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|Overview | | |“Our IT staff used to spend 50 percent of its time monitoring and removing unauthorized software from|

|Country or Region: Taiwan | | |computers. Windows 7 eliminates this work. [They] can now spend more time creating new solutions.” |

|Industry: Professional services—IT services | | |David Feng, Technical Director, SYSTEX |

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|Customer Profile | | | |

|SYSTEX is one of the largest IT services | | | |

|providers in the Asia-Pacific region, with | | | |

|nearly 3,000 employees, 48 offices, and | | | |

|10,000 customers. SYSTEX is based in Taipei, | | | |

|Taiwan. | | | |

| | | | |

|Business Situation | | | |

|SYSTEX wanted to improve user productivity by| | | |

|improving computer performance and ease of | | | |

|use. It also wanted to reduce desktop | | | |

|computer management work and enhance | | | |

|security. | | | |

| | | | |

|Solution | | | |

|SYSTEX deployed Windows® 7 on 100 systems and| | | |

|is taking advantage of the new operating | | | |

|system’s features and tools to increase | | | |

|productivity and security and reduce IT | | | |

|management work. | | | |

| | | | |

|Benefits | | | |

|User productivity gains | | | |

|Desktop management time reduced 50 percent | | | |

|Support work reduced 20 percent | | | |

|Bandwidth and software savings | | | |

|Enhanced security and control | | | |

| | | |SYSTEX is a large Taiwanese IT services provider with 48 offices throughout the Asia-Pacific region. |

| | | |Aiming to improve user productivity and reduce the cost of maintaining and supporting 2,500 client |

| | | |computers, SYSTEX is deploying the Windows® 7 operating system. The 100 users running the new |

| | | |software have been elated with the operating system’s performance, usability, and stability. SYSTEX |

| | | |has watched user productivity increase due to improved performance and ease-of-use features. The IT |

| | | |staff has eliminated the time it used to spend removing unauthorized software that is now blocked by |

| | | |Windows 7, which reduces IT work by 50 percent. Support costs are 20 percent lower because |

| | | |applications run better under Windows 7, and Windows 7 can troubleshoot many of its own problems. |

| | | |SYSTEX also saves U.S.$100,000 annually on network bandwidth due to the Windows 7 BranchCache™ |

| | | |feature. |

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| | | |[pic] |

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Situation

Founded in 1997, SYSTEX Corporation is the largest Taiwan-based IT services provider in the Asia-Pacific region, with nearly 2,500 employees and 48 branch offices in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. SYSTEX has 10,000 customers and a net worth of U.S.$456.5 million. SYSTEX delivers comprehensive IT applications and infrastructure solutions, international project management, and software development and integration services.

As a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, SYSTEX makes it a point to stay current on the latest Microsoft offerings, so it can help clients get maximum benefit from these offerings. When the Windows Vista® operating system was available in early 2007, SYSTEX deployed the software on about half of its 2,500 desktop and portable computers (the other half were running the Windows® XP operating system). With the economy contracting, SYSTEX lengthened its desktop refresh cycle from every three to five years to every six or seven years. With hardware expenditures suddenly frozen, SYSTEX reached a limit on how many systems could run Windows Vista.

Users running older hardware and operating systems complained about sluggish performance and occasional application failures that required system reboots. This negatively affected user productivity and IT support costs. However, the biggest IT problem was controlling the software that users downloaded onto their computers. “We had powerful server management software but no comparable desktop management tools,” says David Feng, Technical Director at SYSTEX. “Users were downloading applications that ultimately made their systems run slower, and some inadvertently installed malware that disabled their system or infiltrated the company network.”

The IT staff was able to mitigate this problem somewhat on Windows Vista-based systems using the Windows User Account Control feature. However, many of the technically-competent users at SYSTEX turned off the feature to avoid responding to consent-prompts. Turning off User Account Control created more work for the IT staff and weakened the company’s defense against malware.

“Our IT staff spent fully 50 percent of its time on desktop issues, including troubleshooting problems, removing unauthorized software from user systems, and repairing problems,” Feng says. “We wanted to give our IT staff a better way to control user actions so they could reduce their desktop management time.”

Another support burden for the IT staff was helping remote users connect to corporate systems using a virtual private network (VPN). Sometimes, users entered settings incorrectly and could not connect, or they inadvertently changed settings in their computer that prevented them from connecting to the network when back in the office. The IT staff fielded way too many of these calls and wished for an easier, but still secure, way for users to work remotely.

Solution

When Windows 7 was announced, SYSTEX was immediately interested in learning more, because it heard that the software performed well on a wide range of hardware and also offered stability and desktop management improvements. Plus, Windows 7 was designed to work with Windows Server® 2008 R2 to provide many new benefits for enterprise customers. SYSTEX knew that customers would soon start asking about the new operating system and wanted to be prepared with answers.

In late 2008, SYSTEX began deploying Windows 7, and to date has deployed the software to about 100 systems. The company is testing performance, application compatibility, and the user interface. “We want to make sure that the first impression on users is a good one before we deploy Windows 7 broadly,” Feng says.

Upgrading systems to Windows 7 was fast and easy thanks to the User State Migration Tool, which enabled SYSTEX to leave data on a computer while the operating system was being replaced. The Windows 7 User State Migration Tool uses the Windows PowerShell™ command-line interface and scripting language to simplify the task of migrating user settings and files during operating system upgrades.

To SYSTEX, one of the most attractive features about Windows 7 is its modest hardware requirements. “We have performed several tests running Windows 7 on computers that now run Windows XP, and it runs great,” Feng says. “This means that we can deploy Windows 7 more broadly on existing machines, even those that are three or four years old, without the need to increase our hardware budget.”

