Sporton International

Certification Company Cuts Bandwidth Costs, Halves Server Hardware Spending

Sporton International, a leading testing and certification company, wanted to reduce the money it spent to deliver data to branch offices. Sporton implemented Windows Server® 2008 R2, which offers features such as BranchCache™ to ease data access. Sporton achieved a 30 percent improvement in branch data access without expanding bandwidth. It also reduced server hardware spending by more than 50 percent and improved user productivity.

Business Needs

Sporton International provides testing and certification services to hardware and mobile communications companies. Sporton authenticates that its customers’ products pass various certifications—including electromagnetic compatibility and product safety—required by global markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, Sporton has 450 employees in 10 locations, including large branch offices in China and Korea.

Taking advantage of the BranchCache feature in Windows Server 2008 R2, we can spend $20,000 rather than $50,000 per year on bandwidth by postponing our expansion schedule.  David Feng IT Director Sporton International

Sporton uses a centralized IT model, says David Feng, the company’s IT Director. The headquarters handles software deployment and remote management of the company’s global IT infrastructure. Branch offices remotely access key data, testing procedures, and results using software such as Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007. Branch offices also share files with each other, because some products must pass multiple tests that are administered at multiple Sporton branches.

Adequate bandwidth is critical for this IT environment. Prior to 2008, Sporton expanded its data lines yearly to provide the necessary bandwidth. “The expansion fees for cross-country bandwidth are quite high,” says Feng. “Expanding bandwidth every year was costing us a lot of money, but we needed to do so because employees frequently complained that it took a lot of time to get or send data.”

In addition to the limitations in the branch offices, salespeople visiting customer sites had difficulty obtaining data for sales quotes because they lacked easy access to the corporate network. Although Sporton had a virtual private network (VPN), Feng says, “We got a lot of calls from users saying, ‘I can’t connect to the network. I don’t know what’s wrong with my VPN.’ ”

Sporton wanted to control its burgeoning bandwidth costs and extend the life of its existing hardware. The company also hoped to increase employees’ productivity by helping them access network data more quickly and effectively.

Solution

Sporton was using the Windows Server® 2008 operating system and wanted to take advantage of features in the new release―Windows Server 2008 R2. In August 2008, Sporton implemented Windows Server 2008 R2 in combination with Windows® 7, the new release of the Windows client operating system. The operating systems include a feature called BranchCache™, which locally caches frequently used content on the branch office network.

“The first time a user accesses a file, Windows Server 2008 R2 caches it,” Feng says. “So each time other users in the same location access that file, it comes up much more quickly—because in effect they’re getting it locally.”

In addition, Sporton simplifies remote connectivity with the operating systems’ DirectAccess feature, which doesn’t require a VPN connection. “Users don’t need to do or configure anything,” Feng says. “They just connect over the Internet and they can access the data they want seamlessly.”

Sporton also uses the enhanced Hyper-V™ technology and the Remote Desktop Virtualization feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 for client and server computer virtualization. “We had some older client computers that could not run Windows 7 efficiently,” says Feng. “So we used Remote Desktop Virtualization to provide a sort of terminal solution: users connect to the server and access a virtual Windows 7 desktop.” The company runs 95 servers―including 60 virtual servers―on 15 physical machines.

Benefits

Sporton has used Windows Server 2008 R2 to save money on bandwidth and hardware while increasing user productivity.

• Bandwidth cost savings. Sporton has used BranchCache to delay the need to expand bandwidth. “Taking advantage of the BranchCache feature in Windows Server 2008 R2, we can spend $20,000 rather than $50,000 per year on bandwidth by postponing our expansion schedule,” Feng says.
• Hardware cost savings. By virtualizing desktops and servers, Sporton has cut its hardware costs. “With Remote Desktop Virtualization and Hyper-V, we don’t need to keep migrating our users’ existing hardware to take advantage of Windows 7,” Feng says. “Using the older machines saves us a lot of time and money on hardware replacement.”

Sporton has also saved on server computer spending. “Before virtualization, we had to buy new hardware to deploy new server features,” Feng says. “But virtualization with the new Hyper-V technology lets us consolidate. We’re saving more than 50 percent on hardware costs.”

• Improved user productivity. The BranchCache and DirectAccess features have improved employees’ access to data, thus improving their productivity. “After we deployed BranchCache, most users gave us feedback that data access was much faster,” Feng says. “Our research showed a 30 percent reduction in average download time.” In addition, salespeople use DirectAccess to get data for sales quotes while visiting customer sites. “They’ve given us great feedback as well,” Feng says. “We have really improved the overall experience of users trying to access data remotely.”

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the latest version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. With Windows Server 2008 R2, you can create solutions that are easier to plan, deploy, and manage than with previous versions of Windows Server. Building on the features, security, reliability, and performance provided by Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 extends connectivity and control to local and remote resources. This means that your organization can benefit from reduced costs and increased efficiencies gained through enhanced management and control over resources across the enterprise.

For more information, go to:
www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2008R2

Windows 7

Built on the Windows Vista® foundation, Windows® 7 will help make users productive anywhere, enhance security and control, and streamline PC management. The investments in Windows 7 are shaped by the evolving needs of end users and IT professionals in the enterprise. Users are becoming more computer-savvy and expect more from the technology they use at work. They expect to be able to work from home, from branch offices, and on the road with the same level of productivity. As user needs have changed, the demands on IT professionals have increased. Today, IT professionals must provide more capability and greater flexibility for users while continuing to minimize cost and security risks.

For more information, go to:
www.microsoft.com/windows7

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

Document published April 2009