4-page Case Study - Posted 6/2/2009

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Fischer and Knöbel

Trailer Rental Firm Saves on Software and Training Costs with Volume Licensing Program

To increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer service, Fischer & Knöbel (F&K) Trailer Services linked its 21 subdepots to its Rheda-Weidenbruck, Germany headquarters through Windows Server® 2003 and deployed Terminal Services to provide access to corporate resources. It then deployed the Schmitz Cargobull telematics system, Microsoft® SQL Server® 2005, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise to provide staff with real-time data on each of its trailers, which helps maximize revenue and enhance customer service. By enrolling in the Microsoft Volume Licensing Open Value program, F&K saves about 15 percent on Microsoft software licenses and gets a fixed cost per desktop. And with the Software Assurance benefits it spreads license payments over three years, gains immediate access to new software versions, and has nearly eliminated end-user training costs.

Situation

To conserve capital, companies that need to transport goods to market are increasingly choosing to rent transport trailers rather than purchase their own fleet. Fischer & Knöbel (F&K) Trailer Services, headquartered in Rheda-Wiedenbruck, has grown into one of the largest trailer rental firms in Germany by satisfying that demand with a variety of trailer configurations, flexible terms, and stringently maintained equipment.

Founded by Klaus Fischer and Bernd Knöbel in 1997, the F&K fleet includes more than 1,700 well-maintained trailers with an average age of less than two years. Its customers include freight forwarders, manufacturers, retailers, and many other businesses that need access to reliable, up-to-date transport equipment for periods ranging from one day to a few years. Customers prefer the flexibility of being able to access the types and number of trailers they need at any time.

Today, F&K has 35 full-time employees serving more than 7,000 customers all over Europe. Ten of its employees work in the headquarters, managing fleet logistics and maintenance, central invoicing, and other administrative functions. The remaining 25 employees are primarily sales people located in the 21 subdepots spread across the European Union (EU ) who handle sales, distribution, and trailer storage.

With Open Value, we know exactly what our cost per desktop is throughout the life of the agreement, and that doesn’t change when we upgrade to the next software version or add licenses. Markus Schöppner Technical Manager, Fischer and Knöbel Trailer Services

To build its advantage in a competitive market, F &K began to look at implementing a telematics fleet management system. The telematics system would record and manage all the data related to its inventory of trailers to help the company ensure maximum availability, accurate billing, and timely preventive maintenance. But before it could add those technologies, F&K needed to upgrade its network. 

Because Microsoft® software is widely used in the transportation industry and is compatible with a large number of transportation and logistics applications, F&K built its network and desktop environment on software and technology from Microsoft. F&K runs a lean operation, so it needed to make sure it was getting the maximum return on its software investment, and it also needed to minimize the time required to track and manage software licenses. The company had been acquiring Microsoft software through the Microsoft Open License program, which offered a pay-as-you-go volume licensing model. However, as the company grew, it began to look at ways to better forecast its software expenses, further reduce licensing costs, and simplify license management.

Solution

To provide a foundation for the new technologies it wanted to deploy, F&K implemented the Windows Server® 2003 operating system with Active Directory® services in 2004. The new infrastructure consists of seven HP ProLiant servers and an HP enterprise storage system all located in Fischer & Knöbel headquarters. On these servers, the firm implemented the Schmitz Cargobull fleet management telematics system, together with Microsoft SQL Server® 2005 data management software and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise e-mail messaging and collaboration software.

The telematics system tracks every trailer, showing its location at all times, documenting loading and unloading times, monitoring temperature in refrigerated trailers, and tracking preventive maintenance. F&K uses this information for internal logistics and to provide performance and billing reports to its customers.

Fischer & Knöbel has 25 workstations and 15 portable computers, all of which run the Windows® XP Professional operating system and Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007. To connect the subdepots to corporate applications, F&K deployed Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services, which provides users in those offices with access to e-mail, telematics, and other business systems. “Terminal Services is the most efficient way to provide our subdepots with access to business applications on the corporate network because we can run everything centrally and we don’t have to manage servers in the subdepots,” says Schöppner. “We’re the only trailer rental company in Europe that provides users anywhere on the network the capability to bring up fleet statistics in real time. This is important because when a customer calls, we have to respond very fast.”

F&K has a service and support agreement with IOK InterNetworking Services, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner that is responsible for remote system monitoring, updating software, and centralized backup.

To further enhance its telematics system, F&K will roll out Windows Server 2008 Enterprise to take advantage of updated Terminal Services capabilities, such as better integration with Active Directory, improved printing, and enhanced data compression. The company also plans to deploy Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007 to provide integrated access to the enterprise resource planning (ERP), telematics, and accounting systems so that F&K employees can view, manage, analyze, and collaborate on the telematics data in real time.

To get the best prices on the licenses for its Microsoft software F&K enrolled in the Microsoft Volume Licensing Open Value program which includes Software Assurance benefits. “With the Open Value program we know our exact cost per desktop, so we can better predict our costs from year to year and manage our licenses online,” says Schöppner. “And with Software Assurance we can distribute our payments over three years.”

