2 page Case Study - Posted 7/8/2008

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Bankhaus August Lenz

Bank Safeguards Financial Data, Reduces IT Staff Work by 20 Percent with New Software

Bankhaus August Lenz wanted to make its IT staff more efficient and productive. The bank deployed Windows® Essential Business Server 2008 Standard prerelease software on IBM X-Series 3800 servers. Bankhaus August Lenz has been able to better safeguard against malicious software, reduce IT staff work by approximately 20 percent, lower costs, and increase remote-worker productivity.

Business Needs

Like most banks, Bankhaus August Lenz in Munich, Germany, is vitally concerned about the safety of its clients’ financial data. However, its external sales force works remotely, selling financial products to consumers, and they have to access the bank’s applications using Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections. Employees, too, regularly transfer data across VPN connections, because Bankhaus Lenz outsources its line-of-business applications.

The IT staff spent 20 to 30 percent of its time managing its infrastructure to ensure network security. They ran three antivirus applications, two firewall applications, and a backup program, each of which had to be regularly updated and monitored. Marc Stueckemann, IT Manager for Bankhaus August Lenz says, “I wanted to redirect my staff to maintaining and extending our banking solutions and supporting our sales force.”

Government regulations further diverted IT staff from higher-value tasks. “Government reporting regarding data safety is increasing year by year,” Stueckemann says.

Stueckemann also wanted to simplify remote access for salespeople. “Our task is to make their lives as easy as possible so they can concentrate on selling,” he says. In the worst cases, they lost time each day to making VPN connections and replicating files to their computers.

Solution

Stueckemann was interested in streamlining systems management and getting rid of excess servers. With the help of Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Trinity Computer, Bankhaus August Lenz deployed a prerelease version of Windows® Essential Business Server 2008 Standard, which includes the Windows Server® 2008 operating system, Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Standard, Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server, and Forefront Threat Management Gateway technologies. “It was exciting for us to see this server solution available at a competitive price,” Stueckemann says.

We now have a single management console that enables administrators to manage many different functions. No more jumping between different programs. Marc Stueckemann IT Manager, Bankhaus August Lenz

Bankhaus August Lenz now has a consolidated management solution for its infrastructure. The IT staff receives a green-check report every morning that shows the overall health of the organization, identifies IT problems, and makes it much easier to fulfill governmental reporting requirements. The bank has been able to eliminate disparate anti-spam, antivirus, and firewall software and consolidate these services on just three servers, eliminating two servers in the process.

Salespeople use remote-access technology like the Web-based Remote Web Workplace in Windows Essential Business Server 2008 to more easily access e-mail messages, files, and other resources that allow them to work more productively.

Benefits

By deploying Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Bankhaus August Lenz has enhanced network security, improved IT staff productivity, simplified remote access, and positioned itself for growth.

• Enhanced network security. Bankhaus August Lenz has further improved control of confidential financial data with stronger firewall and malware protection. It also has better control over people connecting to the network, which reduces virus threats. Plus, “Our salespeople can access their e-mail and files securely and more reliably from remote workplaces,” Stueckemann says.The use of Distributed File System (DFS) to spread workloads over several hard disk drives increases data availability. “Before, we distributed workloads using a hardware solution, which cost a lot of money,” Stueckemann says. “Plus, if a drive array failed, the data had to be restored from tape, which caused more work. With DFS, I can span data volumes over a larger disk array and increase data security.”
  

• Higher IT staff productivity. Once his staff is fully utilizing the new software, Stueckemann anticipates that his team will reduce the time spent on management activities and generating government reports by 10 to 15 percent. “We now have a single management console that enables administrators to manage many different functions,” he says. “No more jumping between different programs. Also, the automated reporting frees resources for tasks that move the business forward.”
  

• Easier remote access. The Remote Web Workplace feature has made it easier for salespeople to access applications. “They save approximately 15 to 30 minutes per day logging on to our systems,” Stueckemann says. “I get more payback from keeping salespeople selling than doing routine management chores. Plus, the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 spam filter works really well and has reduced spam by an estimated 10 to 15 percent. This is a great convenience and timesaver for employees.”
  

• Lower technology costs. The packaged solution also helped Bankhaus August Lenz reduce costs. “If we would have acquired all these products separately, we would have spent €30,000 more,” Stueckemann says. “We also saved on hardware, because we were able to replace our messaging cluster with a single, more powerful, server.”
  

• Better ability to grow business. Bankhaus August Lenz can now grow its business with faster servers, enhanced data protection, increased worker productivity, and the ability to offer new services, such as collaboration sites. “All these capabilities will help us grow and focus on services that improve the bottom line,” Stueckemann says.

Windows Essential Server Solutions
Windows Essential Business Server 2008 is part of the Windows Essential Server Solutions family, designed to help small and midsize businesses boost productivity and growth. Based on the latest innovations, Windows Essential Server Solutions dramatically simplify the deployment, ongoing management, and use of server technology. For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit:
www.microsoft.com/ebs