Home Furnishings Company Automates System Management ...



Overview

Country or Region: United States

Industry: Retail

Customer Profile

Crate and Barrel sells home furnishings through its Web site, catalog, and retail stores. Based in Illinois, the company employs more than 6,000 sales associates throughout the United States.

Business Situation

Crate and Barrel wanted to eliminate costly and time-consuming manual processes for tasks such as tracking technology assets, installing security updates, and deploying software applications.

Solution

Crate and Barrel implemented a new solution to automate and simplify IT management, using Microsoft® Systems Management Server 2003 and the Active Directory® service.

Benefits

■ Saves nearly U.S.$100,000 in asset management costs

■ Increases IT operational efficiency

■ Enhances security

■ Improves decision making

| | |“With Systems Management Server 2003, we’re getting control of what’s out there in our environment. It helps me from a planning standpoint to know what systems we have and what needs to be updated.”

Lou Tucker, Director of Technology, Crate and Barrel

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| | | |Crate and Barrel, a home furnishings company with 130 retail stores in the United States, wanted to |

| | | |automate its IT system management tasks. The company was using time-consuming manual processes and |

| | | |costly outside consultants to inventory technology assets, install security updates, and deploy |

| | | |applications. To improve operations, Crate and Barrel implemented a solution based on Microsoft® |

| | | |Systems Management Server 2003 and the Active Directory® service. Now Crate and Barrel can quickly |

| | | |and easily manage its software and hardware. The company can identify security risks, and it can |

| | | |implement software updates and management policies to help protect its systems. Crate and Barrel has |

| | | |cut costs by improving efficiency and eliminating the need for consultants. For example, a computer |

| | | |inventory process that previously took 30 days and cost about U.S.$100,000 now can be completed in 30|

| | | |minutes. |

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| | | |[pic] |

| | | | |

Situation

Crate and Barrel sells contemporary home furnishings including kitchenware, furniture, and accessories. Founded in 1962, the Illinois-based business focuses on providing high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. The company has 130 retail stores and more than 6,000 sales associates throughout the United States.

As Crate and Barrel grew, the management of its IT systems became costly and time consuming. The company used many manual processes because it could not automate the tasks with its existing management tools, including Microsoft® Windows NT® Server operating system version 4.0. For example, the IT staff was unable to automate the installation of software updates and could not easily apply policies across groups of users and computers. “We used technologies like logon scripts and tried to use everything we could in Windows NT [Server 4.0], but a lot of the functionality that we needed wasn’t there,” says Lou Tucker, Director of Technology at Crate and Barrel.

Crate and Barrel hired outside consultants to help manage workstations and server computers at its retail stores. During on-site visits, consultants manually installed security updates and software programs. To take inventory of hardware and software assets, the consultants counted computers and logged on to them to determine the software they were running. These consulting costs were substantial. For example, a two-hour visit by a consultant to install software updates cost U.S.$300. If 50 stores needed an on-site visit, the total cost would be $15,000. In 2003, a comprehensive inventory of technology assets took 30 days and cost approximately $100,000.

In addition, the inefficient management processes hampered system security. Without an automated solution for tracking and distributing software updates, the IT staff could not ensure that all workstations had the most recent updates.

Crate and Barrel wanted a new solution that would automate and simplify IT management to help improve efficiency, increase security, and reduce costs.

Solution

Crate and Barrel decided to deploy the Microsoft Windows ServerTM 2003 operating system and implement the Active Directory® service to help manage the company’s 1,500 workstations and 140 servers. Active Directory provides a central location for managing and securing user accounts, computers, and applications.

The company also wanted to take advantage of the easy integration of Active Directory with Microsoft server products such as Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003, which is part of Microsoft Windows Server SystemTM integrated server software. SMS 2003 helps organizations manage their software and hardware assets by tracking inventory and usage. SMS 2003 also helps deliver software updates and business applications quickly and reliably.

