Hungarian Television wanted to modernize, standardize, and enhance the management of its PC environment, improve PC performance and reduce employee downtime, support a shared desktop environment for its editorial staff, and reduce its IT management costs. In 2011, Hungarian Television upgraded its PC environment to Windows 7 Enterprise and used Microsoft Application Virtualization to virtualize and deliver the organization’s core applications. By standardizing its PCs with Windows 7 Enterprise, Hungarian Television enhanced the management, reliability, and performance of its PC environment, helped make employees more efficient, reduced downtime, lowered the cost of managing its PCs, and built a flexible and productive working environment.

Situation
Hungarian Television is part of the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund—or Médiaszolgáltatás-Támogató és Vagyonkezelő Alap (MTVA)—which supports the Hungarian National Television System. Based in Budapest, Hungarian Television serves the public by producing and broadcasting cultural, scientific, and public interest programming, and disseminating news and information regarding domestic and foreign events. Of the 7.2 million people who watch television every day in Hungary, 4.2 million select m1, m2 or Duna, the three MTVA broadcast stations. With an average daily viewership of 3.7 million people, m1 is the third most popular television station in Hungary.

The television network has 1,500 employees and manages 1000 personal computers, including 100 PCs in studios in the Hungarian cities of Debrecen, Miskolc, and Pécs, all running the Windows XP operating system. Hungarian Television had virtualized its server environment using Hyper-V virtualization technology in the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system, and it used Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 to manage software updates. But the organization could not adequately manage user authorizations or the installation of applications in its PC environment.

By deploying Windows 7 Enterprise, we are one step closer to delivering a work environment with the greatest possible flexibility. Zsolt Vizsnyai System Administrator, Hungarian Television

Once the IT team issued an employee a portable computer with the operating system and core applications installed, it might not see the computer again for up to two years. The central IT team at Hungarian Television tried to monitor and update the 100 PCs in cities of Debrecen, Miskolc, and Pécs using a remote desktop tool, but the tool did not recognize all user profiles, and the IT team had to rely on a key employee to carry out many IT tasks in all three locations.

Remote employees accessed the Hungarian Television internal network using USB token authentication, but they could not install the security updates necessary for the safest operation of their computers because they lacked system administrator authorization. “We had more than 300 portable computers—30 percent of our PCs—that we could not bring under adequate central supervision in our Windows XP environment,” says Zsolt Vizsnyai, System Administrator at Hungarian Television.

As the television network’s Windows XP environment began to age, the central IT staff received more service requests for PC problems. Even with four IT staff members dedicated to PC maintenance, employees often had to wait hours or even days to get their PCs fixed. It took hours for IT staff to search, copy, and back up files, install programs, and set the user profile on a PC.

If an employee in a remote studio had a problem with a PC, it had to be shipped to Budapest. Computers arrived from the studios every week or so for repairs or maintenance, and they were returned with the next shipment. In urgent cases, IT staff would travel to a studio, which took a full day and generated extra costs. “If employees’ computers went down, they sometimes could not work for days,” says Vizsnyai. “As a television service, we can suffer financially measurable losses if certain content is not ready by deadline.”

Employees in the editorial departments at Hungarian Television often work in shared work environments and on multiple workstations. Producers, editors, and other production staff often took their portable computers to external locations and wanted to access the corporate network. The organization did manage a virtual private network (VPN), but it provided limited access for only some users. To provide the editorial staff with the flexibility to work effectively and efficiently, Hungarian Television wanted to develop a shared desktop environment so employees could access the same files and applications, regardless of which computer they work on or where they are located.

Hungarian Television wanted to modernize, standardize, and enhance control of its PC environment, improve PC performance and reduce employee downtime, support a shared desktop environment for its editorial staff, and reduce its IT management costs.

Solution
In mid-2010, the Hungarian Television IT team worked with consultants from Microsoft Services to begin upgrading its PC environment to the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system and to develop a more flexible work environment by using Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V), a component of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, to virtualize the organization’s core applications and deliver them to employee PCs as corporate network services.

