Customer Solution Case Study
/ Dubai Agency Upgrades Operating System, Improves Productivity 35 Percent
Overview
Country or Region: United Arab Emirates
Industry: Government agencies
Customer Profile
The Executive Council of Dubai supports the implementation of the Government of Dubai’s strategic plans. It also develops strategies and policies for the implementation of public services in Dubai.
Business Situation
The 150 employees of The Executive Council experienced productivity losses because their computers were slow, and the organization wanted to upgrade with security and manageability in mind.
Solution
The Executive Council deployed Windows 7 Enterprise on its entire fleet of computers within three weeks. It is also taking advantage of performance improvements and features in Windows Internet Explorer 8.
Benefits
· Enhanced usability
· Decreased IT workload
· Increased productivity
· Simplified IT management / “Our employees have embraced Windows 7. They now have a reliable operating system that’s easy to use and easy to maintain.”
Muna Abdulla Al Falasi, Head of IT Unit, The Executive Council of Dubai
The 150 employees at The Executive Council of Dubai, a governmental organization charged with carrying out the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, were experiencing daily productivity challenges because their computers were slow to start and respond. In late 2009, the organization got the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 7 through the Windows 7 early adopter program. It launched a pilot program for IT employees and “power users.” The organization found no incompatibilities with its line-of-business software running on Windows Internet Explorer 8. After the successful pilot program, The Executive Council completed deployment within three weeks, using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to implement Windows 7. The Executive Council benefits from an intuitive user interface, a reduced IT workload, a 35 percent productivity improvement, and easier IT management.
Works the way you want
Situation
Established in 2003, The Executive Council of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates oversees governmental policies, strategies, performance, communication, and service improvements, and it supports all initiatives and programs under these functions. Among other responsibilities, the organization’s staff members are charged with carrying out the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, a program to develop the emirate’s most dynamic economic sectors and promote the well-being of the public.
In 2009, The Executive Council employees had been running the Window Vista operating system for a year on the organization’s fleet of 150 computers—90 percent of which are portable computers. Employees claimed that the operating system was slow to start, resume, and carry out tasks. The delays added up to hours of lost time. Additionally, The Executive Council Service Desk was fielding a lot of requests for technical assistance for issues related to performance, compatibility, reliability, security, and mobility. “The issues we experienced with the operating system caused many hours of lost productivity,” says Rohit Arya, Microsoft Specialist—IT at The Executive Council of Dubai. “Because each case needed to be investigated separately, we had to support a large Service Desk team.”
The Executive Council wanted to upgrade to a more intuitive system, keep its IT infrastructure as secure as possible, and enhance the manageability of its computer fleet. “We strive to give our employees the most efficient, modern, and productive tools,” says Muna Abdulla Al Falasi, Head of IT Unit at The Executive Council of Dubai. “We needed to reduce the burden on the Service Desk and provide employees with a better operating system.”
Solution
In 2009, The Executive Council got a chance to participate in the Microsoft early adopters program for the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system. Starting in December 2009, The Executive Council IT Department, in partnership with Cyquent Technology Consultants, a member of the Microsoft Partner Network, conducted a successful pilot deployment by running Windows 7 Enterprise on five computers to evaluate desktop management, user productivity, and security.
To avoid disruption across the organization, the IT Department carefully planned the rollout of Windows 7. The first stage of the deployment included the IT Team as well as “power users” (a selection of active users from different departments who use a variety of applications and systems). During this stage, The Executive Council assessed application compatibility and confirmed that all of its third-party applications were compatible with Windows 7 Enterprise and the Windows Internet Explorer 8 browser. Based on the success of this early rollout stage, the organization deployed the operating system to its entire fleet in three weeks. The Executive Council runs Windows 7 Enterprise on the same hardware devices that were running Windows Vista, and the hardware works seamlessly with the operating system.
Cyquent Technology Consultants provided a senior consultant to provide Windows 7 training. Attendance was mandatory for power users, and the event was recorded and broadcast live to all users, who could participate from their desks. “We planned the implementation to minimize resistance and to provide employees with the tools they need to get the most out of the new system,” says Noora Al Suwaidi, IT Manager at the Executive Council. “Even so, working with Windows 7 is very straightforward and doesn’t really require training.”
