The Public Power Corporation (PPC), the largest business in Greece, provides 93 percent of the country’s power. To reduce operating costs and improve user productivity, PPC is upgrading as many of its 4,200 client computers as are hardware-capable to the Windows 7 operating system. PPC expects to reduce IT costs and improve user productivity by speeding computer deployments, and to trim energy consumption with power management features.

A desire to deliver the best outcomes for its clients and provide a manageable work-life balance for employees drove A.T. Kearney to provide its consultants with tools to develop and maintain relationships with clients all over the world while also staying connected to colleagues and family members closer to home. The company first looked at adding unified communications capabilities such as instant messaging, presence, and softphone capability for mobile voice over IP (VoIP) to its existing Cisco VoIP solution, but it found that Microsoft® Office Communications Server could provide a full solution for a fraction of the cost. After the deployment was completed for all 3,400 employees in March 2008, consultants could collaborate more effectively with each other and with clients, streamlining processes and project times, and gaining more ways to pursue better work-life balance.

VINCI Energies wants to standardize the use of Windows® phones in its environment, so the company is evaluating Windows phones® with Windows Mobile® 6.5. Faster operation and improved ease of use are saving users more than one hour a week, and Windows® phones are about U.S.$150 less expensive per user than BlackBerry phones.

Hard Rock International operates restaurants, hotels, casinos, and concert venues around the world where guests can view the world’s greatest collection of music memorabilia. The group lacked efficient mechanisms to track the 56,000 guest inquiries—a number set to increase by 20 percent annually—that these venues generated each year. To prepare its customer care team for the increased workload and establish customer service metrics, the company implemented Microsoft Dynamics® CRM with help from Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Tribridge. The new solution pulls together information from different systems so that customer care representatives can more efficiently answer questions and resolve customer concerns. Even with increased inquiry volume, the solution will help Hard Rock International provide excellent service to guests without needing to add new staff to its customer care team.

The Botswana Ministry of Local Government needed to automate its business management systems to reduce a huge backlog of unclosed manual accounts in local authorities. The ministry worked with Microsoft® Certified Partner PSU International in deploying Microsoft Dynamics® GP 8.0 business management software. Today, 60 per cent of local councils are up to date with their returns compared to zero in 2002, when the project started.

The school had three computer classrooms controlled by Novell Netware 6, Microsoft Windows 2003 Serwer and Linux servers. Maintenance of the classroom served by the Linux system required lots of time to effectively manage. Installation of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 simplified network infrastructure management. The classroom also gained a stable, effective and modern IT system. This allowed the staff to concentrate on teaching IT and not on the constant servicing of the configuration and searching for solutions to server infrastructure problems.

Before the installation of the new server solution the firm had problems with network operating speed and difficulty using network resources. Operation of rendering service on the server was too slow for the company's needs, and waiting time for database application reaction was no longer acceptable. The major goal of installation was to increase network services operating speed and improving network and resource safety. The firm decided to install Microsoft Windows Server 2008, which replaced the previously used Windows Server 2000.

Perfect Line now uses four servers and 40 client stations. By the end of the year, the number of workstations must grow to sixty. When Perfect Line decided to install Windows Server 2008 RC1, the company chose the way of fast technological development and exponential increases in IT service competency. One of the most important purposes of the installation, for the company and its clients, was improvement of IT infrastructure security which resulted from the installation of the new Microsoft server.

The hospital in Rybnik has at its disposal a large and varied IT structure. The hospital uses Novell Netware 5.1 system, has a few servers with Windows 2003, Linux servers, around 180 computers working on Windows 98SE, and 176 computers on Windows XP Professional and Home Edition. Also 170 packages of Microsoft Office are used. The extended structure had weak points. One of them was a weak security policy. Installation of Windows Server 2008 in Rybnik hospital made the network administrator's work easier and saved the time previously dedicated to servicing the firm's computers. Now there is more effective and safer use of the system by terminal work stations.

TWP Projects in South Africa needed a single integrated system for project management and accounting, including a tool to integrate employee timesheets with invoices. The company replaced its Softline Pastel and open-source systems with Microsoft Dynamics® SL business management software. Now, it has an integrated view of operations and revenue streams, which is boosting its ability to maximise profits and eliminating the risk of billing time incorrectly.