Figure 1. Hungarian Television produces and broadcasts cultural, scientific, and public interest programming for 4.2 million viewers from studios in Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, and Pécs.

The IT team at Hungarian Television first tested the compatibility of its corporate applications with Windows 7 EnterpriseSystem Administrator, Hungarian Television. The television network’s intranet web applications already supported the Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Internet Explorer 8 Internet browsers, so Hungarian Television had no trouble adopting Internet Explorer 8 with Windows 7 Enterprise. Hungarian Television then worked with Microsoft Services to prepare applications for virtualization with App-V and determine which software would be installed with Windows 7 Enterprise in the operating system image and which applications would be virtualized for various user groups.

“We can use App-V to define exactly which applications different user groups can use and then deliver virtual versions of the software to PCs,” says Vizsnyai. “We can update applications and migrate to new software versions in one place—without having to update every PC.”

Of the 1,000 PCs in the organization, Hungarian Television could run Windows 7 Enterprise on approximately 700, but the IT staff needed to upgrade RAM to 2 gigabytes in about half of those PCs. In June 2011, Hungarian Television upgraded about 330 PCs to Windows 7 Enterprise and continued the migration according to its regular hardware refresh schedule. By December, 2011, the television network had upgraded 500 PCs to Windows 7 Enterprise, and it expected to standardize all 1,000 of its PCs with Windows 7 Enterprise by May of 2012.

Hungarian Television developed an operating system image with Windows 7 Enterprise that could be installed on various PC configurations, which helped retain the value of its hardware investment and made migration easy and fast. IT staff used Microsoft Windows User State Migration Tool to automate data backup and replace important files after the Windows 7 Enterprise installation was complete. “My computer was updated during working hours and it went extremely well,” says Éva Filó, Professional Dispatcher at Hungarian Television. “In the morning, I was working with Windows XP, and by noon, I was a Windows 7 user.”

If employees’ computers went down, they sometimes could not work for days. As a television service, we can suffer financially measurable losses if certain content is not ready by deadline. Zsolt Vizsnyai System Administrator, Hungarian Television

With a PC environment based on Windows 7 Enterprise, the IT team at Hungarian Television can remotely monitor employee PCs, log on to user profiles, and fix problems or update Windows software. Hungarian Television uses App-V to support a shared desktop environment for 100 employees in its editorial departments so that applications and documents follow production staff on any PC they use, in the corporate office, in a studio, or on a site.

By using Windows 7 Enterprise together with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010, Hungarian Television can use the DirectAccess feature and USB token authentication to give remote and mobile employees easy, reliable, and secure access to the organization’s internal network from anywhere. “If they have Internet access, our employees can use DirectAccess to establish a safe connection with our intranets, even if they are on a remote location,” says Vizsnyai.

By upgrading to Windows 7 Enterprise, Hungarian Television was also able to update from Microsoft Office 2003 to Microsoft Office 2010 productivity software. IT staff modified some in-house content-generation applications to support Office 2010 and used the Office Customization Tool to prepare Office 2010 for installation with Windows 7 as part of the operating system image.

To meet new funding requirements, Hungarian Television will be consolidated with Hungarian National Radio, Duna Television, and the Hungarian Information Office. The organization’s PC environment will expand by several hundred computers, all deployed with Windows 7 Enterprise and Office 2010, supported by App-V, and connected to the corporate network with DirectAccess.

Benefits
By standardizing its PCs with Windows 7 Enterprise and Office 2010, Hungarian Television enhanced the management, reliability, and performance of its PC environment. The television network helped make employees more efficient, reduced downtime, lowered the cost of managing its PCs, and built a flexible and productive shared desktop working environment that made its production and editorial staff more effective.