Through Software Assurance, the company can also upgrade to the latest version of any of the Microsoft software covered under its Open Value agreement as soon as it is available, without looking for new funding.

Fischer & Knöbel is taking advantage of several other Software Assurance benefits as well. Its end users have taken advantage of the Microsoft E-Learning and Home Use Program to learn about the new user interface and functionalities in Office Professional Plus 2007. E-Learning offers self-paced, interactive training developed by Microsoft experts, through a secure, Microsoft-hosted Web site. And the Home Use Program permits eligible employees to install a licensed copy of most Microsoft Office desktop programs on a home PC during the term of the Open Value agreement.

Also important is the "Cold" Backup disaster recovery Software Assurance benefit that provides F&K with "cold” backup server licenses for every production license covered under Software Assurance. This helps to provide users with quick access to critical data and applications in the event the production environment is compromised.

Benefits

By connecting all of its subdepots to a centralized network infrastructure, F&K provides all authorized employees with real-time data on each of the company’s trailers. This helps to increase efficiency across the organization, reduce business costs, and add a competitive advantage. And by acquiring Microsoft software through the Open Value program and taking advantage of the included Software Assurance benefits, F&K has reduced licensing and training costs, and has upgrade rights to covered Microsoft software for the term of the Open Value agreement.

Improved Efficiency

The implementation of an enterprisewide network that connects all the F&K subdepots to headquarters through Terminal Services improved the efficiency of internal operations by providing remote offices with a seamless connection to corporate applications and data. The new infrastructure also provides a reliable foundation for the company’s telematics system, which keeps F&K staff informed in real time of where the trailers are located, their status, and when they are due for preventive maintenance. This capability makes it easier for staff at multiple offices to work together to coordinate trailer movement so that they can maximize the utilization of the rental fleet and ensure a quick response to customer needs. It also gives F&K the unique ability to bill customers for the trailers only when they are transporting freight.

Having upgrade rights through Software Assurance means we don’t have to track versions. And we can download the new software from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center and manage our licenses online. Markus Schöppner Technical Manager, Fischer and Knöbel Trailer Services

The new version rights provided through Software Assurance also simplifies software upgrade license management. “Having upgrade rights through Software Assurance means we don’t have to track versions,” says Schöppner. “And we can download the new software from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center and manage our licenses online.” 

Reduced Business Costs

Schöppner estimates that F&K has reduced its licensing costs for Microsoft software by 15 percent since enrolling in the Open Value program. “With Open Value, we know exactly what our cost per desktop is throughout the life of the agreement, and that doesn’t change when we upgrade to the next software version or add licenses,” says Schöppner.

The increased stability and automated, centralized management supported by the Windows Server 2003 infrastructure have helped increase productivity. In addition, the connectivity provided by Terminal Services has helped to reduce maintenance costs now that all servers are managed centrally in the F&K datacenter. The interoperability of these technologies also makes it easier for F&K to work with partners and vendors, such as IOK and Schmitz Cargo.

Minimized Upgrade and Training Costs

Having new Microsoft software version rights through Software Assurance made it easier for F&K to deploy Office Professional Plus 2007 very quickly and to continue with its plans to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services and SQL Server 2008. “We don’t have to worry about software costs for new versions because they are included in our Open Value desktop price through Software Assurance,” says Schöppner.
In addition, the Home Use rights and E-Learning benefits provided by Software Assurance helped employees become familiar with the new interface for Office Professional Plus 2007 at their own pace. This helped expedite acceptance and produced a higher level of training, without extra training costs.

Increased Sales Potential

Because F&K has immediate visibility into the status and location of every trailer, it is able to maximize profitability on each unit. “We know where our trailers are and whether they’re in service or free to rent, so we can minimize non-billable equipment,” says Schöppner.

That information also enables F&K to offer a unique way of renting in which the customer pays only when the trailer is transporting cargo. “Because our customers pay for only the time when the trailer is moving, the telematics system helps reduce customer costs as well as our own,” says Schöppner. “We’re the only trailer rental company in Europe that offers this type of plan, so it gives us an advantage over our competitors.”

Microsoft Volume Licensing
Microsoft Volume Licensing offers customized programs that are designed to meet the needs of your business. Tailored for companies of different sizes and purchasing preferences, these Volume Licensing programs provide simple, flexible, and affordable solutions that can help you manage your licenses with ease. Whether you have five or thousands of desktop PCs, Microsoft Volume Licensing has the right program for you.

To acquire the latest Microsoft technology at a significant cost savings through Microsoft Volume Licensing, contact your Microsoft Partner or local reseller.

To learn more about Microsoft Volume Licensing, visit:
www.microsoft.com/licensing 

For More Information

For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:
www.microsoft.com

For more information about IOK InterNetworking Services products and services, call (49) 52 46 92 90 or visit the Web site at:
www.iok.net 

For more information about Fischer & Knöbel Trailer Service products and services, call (49) 52 42 98 615 55 or visit the Web site at:
www.stressfrei-mieten.de