2 page Case Study - Posted 7/1/2009

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Logica

IT Consultancy Improves Productivity and Reduces Costs with Operating System

Logica is an IT services provider with locations in 36 countries. With a tradition of adopting technology early so it can deliver innovative solutions to its customers, Logica was eager to start using the Windows® 7 operating system. It upgraded 1,000 computers by May 2009 and will continue the rollout companywide to 40,000 computers. Logica is already benefiting from streamlined information access, improved employee productivity, and reduced costs.

Business Needs

Based in London, United Kingdom, Logica is a leading IT and business services company with locations throughout Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. The company’s primary focuses are application management, infrastructure management, and business process outsourcing and consulting. With a proven 40-year track record, Logica is one of the leading IT infrastructure management consultancies in the Nordic region of Europe.

Logica has 40,000 employees, many of whom work remotely at customer locations. To support its mobile workforce, the company’s computer fleet is composed of 80 percent mobile computers. The Windows Vista® operating system is the company standard, though it licenses the Windows® XP operating system to support those customers who use the same. The Windows Server® 2003 and 2008 operating systems support its internal IT infrastructure.

As a company that prides itself on enabling business transformation for its customers through the innovative use of technology, Logica is an early adopter of new technologies, particularly in the desktop environment. “As a consulting company in a competitive market, it is important for us to always be running the newest technologies in our desktop environment so that we can pass along our knowledge and expertise to customers,” says Peter Petersen, Infrastructure Sales Manager at Logica.

When the Windows 7 operating system became available for public download, Logica wanted to start upgrading its computers to evaluate the features in the new operating system and prepare for customer deployments. In addition, the company sought to improve its internal productivity with an even more reliable, responsive operating system.   

Solution

In February 2009, shortly after Windows 7 was available for public download, Logica began deploying the operating system internally. It started with a voluntary pilot program for consultants in the desktop solutions department to install the company’s standard Windows 7 operating system image. The image includes Windows 7, the Windows Internet Explorer® 8 Internet browser, Microsoft® Office Professional Plus 2007, and antivirus software. By May 2009, Logica upgraded 1,000 computers to the Windows 7 Release Candidate.

Each employee will save at least one hour per week as a result of faster system performance. That’s 40,000 hours each week that we gain in productivity. Erik Orrkvist Service Delivery Manager, Logica

As part of its upgrade, Logica is evaluating several Windows 7 features. For improved information access, it is testing DirectAccess, a feature in both Windows 7 and Window Server 2008 R2 that makes it possible for users to connect to their corporate network from any Internet connection, as well as BranchCache™, which provides faster access to corporate resources from branch offices. Logica is also planning on implementing BitLocker™ for full-volume drive encryption.

The company previously used Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 for its deployments, but is planning on implementing Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 in time for the companywide upgrade to Windows 7. With System Center Configuration Manager 2007, the company will be able to automate deployment and simplify its IT maintenance.

Still early in its Windows 7 deployment, Logica will continue with a soft rollout of the operating system to all 40,000 computers through 2011.

Benefits

As a result of upgrading to Windows 7, Logica looks forward to streamlining information access for its highly dispersed and mobile workforce, increasing employee productivity thanks to improved system performance, and reducing third-party licensing costs—all while delivering more value to customers.

• Improved information access. By using DirectAccess, Logica will be able to provide remote employees with access to resources on the corporate network through any Internet connection and without the need for managing virtual private network (VPN) solutions. In addition, the company can use BranchCache to cache content from remote file and Web servers at branch offices, giving dispersed employees fast and easy access to corporate resources.
   
• Increased employee productivity. Logica users have experienced better system performance and responsiveness with Windows 7, helping to increase productivity. For instance, this version takes less time to turn on, turn off, and resume from standby and hibernate modes. “Each employee will save at least one hour per week as a result of faster system performance,” says Erik Orrkvist, Delivery Solutions Manager at Logica. “That’s 40,000 hours each week that we gain in productivity.”
    
• Reduced third-party licensing costs. Because of the built-in features of Windows 7, Logica looks forward to eliminating costly third-party solutions and reducing associated licensing costs. For instance, with DirectAccess, the company can eliminate its expensive VPN solution. In addition, the company can use Windows BitLocker for enhanced security in the event of a lost or stolen mobile computer, instead of other disk encryption solutions.
  
  Looking forward, the company sees these opportunities to reduce costs as a way to deliver tangible value to its customers, too. “It’s not just about us saving money,” explains Petersen, “This will demonstrate to customers the enormous cost-saving benefit of upgrading to Windows 7.”