“With Active Directory in place, we could move forward with other tools to further simplify operations,” says Todd DiGirolamo, Senior Network Engineer at Crate and Barrel.

In July 2003, the company began the implementation of Active Directory with the help of Intrinsic Technologies, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Microsoft then asked Crate and Barrel to take part in a prerelease program for Systems Management Server 2003. Crate and Barrel already owned Core Client Access Licenses as part of the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement licensing program, so the company could save on software costs compared with competing products.

Crate and Barrel upgraded its domains from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Active Directory in Windows Server 2003. The company also replaced its complex, flawed DNS structure with a stable one. DNS in Windows Server 2003 is important to the operation of Active Directory because DNS resolves computer names with Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, helping users and applications identify and connect to computers.

Lab testing aided the implementation of Active Directory: “The test environment made sure that any business risks were identified and tested before we decided to switch to the new environment,” Tucker says. “We did not have any business disruptions.”

After deploying Active Directory, Crate and Barrel began the SMS 2003 implementation. Microsoft Services consultants helped configure Active Directory and deploy SMS 2003.

Crate and Barrel implemented SMS 2003 sites, which are the fundamental administrative units that define the computers, users, groups, and other resources that are managed by SMS 2003. The company deployed two primary sites—one at the corporate headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, and a second at a company distribution center in Naperville, Illinois. At Crate and Barrel retail locations, the company deployed secondary sites, which receive instructions from the primary sites and report back to those sites. Depending on their location in the SMS 2003 site hierarchy, workstations report information such as inventory data to the primary or secondary sites. Each SMS 2003 site has an SMS server, and each primary site also includes a Microsoft SQL ServerTM 2000 database. The site at Crate and Barrel headquarters acts as the central site, where the IT staff can view and manage all SMS 2003 sites in the hierarchy.

The company uses SMS 2003 to manage its assets and monitor the installation of software updates. In January and February 2005, Crate and Barrel installed updates at its distribution center using Software Update Services (SUS), an add-in component for Windows Server 2003. SMS 2003 reporting helped the IT staff determine whether updates were installed successfully. For the company’s retail stores, which have limited bandwidth, the IT staff plans to use SMS 2003 to both deploy and monitor updates because SMS 2003 minimizes bandwidth consumption during updates. The company also expects to use SMS 2003 when it needs to deploy software such as new operating systems and business applications.

Benefits

Crate and Barrel has improved efficiency and productivity by automating system management tasks. The company has also reduced costs and increased its system security.

Cost Savings of Nearly $100,000

Using Systems Management Server 2003 to manage software and hardware assets, Crate and Barrel saves a considerable amount of time and money. The company no longer needs to use manual processes to determine what computer hardware and software is in use. In 2003, Crate and Barrel spent 30 days and approximately $100,000 on a comprehensive inventory, and the company risked inaccuracy due to human error. Now Crate and Barrel can collect the same information in 30 minutes. “I can run inventory with SMS [2003] and generate a report, and I know it’s accurate,” says DiGirolamo.

Increased IT Operational Efficiency

With the new solution, DiGirolamo can quickly download software updates, distribute them to workstations, and determine if the updates were installed. To deploy updates for the Microsoft Windows® operating system on 250 workstations at the company’s distribution center, DiGirolamo distributed the updates using Software Update Services. He sent the updates after business hours so they would not hinder network bandwidth. When employees turned on their computers the next time they were at work, they installed the updates.

According to Tucker, the company saved one hour per workstation because it was able to automate the process and distribute updates at night. “We did not disrupt the business at all,” Tucker says. “That was a big timesavings compared with a consultant going on-site during the daytime and trying to use the Internet to download updates.”

DiGirolamo uses SMS 2003 reporting to learn which updates were applied and whether problems prevented other updates from being installed. He then can fix any problems and redeploy updates. Tucker says the company now has a much more efficient update process. “Software Update Services and Systems Management Server have provided a clear, controlled environment for updating computers that we haven’t had in a number of years,” he says.

