2 page Case Study - Posted 6/9/2009

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Avanade

IT Services Provider Improves Manageability, Enhances Security with Operating System

Avanade, a leading business technology services provider, began upgrading to the Windows® 7 operating system. It did so to enhance its IT security and improve information access for its mobile workforce. It also sought hands-on knowledge of the operating system to prepare for customer deployments. As a result, Avanade benefits from improved system performance, streamlined remote access to resources, easier IT management, and enhanced security.

Business Needs

Founded in 2000, Avanade is a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner based in Seattle, Washington. The business technology solutions provider combines deep expertise and proven methodologies to develop solutions that deliver value to customers and help them realize results. 

Many of Avanade’s 9,000 employees are mobile, often working at customer sites. To support its mobile workforce, the company runs the Windows Vista® Enterprise operating system on its mobile computers. Its server environment is composed of a mix of the Windows Server® 2003 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems. The company uses Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to help optimize its desktop infrastructure.

It is critical for Avanade to be able to make its corporate resources—such as its knowledge repository and financial systems—available to its mobile workforce so that they have the information they need to do their job. Since the company works with critical client information, including sensitive intellectual property, Avanade is diligent about taking advantage of technologies that enable it to effectively safeguard data. “We’re proactive about IT security in order to both serve our clients better, but also to manage our own risk,” explains Michael Rosen, Vice President of Solutions, Technology Infrastructure Practice at Avanade.

Avanade has a corporate culture that welcomes early technology adoption. “Our clients’ expectations are not that we’re deploying a new product internally at the same time we’re deploying it to them,” says Ryan McCune, Director of Global Solutions at Avanade. “They expect us to be experts in the technology we’re implementing for them—no matter how new it is—and apply our own lessons-learned to their organization.”

Our employees use mobile storage devices, and Windows 7 gives us the ability to do all that we can to ensure we’re securing our corporate data, no matter what type of device it’s on. Ryan McCune Director of Global Solutions, Avanade

Solution

With the release of Windows 7 Beta, Avanade began an internal pilot deployment of the operating system. The company received the first operating system build in August 2008 as part of the Technology Adoption Program. It immediately made the operating system available for employees to download and install on a voluntary basis. “We have an internal early adopter program and a very technical workforce, so running an opt-in pilot deployment is easy for us,” says McCune. “Employees are excited and want to be a part of the process when it comes to implementing new technology.”

As part of its pilot deployment, the internal IT department at Avanade tested for Windows 7 application compatibility against its custom home grown and third-party applications. It did not experience any issues because of the high levels of application compatibility between Windows Vista and Windows 7. “Windows Vista has been on the market now for several years, which means that software vendors, to a large extent, have had the time to get the compatibility story right,” says Rosen. “With the compatibility between the two operating systems, our compatibility testing efforts aren’t a strenuous process.” In addition, Avanade has found that the upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 will not necessitate any hardware changes.

Avanade is using BitLocker To Go™ to extend encryption to removable media, such as USB thumb drives. It will also take advantage of DirectAccess, a feature that, when used in combination with Windows Server 2008 R2, allows users to connect to the company’s internal network with any Internet connection and also allows IT administrators to install updates on mobile computers.

As of May 2009, the company has upgraded more than 300 computers to Windows 7 during its early adopter program. It will upgrade a total of 4,000 computers by August 2009, when it will initiate a formal, managed rollout to the rest of its workforce.

Benefits

With the deployment of Windows 7 to just 300 computers so far, Avanade already enjoys improved system performance, easier remote access to resources on the corporate network, easier IT management, and enhanced security.

• Improved system performance. Avanade employees have enjoyed improved performance with Windows 7. For instance, the startup sequence is faster than the previous operating systems the company has used. Also, switching between open windows is faster—a critical time savings for users. “Many of our users are power users with at least 20 windows open at the same time while multitasking. They need all the performance they can get,” explains Rosen.
  
  
• Streamlined access to corporate resources. By using DirectAccess, Avanade is able to provide remote employees with access to resources on the corporate network without the need for managing virtual private network (VPN) solutions. “Streamlining access to information that employees need to do their jobs effectively is key,” says McCune.
  
  
• Easier IT management. Avanade expects easier IT management companywide, especially for its remote computers. For instance, with DirectAccess, IT administrators can update Group Policy settings, distribute software, or apply security updates any time a remote computer has Internet connectivity.  “Our IT department will be able to proactively manage security updates on remote machines—even more so than they have in the past,” says Rosen. 
  
  
• Enhanced security. BitLocker To Go is helping to extend encryption beyond the hard disk to removable media, such as USB thumb drives. “Our employees use mobile storage devices, and Windows 7 gives us the ability to do all that we can to ensure we’re securing our corporate data, no matter what type of device it’s on,” explains McCune.