Customer Solution Case Study
Broadcaster Boosts Productivity, Enhances Security with Operating System Upgrade
“Employees will save time throughout the day from Federated Search and overall ease of use. Our staff can more rapidly search [for] … program materials.”
Bart Heijnen, Information and Media Technology Manager, AKN
AKN provides shared broadcast facilities and support services to three Dutch public broadcasters and their 1,400 employees. To give creative professionals a more contemporary, engaging computing environment, AKN is migrating its client computers to the Windows® 7 operating system. AKN expects to make end users and IT staff more productive and to help protect data on portable computers.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published November 2009
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Business Needs
In 1995, three of the public broadcast companies in the Netherlands—AVRO, KRO, and NCRV—decided to consolidate broadcast facilities and operational staffs by creating AKN. AKN provides shared broadcast facilities and support services in IT, legal, human resources, finance, marketing, and other areas to the three companies’ 1,400 employees. AKN employs 125 people and is located in Hilversum, near Amsterdam.
Bart Heijnen is the Information and Media Technology Manager for AKN and oversees the 1,000 desktop and 200 portable computers used by AVRO, KRO, and NCRV employees. These systems ran the Windows® XP operating system, but Heijnen knew that Microsoft® support for this program would not last forever. “We evaluated Windows Vista® a couple of years ago but never made the move,” Heijnen explains. “As a media company, we want to stay up-to-date on the latest media platforms, and were eager to implement Windows 7 as soon as possible. We also wanted to adopt more energy-efficient computing.”
Most of the employees that AKN serves are programming managers, writers, creative directors, and editors—people in creative roles who need to stay abreast of the latest developments in culture, social trends, and technology. “They naturally want the most appropriate software on their desks,” Heijnen says. “They are also constantly researching new programming ideas, and this required time-consuming searches through past documentation.”
In addition to keeping employees happy, the IT staff needed to keep tight control of confidential data stored on portable computers. “We had limited control over portable computers once they left the building,” Heijnen says. “We had no encryption software, and we were concerned about portable computers falling into the wrong hands and information about new shows leaking out.”
Solution
In early 2009, local Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Sogeti Nederland approached AKN and invited it to join a Windows 7 early adopter program. “We realized that Windows 7 could help meet the challenges we faced, especially the enhanced security and usability improvements,” Heijnen says. By October 2009, AKN had deployed Windows 7 to 50 computers; it will deploy Windows 7 companywide by early 2010.
In preparation for Windows Vista, AKN had upgraded most of its hardware and performed application compatibility testing, which helped speed the move to Windows 7. It also used the Windows 7 User State Migration Tool to leave data on computers while replacing Windows XP with Windows 7. Heijnen’s staff uses Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 to create and deploy new Windows 7 images and applications for various user profiles.
Federated Search in Windows 7 makes it easier for employees to locate information on the company network. And features such as Aero® Peek, which makes active windows transparent, and Aero Shake, which clears a cluttered desktop with the shake of a mouse, offer employees more ways to view and locate information on the desktop. AKN also upgraded to the Windows Internet Explorer® 8 Internet browser. Now, employees can have multiple tabs open at once and quickly jump between them.
When AKN begins to use the DirectAccess feature of Windows 7, in conjunction with the Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system, mobile employees will be able to connect to the company network more easily from any location. The IT staff, too, will use DirectAccess, to apply security updates any time that portable computers have Internet connectivity, even if users are not logged on. AKN will use the BitLocker To Go™ feature to protect data on portable computers and storage devices.
Benefits
By deploying Windows 7, AKN will be able to deliver a more engaging computing environment for creative professionals, boost productivity, better manage and protect portable computers, and save energy.
More Fun, More Productive
Enhanced desktop features in Windows 7, such as Aero Peek and Aero Shake, scored major “cool” points with employees. “Our employees are interested in all the latest things, and it’s important for us to stimulate them with the latest, freshest software,” Heijnen says. “Among broadcast professionals, there’s always competition between personal computers and Macintosh computers. Windows 7 really closes the gap and makes a PC as friendly and fun as a Mac.”
Heijnen adds that a friendlier, more efficient desktop leads to higher productivity. “Employees will save time throughout the day from Federated Search and overall ease of use,” he says. “Our staff can more rapidly search creative treatments, scripts, and other program materials.” Windows 7 also features faster startup and shutdown times and offline synchronization of e-mail files, which contributes to productivity gains.
Enhanced Security, Manageability for Portable Computers
With the ability to apply security updates to portable computers on a regular basis and to remotely manage those systems, the IT staff will be more productive. AKN can also keep confidential programming, financial, and other information more secure when data leaves the organization on a portable computer. “Our employees are always working on shows in various stages of development, and we need to protect our intellectual property.”
Energy Savings
An unexpected benefit of moving to Windows 7 is reduced energy bills, due to the power management features built in to the operating system. “In public organizations, there is a lot of talk about environmental sustainability,” Heijnen says. “Windows 7 is far more energy efficient than Windows XP and will help us be a better environmental citizen.”
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published November 2009
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