Energy Company Revolutionises Mobile Working with Real-Time Connectivity

Situation

Vattenfall Europe, Germany’s third largest energy supply company, was founded in 2002 after a merger of German energy suppliers Bewag, HEW, LAUBAG, and VEAG. As part of the Swedish Vattenfall Group, the company accounts for around 60 per cent of the group’s turnover. It is the largest employer in eastern Germany, operating mining companies and large power stations, the region’s power distribution network, and a commercial power company. The organisation also supplies electricity and heat to private customers in the cities of Berlin and Hamburg.

To help drive greater business efficiency, one year after the merger of the four energy supply companies, each plant standardised its IT infrastructures on Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Advanced Server operating system. At the same time, they deployed Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server communication and collaboration server. For better communication and collaboration, employees also gained Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 messaging and collaboration client with Personal Information Management (PIM) functions, such as contact information, scheduling appointments, recording tasks, and sending memoranda and e-mails.

The new technology greatly increased the effectiveness of working practices at Vattenfall Europe. However, employees could only synchronise their personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones with Outlook 2003 using a direct link to workstations. When outside the office, staff had to boot up their notebooks and dial into the corporate network to view calendar entries and e-mails. This was hugely inconvenient and sometimes unreliable, increasing the stress levels of employees, who often faced tight deadlines to meet customer demands.

Thomas Bauch-Mertens of the Vattenfall Europe Information Service describes the situation: “Our working environment has changed significantly in recent years. Now, it is assumed that people can react to customer queries anywhere and at any time. This means that employees must have fast access to accurate corporate data and applications from any location.”

Vattenfall Europe defined a number of key technology requirements for the right mobile solution. Stefan Ditscheid, IT Strategist for Infrastructure at Vattenfall Europe, says: “One key consideration was the ability to upgrade systems as we plan to deliver access to corporate applications using PDAs and smartphones in the near future. Low initial acquisition costs, minimal staff training requirements, and cost-effective system maintenance were also key factors in our technology selection.

“We also needed a solution that would not tie us to a specific mobile telecommunications service provider. We currently operate in Germany, Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland, with other countries to follow. The new system must be able to function anywhere using the mobile telecommunications service providers we choose.”

Solution

In collaboration with colleagues at the Vattenfall Europe Information Service, Ditscheid conducted an in-depth evaluation of possible technology solutions. Initially, they assessed the terminal device Blackberry from Research in Motion (RIM), which could be synchronised with Outlook 2003. However, Ditscheid and his colleagues believed upgrade options for corporate applications and new devices were limited.

Vattenfall Europe holds a SELECT License agreement with Microsoft. As a result, it gained insight into the MDA Messaging Solution—a joint offering from Microsoft and T-Mobile that supports advanced mobile working. By choosing this solution, companies receive servers, Windows Mobile® software–based data terminals, consultancy services, deployment support, and staff training for synchronisation with corporate networks in real time.

MDA Messaging Solution runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile version 5.0 that the vendor developed for smartphones, pocket PCs, and pocket PC phones. It supports key applications for boosting personal productivity, such as Microsoft Office Word 2003, Office Excel® 2003 spreadsheet software, Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2003 presentation graphics program, and Outlook 2003. Windows Mobile 5.0 also delivers ActiveSync® version 4.1 technology, which drives synchronisation with corporate networks and enhances the Internet functionality of smartphones.

Vattenfall Europe was so impressed after Microsoft demonstrated the solution’s business value that the company pressed ahead with deployment, becoming one of the first companies to use it. Bauch-Mertens says: “The decision to deploy the MDA Messaging Solution was simple. It satisfied all our requirements with out-of-the-box functionality and promised cost-effective implementation and maintenance.”

In January 2005, Vattenfall Europe rolled out a pilot project with 20 data terminals supplied free of charge by mobile telecommunications service providers. Soon afterwards, the Vattenfall Europe Information Service division purchased an additional 80 data terminals. Bauch-Mertens says: “The range of smartphones and PDAs on offer was excellent. We were initially impressed with the MDA compact and the SDA smartphone devices from T-Mobile. Later, we also selected the MDA III Pocket PC, which features an extending keypad, and the VPA compact, a PDA from Vodafone.”