Features that Boost Productivity

SYSTEX has found that Windows 7 boots up faster, resumes from sleep mode much faster, and runs far better than previous operating systems. The productivity gains increase with Windows 7 features such as DirectAccess, which enables mobile users to more easily connect to corporate systems when out of the office, and BranchCache™, which speeds up access to files and Web sites for branch-office users. “Users do not need to configure anything to connect to their work system from home,” Feng says. “With Windows 7, they simply connect to the Internet.”

The VPN Reconnect feature in Windows 7 also makes it easier and less frustrating to connect by VPN. If a VPN connection fails, VPN Reconnect automatically re-establishes the connection without any work on the user’s part.

Windows 7 BranchCache is a great feature for SYSTEX, because “there is never enough bandwidth” between the company’s 48 branch offices, and users are constantly sharing information. “BranchCache is a very good, cost-effective way to accelerate information exchanges without having to buy more bandwidth,” Feng says.

Apart from these specific features, the overall usability of Windows 7 has received rave reviews from SYSTEX employees. Technical employees often have many windows open on their desktop at any given time, and it’s very easy to switch between windows with Windows 7. With the operating system’s expanded search capability, it’s also much easier to locate information stored on the corporate intranet.

Management and Security Improvements

The IT staff at SYSTEX has given Windows 7 an enthusiastic thumbs-up; image management and deployment are easier and less time consuming, and when users have problems and cannot contact the IT staff immediately, they can often use the built-in Windows Troubleshooting Platform to resolve problems themselves. The IT staff also plans to use DirectAccess to remotely manage user systems. Because User Account Control in Windows 7 is much more flexible, SYSTEX can keep it turned on, which better protects systems without impeding user productivity.

The Windows 7 AppLocker™ feature prevents users from running unauthorized applications, and the new BitLocker To Go™ feature extends the data protection offered through BitLocker™ Drive Encryption to USB storage devices. The IT staff enforces BitLocker Drive Encryption using Advanced Group Policy Management, which enables IT staffers to modify Group Policy Objects without affecting employee desktops. SYSTEX deployed the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system to several servers to take advantage of BranchCache, DirectAccess, and AppLocker.

Benefits

Its early look at Windows 7 has shown SYSTEX that the new operating system can measurably increase user productivity, reduce desktop management and support work, and save on bandwidth costs and third-party software licensing fees. The operating system also extends data protections to new mobile storage devices, which will better safeguard SYSTEX data.

User Productivity Gains

“We have seen user productivity increase dramatically from using the DirectAccess and BranchCache features alone,” Feng says. SYSTEX can measure bandwidth usage and the amount of cached information, which tells it that users are accessing information faster. It can also measure the drop in support calls from mobile users who need help connecting to corporate systems. In addition to these specific timesavings, “The great performance and overall easier usability of Windows 7 have increased user productivity by at least 10 percent,” Feng continues.

Improved user productivity translates into additional revenues for SYSTEX, because employees have fewer interruptions throughout the day, more time to spend with customers and prospects, and more time to focus on value-added tasks rather than waiting on their computers.

Desktop Management Time Reduced 50 Percent

Using features like AppLocker, SYSTEX foresees being able to dramatically reduce the time its IT staff spends on desktop management. “Our IT staff used to spend 50 percent of its time monitoring and removing unauthorized software from computers,” Feng says. “Windows 7 eliminates this work. These valuable resources can now spend more time creating new solutions for customers rather than keeping internal systems running.”

Support Work Reduced 20 Percent

SYSTEX has found that users are able to address many of their own computer problems using the Windows Troubleshooting Platform built into Windows 7. This increased user self-sufficiency reduces the IT staff’s support load. “Our support staff should be able to reduce its workload by at least 20 percent for systems running Windows 7,” Feng says. “Also, our help-desk technicians can easily connect to user machines and troubleshoot them remotely.”

Bandwidth and Software Savings

Feng says that the use of BranchCache to locally cache content and Web pages will enable SYSTEX to reduce expensive network bandwidth by least 20 percent, a $100,000 annual savings. Similarly, SYSTEX can use BitLocker To Go to help secure removable storage devices, eliminating third-party security software that currently performs this task.

Enhanced Security and Control

Feng and his colleagues in the IT department are also sleeping better at night with Windows 7 on the firm’s computers. Using AppLocker and User Account Control has greatly decreased the security risks associated with users downloading unauthorized software, and BitLocker To Go helps guard data on mobile storage devices. “Many users use USB drives these days,” Feng says. “Sometimes they lose them because they’re so small. We can use BitLocker To Go to encrypt sensitive data on mobile drivers. We have much greater assurance that our data is safe.”

Windows 7

Faster and more reliable: Window 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 anyway. You will be able to support your mobile work force with better access to shared data and collaboration tools. And your IT staff will have better tools and technologies to enhance corporate IT security, data protection, and more efficient deployment and management.

For more information about Windows 7, go to:

windows/windows-7

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“Our IT staff spent fully 50 percent of its time on desktop issues, including troubleshooting problems, removing unauthorized software from user systems, and repairing problems.”

David Feng, Technical Director, SYSTEX

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“The great performance and overall easier usability of Windows 7 have increased user productivity by at least 10 percent.”

David Feng, Technical Director "#,-CNa & Ó Þ õ ö • ?

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“Our support staff should be able to reduce its workload by at least 20 percent for systems running Windows 7.”

David Feng, Technical Director, SYSTEX

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| |Software and Services

■ Windows 7

■ Microsoft Server Product Portfolio

− Windows Server 2008 | | |

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

Document published April 2009 | | |

For More Information

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For more information about SYSTEX products and services, call (886) 960-000-326 or visit the Web site at: .tw

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