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.

Based in the United Kingdom, Betfair is the world’s biggest online betting community. To address issues with an aging operating system, such as system performance lags that negatively impacted employee productivity, the company decided to migrate to the Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating systems. Still early in its deployment, Betfair has increased system performance, improved user experience, and streamlined IT management.

RehabCare Group provides rehabilitation program management services for more than 1,200 facilities across the United States. The three IT staffers in the company’s Client Technology Services group found it challenging to efficiently manage its 150 applications and 2,500 desktop and laptop computers, while supporting a large mobile work force. By switching to virtualization using Microsoft® Application Virtualization and System Center Configuration Manager, RehabCare cut the time for large-scale deployments of new applications from weeks to less than one day, delivered application updates 80 percent faster for a savings of 1,200 IT staff hours per year, improved asset tracking, and enhanced reliability and service for widely dispersed employees. Just as important, it increased end-user productivity, freeing therapists to focus on patient care instead of software installations.

Getronics is a leading international provider of IT and services and solutions. The pilot program was part of the company’s initiative to make remote and mobile PC connectivity easier to use and less expensive to support, and to make remote computing more accessible from satellite or home offices. The solution uses capabilities of Windows 7, including BitLocker®, BitLocker To Go™, AppLocker™ and BranchCache™, as well as Microsoft® Application Virtualization, part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. A business value analysis projected benefits, including direct IT savings of €77 (U.S. $111) /PC/year, and PC user productivity benefits of 20 hours/PC user/year. About 1,000 PCs are expected to run Windows 7 by the end of 2009. Getronics is so pleased with the outcome of the pilot program that it plans to migrate its entire enterprise environment to Windows 7 by the end of 2011.

Big Bang System (BBS) Corporation, an IT services company in Japan, wanted to enhance collaboration for itself and its customers. The company sought higher availability and better access to e-mail and calendar information. To meet these needs, BBS Corporation is implementing Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 and using Microsoft Outlook® Web App for remote access. Instead of deploying traditional failover clusters, the company is designing a high-availability solution with Database Availability Groups. BBS Corporation expects to save money by taking advantage of lower cost storage options, and it can implement a streamlined e-mail and mobility solution. Employees also benefit because they can connect to their inboxes from almost any device and location. Finally, the company has improved security with enhanced information protection and control features.

The Tax Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (DURS), which collects taxes and enforces the nation’s tax laws and regulations, used Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 for its enterprise messaging solution. Users wanted larger mailboxes, but this was too costly. DURS also sought to simplify administration and improve availability. Working with Microsoft Services, DURS deployed Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. The new solution has lower disk input/output, so DURS can use inexpensive Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) disks for storage and provide users with larger mailboxes while lowering storage costs. The new Database Availability Group feature provides automatic failover to minimize user disruptions. Expanded security and compliance tools help DURS protect confidential information, and simpler administration saves each senior IT worker an hour a day.

Medco Energi Internasional (MedcoEnergi), a global energy company, wanted to improve communications for its mobile work force. Employees traveled frequently to remote locations, and relied on e-mail to collaborate. However, an e-mail outage could stall communications for hours. To avoid downtime and improve access to information, MedcoEnergi is deploying Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 and integrating it with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2. By creating a Database Availability Group, it can increase uptime and restore service within seconds instead of hours. Employees have improved Web-based access to multiple communications tools, and they can find and organize information more efficiently. In addition, MedcoEnergi expects to cut costs by consolidating server hardware and taking advantage of built-in communications capabilities.

Telecom Italia is the leading provider of telecommunications services in Italy and one of Europe’s largest operators of fiber optic networks. In 2007, it started to implement a new IT infrastructure. During that process, the company decided to increase the availability of its e-mail system, lower its storage hardware and archiving costs, and give its remote workers more e-mail functionality. In September 2009, Telecom Italia began to deploy Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010. The company will use the new Database Availability Group feature to improve availability, and it will replace its five storage area networks with lower cost direct-attached storage. As a result, the company expects to increase system uptime to at least 99.99 percent and save €350,000 (U.S.$520,000) annually in maintenance costs. Telecom Italia also anticipates that new features will help improve employee productivity.

Financial services firm Baker Tilly is one of the first businesses to deploy a solution based on the Windows® 7 desktop operating system on a companywide basis. Baker Tilly expects to reduce labor of ongoing IT tasks and help keep IT resources focused on high-value functions. Benefits include direct IT cost savings averaging £116 (U.S.$191)/PC/year, made possible by improved network access, automated deployment, desktop management tools, and PC power cost savings. Windows 7 helps ensure that company fee-earners are affected less by common desktop update and support tasks. The business benefits have potential to recover more than two days of billable time for each mobile worker, representing an estimated £425 (U.S.$700)/PC/year in additional value. The potential value of this business benefit is the equivalent of about one-half of one percent of the company’s current annual gross revenue.

Like many city governments, the City of Miami faces mounting pressures to deliver more city services with less budget. City IT managers saw in Windows 7 the opportunity to deliver significant benefits, even in an environment of scarce staff and increasing demand for IT services. The city expects an estimated return on investment (ROI) of 151% and internal rate of return (IRR) of 78%with payback in less than 15 months based on direct IT labor savings alone. Benefits include direct IT labor-cost savings estimated at U.S.$89/PC/year, made possible by automated deployment, enhanced security, and desktop management tools. When power savings are included, the business case is even more compelling, with an estimated net present value (NPV) of $250/ PC during a 3-year cash-flow period and a payback period of approximately 9 months.