These four devices passed stringent tests and were cleared for operation in the corporate network. Ditscheid says: “Because of our internal certification, we are familiar with the preconfigured applications supplied by the mobile telecommunications service providers and are able to identify faults quickly should they arise. We also restrict the number of different mobile devices in circulation to ensure cost-effective maintenance.

“Employees can now use smartphones and mobile PCs to access their contact information, calendar entries, tasks, e-mails, and SMS messages in real time. The only difference between devices relates to the style of display and the methods of inputting information. While mobile phones are ideal for using address books and the calendars, PDAs are better suited to viewing and sending e-mails and accessing the Internet.” Because Exchange Server 2003 was already in use at Vattenfall Europe, the price of the MDA Messaging Solution was fixed with no additional licensing or maintenance costs.

By the end of July 2005, testing of the solution, which is known internally as ‘VE Mobile Outlook’, was complete. At the same time, the corporate messaging environment was migrated from Exchange 2000 Server to Exchange Server 2003. With the solution’s out-of-box software, Vattenfall Europe avoided any additional development expense, making the solution exceptionally cost effective. Since roll-out of the new system finished, VE Mobile Outlook and ActiveSync 4.1 have been supporting mobile access to the communications platform using GPRS connections.

Benefits

Empowered Employees Get Key Data in Real Time

Using the new mobile solution, employees have gained much better control over their daily working lives. They can wirelessly synchronise with the network’s messaging infrastructure, accessing mailboxes and calendars conveniently and rapidly. In addition, they can also set the intervals at which devices synchronise with the centralised Exchange Server 2003 messaging environment. Ditscheid says: “Soon, we will be able to ‘push’ e-mails immediately from our corporate servers to employees’ mobile devices.”

Because the VE Mobile Outlook system is connected directly to employees’ personal Exchange Server 2003 mailboxes, e-mails deleted on PDAs are also removed from central servers. Messages sent on the move are also stored in the relevant Outlook 2003 folders on office PCs.

Minimised Data Traffic and Cost-Effective Mobile Connections

Initially, only one or two kilobytes of e-mail data are transmitted to mobile terminals. Complete downloads are activated by clicking, or touching, the keypad, reducing the volume of unnecessary data traffic. In addition, devices always identify the most cost-effective type of mobile connection. When they are connected to PCs with cables in to recharge batteries, they also synchronise data by cable instead of using the usual GPRS links. This economical way of working restricts the exchange of data to the modest volume of 30 megabytes per month and results in highly competitive data tariffs.

Enhanced System Security

The solution offers excellent security and data protection. Complete integration of devices into the corporate network ensures that they are bound by centralised network security guidelines and that data is transmitted using encrypted connections. Bauch-Mertens says: “New mobile data terminals will be able to send e-mils with electronic signatures. The MDA Messaging solution supports the S/MIME signature process and, with our internal Microsoft-PKI, we have all the necessary components on board to implement this.”

Recently, the Vattenfall Europe Information Service standardised its central directory service across the Group based on Microsoft Active Directory® directory service. Ditscheid says: “Access to the Exchange [Server] mailbox is only possible for users who are registered in our Active Directory and who can demonstrate that they have all the required access rights. This ensures that all our corporate data remains secure at all times.”

Fast User Adoption and Increased Productivity

Currently, 200 employees are using the new solution and this figure will be 1,000 by the end of 2006. Ditscheid says: “The new technology is highly motivational and provides new opportunities for working on the move. In addition, it helps employees adapt to changes in their short-term schedules and plan more effectively in the long term. Although these benefits are difficult to quantify in terms of definite figures, I am receiving favourable feedback about the new solution from all sides and users love it.”

Microsoft Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile brings the power of the Windows® operating system to mobile devices, helping businesses and their mobile employees stay connected while on the go. Windows Mobile runs mobile versions of Microsoft programs, including Microsoft Office Outlook® Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, Pocket MSN®, Windows Media® Player Mobile, and Microsoft Office Word Mobile, PowerPoint® Mobile, and Excel® Mobile. With Windows Mobile, information workers get powerful software combined with the familiarity of Windows. Combined with available service plans and connectivity options, Windows Mobile–based devices, available from 42 device makers and 68 mobile operators in 48 countries, can be used to make calls, send e-mail and instant messages, surf the Web, and access critical business information even when users are away from the office.

More information about Windows Mobile can be found at: