COSTEL, which is a company in the built-in electronic devices area, focused on the robust security of Windows Vista as an alternative for providing high levels of security on desktop that can easily remain as a blind spot of management. COSTEL, which was reviewing enterprise-wide deployment perceived some burden in acquiring application compatibility, so it applied Vista in limited parts. In the middle of this, it saw the emergence of 2009 Window 7 Beta and conducted reviews. Results showed that it can guarantee compatibility with various options and confirmed the existence of alternatives, so COSTEL began expanding enterprise-wide distribution. Currently as of October 2009, having completed distribution to about 10% of all PCs, results showed that COSTEL will be able to reduce time spent for managing PCs by two folds if it uses Windows 7.

The Track and Trace Solutions Department of 3M, a Fortune 500 company, provides radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions. One such solution is the 3M™ RFID System, which is used by nearly 1,000 libraries and other facilities. To ensure customers can easily transition to and quickly benefit from the Windows® 7 operating system, 3M recently migrated its library RFID applications from Windows Vista® to run on Windows 7. The applications have nearly 2 million lines of code, yet it took just two days to verify the migration results—and no modifications to the applications were needed. As a result, 3M has noted enhanced security and reliability, and application performance improvements of up to 30 percent. Library patrons and staff should realize enhanced ease of use and productivity, strong support services, and simple deployments.

A recognized world leader in technology research and development, 3M wanted to make its decades of expertise in the workings of the human visual system available as a service to customers. Using the Windows Azure™ platform, 3M created a Web-based application that gives designers the ability to invoke complex algorithms to analyze the effectiveness of a design, based on how the human eye will respond. By hosting its application in Microsoft® data centers, 3M has made an innovative service available to a global audience, while minimizing its investment in hardware infrastructure and ongoing administration. The solution, which permitted developers to evaluate frequent iterations of the application, helped the company speed time-to-market for its service and achieve higher quality results, faster than in a traditional development environment.

Kelley Blue Book is a premier provider of vehicle pricing information to consumers, automotive dealers, governments, and the finance and insurance industries. The company developed its information-rich, high-traffic Web site using the Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 and supports it with two hosted data centers. In an effort to reduce hosting costs and ease management of its infrastructure, Kelley Blue Book decided to implement the Windows Azure™ platform—which proved to be a straightforward process. As a result, Kelley Blue Book is able to reduce capital expenditures for new hardware, increase its competitive advantage by focusing on delivering new features, save U.S.$100,000 annually in hosting costs, and use IT resources more strategically.

Invensys Operations Management is out to make it easier and less expensive for small electric utilities in the United States to participate in smart grid, an energy modernization program supported by the U.S. government. Utilities need a high-performance, low-cost way to distribute real-time pricing data to customers so that they can make smarter consumption decisions. Invensys responded by creating a smart grid communications platform using The Service Bus and Access Control Service, both part of the Windows Azure™ platform. The resulting platform enables utilities to immediately embrace smart grid services at affordable prices. Such services will help utility customers save money by using energy more wisely. Invensys developed its pilot solution in just three months as part of a plan to realize increased revenues from selling smart grid–compliant products and services.

Advanced Telemetry helps businesses monitor and control energy usage both on-premises and remotely with its EcoView system and EcoView Web application. The company has experienced tremendous growth, encouraging it to reexamine the scalability of its computing architecture. To reduce costs, increase scalability, and improve service, Advanced Telemetry is using the Windows Azure™ platform for hosted application and data storage, plus the Visual WebGui application platform from Microsoft® Registered Partner Gizmox to provide rapid development and run-time efficiencies for cloud applications. Advanced Telemetry developers have been able to use existing programming skills and experience with Microsoft development tools to migrate to Windows Azure. This saves the company money, improves functionality, and enables it to easily scale its computing resources to keep up with its rapid growth.

VeriSign wanted to provide customers who deliver services on hosted infrastructures with the same highly secure encryption technology used in on-premises data centers. The company partnered with Microsoft to provide Windows Azure™ platform customers with enhanced protection for critical business data. With VeriSign® SSL Certificates on Windows Azure, customers receive an added layer of online security, while reducing management and maintenance costs.

Metalman Auto syncs Sales, Procurement and Production to improve bottomline by 10 percent

Established in 1972, Carsem is one of the largest and most established semiconductor companies in Asia. With over 9,000 employees working across their Malaysia and China-based factories, over 215,000 emails are sent each day across the company’s network. Carsem was using an e-mail solution based on a combination of different products from multiple providers. With limited storage available per user, frequent downtime, and the anti-spam solution not proving to be fully effective, the company realized it was time to upgrade to a newer solution. The company decided to trial the release candidate of Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 Enterprise and is already reaping the benefits of e-mail access from anywhere, increased storage, and high availability of the system, as well as peace of mind that critical e-mail messages are not lost or delayed.

Sessa Klein (SK), world leading innovator in the design and production of windows for rolling stock, established SessaKlein Shenfei (SKS) with Suzhou Shenfei Vehicle Windows Manufacturer in 2008. SK knew a sophisticated and flexible ERP was necessary to make the new joint venture a world-class operation where important technical and design data could reach the people that needed it quickly. Working closely with Beijing EXTECH Technology, SKS deployed Microsoft Dynamics® AX 2009. Streamlined access to critical information and processes through Role Center help people organize and manage workloads, and the familiar, intuitive interface made it easy for the 40+ staff to start benefiting right away. Furthermore, by taking advantage of Microsoft Dynamics AX’s localization modules, SKS was able to ensure they met Chinese regulations for their financial reports accurately and on time.