2 page Case Study - Posted 7/28/2009

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Transelectrica

Utility Company Improves Networking Capabilities with Operating System Upgrade

Transelectrica is a power-grid company in Romania. To ensure the reliability of the power system, the company prides itself on continuously improving its IT infrastructure. In an effort to streamline information access at branch offices, the company upgraded to the Windows® 7 operating system. Transelectrica now benefits from streamlined access to corporate resources, easier IT management, enhanced security, and improved system performance.

Business Needs

Headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, Transelectrica is the Romanian transmission and system operator that plays a key role in the Romanian electricity market. The state-owned company is responsible for electricity transmission, system and market operation, and grid and market infrastructure development—ensuring the security of the Romanian power system. Transelectrica has more than 2,300 employees.

The company has 1,000 desktop and portable computers. It primarily runs the Windows Vista® operating system, and uses the Windows® XP operating system on some of its older workstations. Its IT infrastructure is supported by the Windows Server® 2003 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems.

Through a Microsoft® Enterprise Agreement, Transelectrica takes advantage of the latest operating system releases and is an early adopter of technology. “As a key player in the electricity-supply market, the pressure is on us to have the best IT infrastructure in the business,” explains Sorin Marinescu, IT Director at Transelectrica. “One of the ways we get there is with the operating system we use—it has to be the best that is available.” As such, when the beta version of the Windows® 7 operating system was released, the company wanted to start upgrading immediately.

Specifically, Transelectrica was looking to streamline information access to its branch offices and remote employees. “We have fourteen branch offices and 100 remote employees. Ensuring those employees have access to corporate resources is always a top priority for us,” says Marinescu.  In addition, recognizing the global financial climate, Transelectrica wanted to reduce costs and deliver maximum business value with its operating system.

Solution

In March 2009, and with the collaborative help of Microsoft Services, Transelectrica began upgrading to Windows 7 Beta. Microsoft Services helped the IT department at Transelectrica to configure its standard Windows 7 operating system image and develop a deployment plan.

In a pilot phase, Transelectrica is creating its operating system image using the Microsoft Desktop Toolkit 2010, which provides detailed guidance and toolsets for helping streamline the deployment process. The image includes the operating system, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, key line-of-business (LOB) applications, and drivers. It’s using an offline deployment process performing a Lite-Touch installation from a DVD. By June 2009, the company had upgraded 45 computers across various departments to Windows 7 Beta. It plans to upgrade a total of 200 computers to Windows 7 Release Candidate by August 2009 as part of the pilot. 

The technologies in Windows 7 give us the ability to improve our networking capabilities—this is important with so many branch offices. Sorin Marinescu IT Director Transelectrica

As part of the upgrade, Transelectrica is evaluating several features in Windows 7. For streamlined information access it is implementing DirectAccess, a technology that, when combined with Windows Server 2008 R2, allows remote employees to connect to the corporate network through any Internet connection. It is also implementing BranchCache™, which caches content to file and Web servers and enables employees at the company’s many branch offices to access corporate resources quickly. Transelectrica is also evaluating BitLocker™ drive encryption to enhance IT security for its laptops and portable devices. 

With a successful pilot, Transelectrica plans to roll out Windows 7 companywide, including its subsidiaries. In addition, it is upgrading to Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 for automating workstation deployment and management. 

Benefits

Still early in its deployment of Windows 7, Transelectrica already benefits from streamlined access to corporate resources, easier IT management, enhanced security for removable devices, and improved system performance.

• Improved access to corporate resources. By using DirectAccess, Transelectrica will be able to provide remote employees with access to resources on the corporate network without the need for managing virtual private network (VPN) solutions. In addition, BranchCache gives employees at branch offices faster access to data, while at the same time freeing network bandwidth for other uses. “The technologies in Windows 7 give us the ability to improve our networking capabilities—this is important with so many branch offices,” explains Marinescu.
  
  
• Easier IT management. Transelectrica is also benefiting from easier IT management, 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.
  
  
• Enhanced IT security. Using BitLocker, Transelectrica will be able to deliver full-volume disk encryption for its portable computers and devices. “We have a lot of mobile employees who travel between offices and substations and store critical data on laptops,” explains Marinescu. “With the built-in encryption technologies in Windows 7, we’re able to continue to be diligent about safeguarding data—even in the event of a misplaced device.”
  
  
• Improved system performance. Employees at Transelectrica have benefited from an increase in system performance with Windows 7—from startup and resume times to file transfer speeds. “Windows 7 is at least 20 percent faster and more reliable than our previous operating systems,” says Marinescu.