The organization’s employees take advantage of performance improvements and features in Internet Explorer 8, including Accelerators, Web Slices, Instant Search Box, Smarter Address Bar, enhanced tabbed browsing, Domain Highlighting, and InPrivate Browsing.
The organization also takes advantage of Windows 7 features—including longer battery life—to streamline productivity, reduce service desk calls, and tighten security. To approve change requests, password policies, account lockouts, email archiving, desktop background, and auditing, The Executive Council uses Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management 4.0 tools. The Executive Council plans to use BitLocker and BitLocker To Go drive encryption technology to encrypt both fixed and removable medias to help keep documents, passwords, and other data safe. “All security features in Windows 7 are easier to access and nicely grouped under the System and Security and the User Accounts and Family Safety tabs inside the Control Panel,” says Arya. “It gives us much better control over the security of PCs.”
Employees make use of Action Center, which consolidates alerts from key operating system features in the taskbar. If they have issues, they can employ the Problem Steps Recorder feature in Windows 7 to record their interactions with a screen-by-screen view. Employees use Windows Search to find content on their computers, in their inboxes, on remote file shares, or on the web. For speedier PC response, users can plug in a USB drive and borrow flash memory by using the ReadyBoost feature. The organization uses location-aware printing, too, which means that Windows 7 remembers what network and printer an employee used from a particular location. The Executive Council also uses Backup and Restore, a feature in Windows 7 that includes built-in tools to help back up data.
The Executive Council bases its entire IT infrastructure on Microsoft products. It uses Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 email messaging and collaboration software and plans to upgrade to Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 soon. It employs the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system as its domain service platform and for auditing. To implement Windows 7 Enterprise, the organization used Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to gain insight into and control over IT systems. It also uses System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 to better manage IT systems and monitor system-critical alerts. By using Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 client security, the IT department can more efficiently manage security for networks, servers, and computers throughout its infrastructure.
Benefits
As soon as it deployed Windows 7 Enterprise, The Executive Council realized benefits, including better usability, reduced Service Desk calls, increased productivity, and simplified IT management. “We use all Microsoft technologies, and they have all proved to be excellent tools for our organization,” says Al-Suwaidi. “With Windows 7, we dramatically improve the user’s experience and simplify management of the computer fleet.”
Enhanced Usability
Employees at The Executive Council were eager to adopt the new operating system and have reported great satisfaction with the Windows 7 user interface. “Our employees have embraced Windows 7,” says Al Falasi. “They now have a reliable operating system that’s easy to use and easy to maintain.”
Decreased IT Workload
Thanks to the enhanced usability of Windows 7 Enterprise, The Executive Council has been able to reduce the number of Service Desk employee hours from 200 per week to 120 per week. Moreover, only two of those three employees provide support for the end-user computers. The Service Desk receives 15 percent fewer calls, and the types of service requests have changed. Previously, employees called about slow and halted response times. “Windows 7 is so reliable that we’ve been able to reassign Service Desk employees to higher-value duties,” says Al Falasi. “This represents a significant savings in the IT budget.”
Increased Productivity
Employees report that Windows 7 starts more quickly, runs faster, and is more stable. Thanks to the improved user interface, better power management, and increased stability of Windows 7, The Executive Council employees are getting more work done. For example, Windows Search empowers employees to find files quickly and save several minutes a day. “Windows 7 is a reliable and predictable operating system,” says Al Falasi. “We’re seeing a 35 percent improvement in productivity. For example, employees no longer have to shut down their computers after every session. The time saved from this and other new features has yielded tremendous benefits for our employees.”
Simplified IT Management
With features including Advanced Group Policy Management 4.0, IT administrators have a way to quickly and cost-effectively manage Windows 7-based computers across The Executive Council organization. Additionally, the IT team takes advantage of System Center Configuration Manager to access and optimize the health of its client computers. Says Arya, “We’re confident that this technology will provide for a more reliable environment, a more manageable infrastructure, and less downtime.”
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
Works the way you want