Customer Solution Case Study
/ Consultancy Saves€30,500in Operating System Licenses with Cloud-Based Solution
“We subscribed to Windows Intune and it saved us money because we could retire third-party tools and reduce licensing costs. Now I’m saving time by using only one tool to manage and secure our PCs.”
Hakan Kutlug, Head of Information Technology, goetzpartners
Mobile consultants at goetzpartners rely on portable computers to stay productive, but IT staff needed better tools to manage and protect them. The company chose the Windows Intune cloud-based PC-management service from Microsoft. Now IT staff saves 45 percent of its time by using a web-based console instead of manual processes. Support calls have decreased by 25 percent, and the company has saved €12,500(U.S.$16,800) by retiring third-party products.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published November 2011
Business Needs
Based in Munich, Germany, goetzpartners ranks among the top corporate finance and management consulting firms in Europe, offeringboth corporate finance and management consulting expertise. Approximately 80corporate finance consultants serve customers from seven global offices; another 120professionals provide management consulting from three offices in Germany. Corporate finance advisors work mostly in the office within the corporate domain. The management consultants are often on the road, visiting customers.
A four-person IT team manages the company’s fleet of 180 portable computers and 20 PCs. “It’s our job to ensure that consultants can work productively in the office and on the road, but we didn’t have the right tools,” says Hakan Kutlug, Head of Information Technology at goetzpartners. “I spent three days a month writing code for security updates and software upgrades, but these could only be delivered if consultants were connected to the corporate environment through our VPN. Desktop support staff spent 40percent of its time troubleshooting issues over the phone and re-imaging computers when consultants brought them in with a problem. We were always in reactive mode.”
To help provide remote support, goetzpartners spent €5,500(U.S.$7,400) annually on licenses for Netviewer support, and to help with endpoint protection, it used McAfee Endpoint Protection, which cost €7,000 ($9,400)a year. “Instead of using multiple products and manual workarounds to manage and secure our computers, we wanted to find a cost-effective product that would do it all for us,” says Kutlug.
Solution
Initially, goetzpartners considered deploying an on-premises PC-management solution. Then its advisors, ORCHESTOR & Partner,along with its IT partner, Fritz & Macziol, a member of the Microsoft Partner Network with Gold competencies, introduced the company to Windows Intune. This cloud-based service from Microsoft delivers comprehensive desktop management including Microsoft software upgrades, security updates, endpoint protection, remote assistance, and software inventory tracking.
“We are actively marketing Windows Intune to the small and midsize business market in Germany because it solves the common desktop issues we see every day,” says Dominik Runggaldier, Brand Leader, Microsoft Cloud Services at Fritz & Macziol. “goetzpartners was a typical customer that had very little control over a dispersed fleet of portable computers, many of them used outside of the corporate domain. Hakan Kutlug was really interested in not having to buy infrastructure while acquiring a web-based management solution to deliver a secure, productive computing experience to all the consultants. With Windows Intune, we could provide all the endpoint protection and management services that goetzpartners needed remotely. For us, that’s a cost-effective way of doing business.”
Kutlug also liked the fact that Windows Intune includes upgrade rights to the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system. Also, with the latest version of Windows Intune, Kutlug will be able to deploy most Microsoft and third-party software to consultants as long as they have a standard Internet connection.In May 2011, the company decided to subscribe to Windows Intune and to deploy Windows 7 Enterprise.
Benefits
goetzpartners is using Windows Intune and Windows 7 Enterprise to enable the flexible work style of its consultants, who expect their computers to support them at the office, at a customer site, at home, or on the road. The company has benefitted from reduced costs, fewer support calls, simplified desktop management, and optimized security. “We subscribed to Windows Intune and it saved us money because we could retire third-party tools and reduce licensing costs,” says Kutlug. “Now I’m saving time by using only one tool to manage and secure our PCs.”
Reduced Costs
goetzpartners is saving money by subscribing to Windows Intune because it can retire third-party tools and reduce licensing costs. “The upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows XP was key: it allowed us to standardize on the latest desktop operating system, while saving about €18,000 [$24,300] in license costs,” says Hakan Kutlug.
Improved Computing Experience, Fewer Support Calls
Now that goetzpartners has standardized on Windows 7 Enterprise, consultants are working more productively at any location. “The Windows 7 interface is so intuitive,” says Kutlug. “We have fewer problems connecting to wireless networks or to mobile broadband software;Windows 7 has that capability built in. Our support calls are down by 25 percent as a result.”
Simplified Desktop Management
Instead of writing code to distribute security updates and software upgrades, and using third-party tools to provide remote assistance and endpoint protection, IT staff at goetzpartners can do it all from the Windows Intune Administration console. “I’m saving 10 percent of my time every month because I am no longer coding. My support desk staff have reclaimed 40 percent of the time that they used to spend on patching, updating, and troubleshooting desktop issues,” says Kutlug.
Optimized Endpoint Security
Now that Kutlug uses the Administration console to quickly assess the health of managed computers, he and his support staff solve problems before they become crises. “For the first time, we have been able to contact a consultant and say, ‘You have malwareon your system,’ before he even knows it,” says Kutlug. “Since we deployed Windows Intune, our desktop is more secure and our consultants feel they are better supported.”
goetzpartners is looking forward to using the latest version of Windows Intune to deploy software to the consultants. “The latest version of Windows Intune has the potential to save me 25 percent of my time because I’ll be able to deploy software updates through the console, instead of writing code,” concludes Kutlug. “The product just keeps on getting better!”
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published November 2011