faster User Support

AGC uses FootPrints (from Numara Software) to manage help-desk tickets. The IT staff has integrated FootPrints with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to streamline the problem resolution process. When the help-desk representative enters the caller’s name in FootPrints, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides a list of all the software installed on the caller’s desktop or notebook computer. “The help-desk staff immediately has all the information they need about that individual’s system, so they don’t have to waste time stepping through it with the caller,” Gray says. “It represents a huge support savings.”

 
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
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Microsoft System Center
Microsoft System Center is a family of leading IT management solutions that helps you proactively plan, deploy, manage, and optimize your IT environment.

For more information about System Center solutions, go to:
www.microsoft.com/systemcenter

 

For More Information

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For more information about CDW products and services, call (847) 465-6000 or visit the Web site at:
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For more information about AGC Automotive products and services, call (859) 334-8900 or visit the Web site at:
www.agc-automotive.com