Enhanced Management of PC Environment
Hungarian Television enhanced the management, reliability, and security of its PC environment, even in remote locations and for mobile users of portable computers. With Windows 7 Enterprise, the IT team finds it easier to distribute security and other software updates and monitor PCs in the television network’s remote studios.

By using App-V to distribute applications as network services, the television network will make its consolidation with other media units easier, increase oversight of its application suite, and more effectively manage software licenses. Without visibility into its PC environment, it was hard for Hungarian Television to manage its software assets, and the organization sometimes bought more licenses than were necessary. “We can use App-V to improve license management by centrally determining and controlling access to applications at the team level,” says Vizsnyai.

Better Performance, Less Downtime
Hungarian Television employees find Windows 7 to be a fast, reliable operating system that delivers advanced functionality that helps them work more efficiently. “It’s easier to find running applications and documents with the Windows 7 taskbar thumbnail previews, and I can set up Office 2010 to keep the commands at hand that I use most often,” says Éva Filó. “For example, in Office Excel 2010, I can format tables, pictures, and graphics in just a few clicks.”

Employees are happy with Windows 7 Enterprise, and we can take care of PC maintenance with one technician on the server side and one to provide support on the PC side. The staff resources we free up can be reassigned to other systems. Zsolt Vizsnyai System Administrator, Hungarian Television

Hungarian Television uses the DirectAccess feature to give remote and mobile production staff fast, reliable access to its corporate network, which helps crews on location get files and documents back to the editorial department faster, so that teams can start editing sooner and preparing programs for broadcast. IT administrators can use DirectAccess to remotely optimize system settings or distribute security updates to portable PCs, which can help to streamline network management and enhance information and operations security at Hungarian Television.

With better management of the PC environment, the IT team can be more responsive and help reduce employee downtime. Instead of requiring one to two days, the Hungarian Television IT team can now service an employee PC in one and a half hours.

Streamlined IT Management, Reduced Costs
Hungarian Television has reduced its IT management burden by 50 percent by making PC administration more effective. While it took four support technicians to maintain the Windows XP environment, two technicians can now manage the Windows 7 Enterprise environment in less time. The IT team did not receive a single service request regarding Windows 7 Enterprise in the first six months after deploying the operating system.

“Employees are happy with Windows 7 Enterprise, and we can take care of PC maintenance with one technician on the server side and one to provide support on the PC side,” says Vizsnyai. “The staff resources we free up can be reassigned to other systems or to IT safety and logistics areas.”

Flexible, Productive Work Environment
By replacing its VPN with DirectAccess, Hungarian Television can provide a much more convenient connection to internal network resources. Mobile employees can use DirectAccess to work in the same IT environment they would use in the office.

“DirectAccess is great at helping me stay up-to-the-minute,” says Zsuzsanna Kálomista, Director of Movie Procurement at Hungarian Television. “I always have access to all my documents and the latest information on the internal network, even when I work out of the office.”

Hungarian Television uses Windows 7 Enterprise, App-V, and DirectAccess to support an optimized desktop environment for its production and editorial staff. Employees can access the network services, applications, and documents that correspond to their user profile from any PC with an Internet connection, which gives them a more flexible and productive working environment.

“With a shared desktop, employees can use their applications and find their own files on any computer,” says Vizsnyai. “By deploying Windows 7 Enterprise, we are one step closer to delivering a work environment with the greatest possible flexibility.”

Windows 7
Works the way you want: Windows 7 will help your organization use information technology to gain a competitive advantage in today’s new world of work. Your people will be able to be more productive anywhere. You will be able to support your mobile workforce with better access to shared data and collaboration tools. And your IT staff will have better tools and technologies for enhanced corporate IT security and data protection, and more efficient deployment and management.

For more information about Windows 7, go to:
www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7

For More Information
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www.microsoft.com

For more information about Microsoft Services products and services, visit the website at:
www.microsoft.com/microsoftservices

For more information about Hungarian Television products and services, visit the website at:
www.mtva.hu/en/english