Customer Case Study
Michigan Department of Information Technology
8/12/2009
State of Michigan Chooses Microsoft over Novell and Linux; Saves $14 Million Annually
To reduce redundancy and cost, while boosting performance and efficiency, the State of Michigan decided to centralize on a single technology platform. After considering Novell and Linux, Michigan chose Microsoft® technologies. The resulting IT environment has reduced operating and staffing costs for the State by more than $14 million per year. It has also increased system availability and reliability, and provided the foundation for a new generation of applications that will better serve the people of Michigan.
Industry: State And Regional Government Agencies
Size: Large, 56000 employees
Country: US  US

Customer Profile
http://www.michigan.gov/
The Michigan Department of Information Technology was created in October 2001 to achieve a unified and cost-effective approach for managing information technology among all Executive Branch agencies.
Business Situation
The State of Michigan had a highly de-centralized and expensive core IT infrastructure. The state wanted to reduce costs while boosting performance and efficiency.
Solution
After considering technologies ranging from Novell to Linux, the state chose to centralize on the Microsoft® environment, migrating e-mail, directory services, data centers, and more.
Benefit
  • Saving U.S.$10 million annually in operating costs
  • Saving $4 million annually in staffing costs
  • Increasing availability
  • Establishing the foundation for greater customer satisfaction
Software
  • Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager
  • Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
  • Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
  • Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services
Quote
"If you just look at licensing costs, Microsoft may not be less expensive than alternatives such as Linux. But when you look at the total cost of ownership, Microsoft clearly cuts costs while delivering superior performance and functionality."
Mike Binkley, Director of Office Automation Services, Michigan Department of Information Technology