Active Directory also helps Crate and Barrel simplify IT management. “I’ve been able to divide the user and workstation environment into organizational units,” DiGirolamo says. “That has helped me organize the environment, manage licenses, and apply Group Policy.”

Using management features such as Group Policy with Active Directory, the IT staff has automated administrative tasks and thereby improved productivity. For example, the staff has written a policy that allows specific users in different domains to access an order transaction system, eliminating the need to manually change those user permissions. Previously, such changes would have taken the IT staff a day to complete. With the new solution, an engineer set the permissions in a few minutes.

Enhanced Security

Crate and Barrel has improved system security by ensuring that workstations get security updates. “We’re excited that we have a lot more control over the security of our systems,” Tucker says. “Now we don’t have a lot of holes or potential holes for virus attacks.”

When security threats occur, Create and Barrel is able to respond quickly and effectively. For example, the company investigated and resolved some problems with virus attacks and spyware even though it had not yet set up security update management with the new solution. The IT staff implemented updates using a combination of SMS 2003, Active Directory, and Software Update Services. Crate and Barrel used SMS 2003 to find out which computers were running certain executable programs and what service packs were installed. With Group Policy and Active Directory, the IT staff centrally configured workstations to download security updates from a server running SUS.

“We couldn’t have done that with our old environment,” DiGirolamo says. “If we had not had those tools, we would have been in some serious trouble.”

Three IT staff members implemented the security updates in a week, saving time and costs by eliminating the need to hire consultants or ship CDs to the stores and help nontechnical workers through the installation process. “Without Active Directory, Systems Management Server, and Software Update Services, installing updates was a very costly, tedious, and painful process,” says DiGirolamo.

Crate and Barrel can take additional steps to help protect company systems. For example, the IT staff can determine if employees have installed applications such as the Kazaa file sharing program, which can be susceptible to spyware. “Systems Management Server is a phenomenal tool for finding applications that should not be on my network,” DiGirolamo says. “I can find them and put a stop to them quickly, which is a big benefit in terms of security.”

Improved Decision Making

Crate and Barrel is able to make better budget decisions and stay compliant with licensing rules because it can track assets and their usage. “With Systems Management Server 2003, we’re getting control of what’s out there in our environment,” Tucker says. “It helps me from a planning standpoint to know what systems we have and what needs to be updated.”

Microsoft Windows Server System

Microsoft Windows Server System integrated server infrastructure software is designed to support end-to-end solutions built on the Windows Server operating system. Windows Server System creates an infrastructure based on integrated innovation, Microsoft's holistic approach to building products and solutions that are intrinsically designed to work together and interact seamlessly with other data and applications across your IT environment. This helps you reduce the costs of ongoing operations, deliver a more secure and reliable IT infrastructure, and drive valuable new capabilities for the future growth of your business.

For more information about Windows Server System, go to:

windowsserversystem

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| |Software and Services

■ Microsoft Windows Server System

− Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition

− Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition

− Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003

■ Services

− Microsoft Services

− Microsoft Consulting Services

|Technologies

− Active Directory

− Software Update Services

Hardware

■ IBM xSeries Intel Xeon–based server computers

Partners

■ Intrinsic Technologies | |

© 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Microsoft, Active Directory, Windows, the Windows logo, Windows NT, Windows Server, and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Document published March 2005 | | |

For More Information

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For more information about Intrinsic Technologies products and services, call (630) 769-4111 or visit the Web site at:



For more information about Crate and Barrel products and services, call (847) 272-2888 or visit the Web site at:



“Systems Management Server is a phenomenal tool for finding applications that should not be on my network. I can find them and put a stop to them quickly, which is a big benefit in terms of security.”

Todd DiGirolamo, Senior Network Engineer, Crate and Barrel

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“Without Active Directory, Systems Management Server, and Software Update Services, installing updates was a very costly, tedious, and painful process.”

Todd DiGirolamo, Senior Network Engineer, Crate and Barrel

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