Microsoft ®

Desktop Optimization Pack

for Software Assurance

Case Study: Siemens

Leading BPO targets savings of $1,400 per agent per year through application virtualization.

The Challenge:
Siemens Information Processing Services wanted to manage its PC fleet, along with the
two main problems that the company had been facing—underutilization of desktops and
high maintenance costs.
Company overview:

The Solution: Siemens, headquartered in

SIPS implemented Microsoft® SoftGrid® Application Virtualization, a solution that delivers Munich, Germany, is one of
applications to desktops without installing the application. the world’s largest electrical
engineering and electronics
The Results: companies. Founded in 1847,
• $1,400 per agent per year in savings Siemens operates in more than
• Hot desking facility 190 countries. The company
provides customers with
• Increased desktop utilization
technology solutions in six
• Improved security
business segments: information
• Business continuity and agility
and communications, automa-
MICROSOFT DESKTOP OPTIMIZATION PACK

0000000065 > 46934

tion and control, power,
transportation, medical, and
lighting. Siemens markets a
range of products, including
Challenges computers, digital medical
equipment, light rail transporta-
Siemens Information Processing Services (SIPS) was facing challenges in terms of underutilization tion components, light bulbs,
of desktops and high maintenance costs. household appliances, and more.

1. Inefficient usage of desktop was resulting in high cost of operations. Desktops were not Siemens Information Processing
shared across processes because resources were already predefined to the processes. In case of Services (SIPS) the BPO arm of
high demand, desktops which otherwise are kept idle in that particular shift of operation cannot Siemens in India is the leading
provider of BPO services, with
be used because the applications are not installed. This results in inefficiency of operation,
operations in Bangalore and
inability to cope with sudden rise in demand and hence loss of money.
Chennai. Currently it has 2,400
desktops, which are expected to
2. High level of attrition of the BPO Agents was increasing security risks due to manual/physical
grow up to 5,000 desktops by
requirement of deleting applications and removing user access from end node applications.
next year.
3. Application updates and change control was forming a sizable portion of the desktops
management cost in the company. The cost of maintaining these variable changes across
multiple processes were very high and difficult to manage.

SIPS needed a solution to address all of these core challenges, enable them to vastly simplify
and accelerate application deployment and upgrades, and establish a much more flexible,
cost-effective way to manage their IT infrastructure.
Page 2

Case Study → Siemens

The Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Solution

To keep the cost of operations low, increase output, and improve the utilization and efficiency
of its desktop environment, SIPS decided to opt for a virtualized desktop environment in March
2007. SIPS found what they needed in Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization, the only
solution that could enable any application to co-exist with any other, while providing the
centralized management and accelerated deployment they required.

Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization transforms applications into virtualized, network-

available services, resulting in dynamic delivery of software that is never installed, never conflicts,
and minimizes costly application compatibility testing. Users and their application environments
are no longer machine-specific, and the machines themselves are no longer user-specific, enabling
“The SoftGrid solution has
IT to be flexible and responsive to business needs, and significantly reducing the cost of PC
helped us make our Business
management.
Continuity Plans more vigorous.
We can now deliver the services
Whether deployed on desktops or terminal servers, SoftGrid changes application management
from secondary site in case of
from a series of tedious, manual tasks into an automated, streamlined process that accelerates the
any disaster in primary site
pace and reduces the cost of business. “Using Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization has
and vice versa as this provides
helped us to reduce the complexities inherent in enterprise application management,” says Syed
us the flexibility of delivering
Rizwan,DGM IT, SIPS.
services from multiple locations,
adding value to our operational
Specific applications are assigned to specific agents as per their respective shifts on virtualized
risk management strategy.”
desktops. The centralized host releases applications as per the requirement for that particular shift.
“We started off with a pilot project that lasted for two weeks as we tested some of our business
processes by hosting applications on a centralized server,” says Rizwan. “SIPS believes the implementa-
tion of desktop virtualization
The company believes that the implementation of desktop virtualization has reduced the spending will reduce the expenditure on
on facility and infrastructure by 20 percent. As per reports, the spending on infrastructure facilities facility and infrastructure by 20
costs around $7,000 per agent per year. With 20 percent savings this translates into $1,400 retained percent, saving us $1,400 per
by the company. “In another 6–8 months we should be able to realize the ROI on this technology,” agent per year.”
says Rizwan. Presently, SIPS is carrying out implementation on 400 hundred desktops—200 each in
the cities of Bangalore and Chennai. Syed Rizwan
DGM IT, SIPS

SoftGrid is a component of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance, a
dynamic desktop solution available to Software Assurance customers, which reduces application
deployment costs, enables delivery of applications as services and allows for better management
and control of enterprise desktop environments.
Page 3

Case Study → Siemens

The Results

Upon deploying SoftGrid, SIPS has realized transformational benefits in terms of the way it
manages applications, and the time and costs required to do so.

1. Hot Desking Facility SoftGrid enables SIPS to provide users the flexibility to access any
application from any location and from any device. “SoftGrid is the desired solution as it enables
true Hot Desking—an agent can work from any PC in any office,” says Rizwan. SoftGrid Virtualized
Applications can follow users from one desktop to another and desktops also can be shared
securely amongst agents. Users are now able to roam freely to any PC without worrying about
whether they can access required applications.

2. Increased Desktop Utilization SoftGrid has helped the company to maximize desktop

$1400
investments and improve flexibility. “SoftGrid allows us to use the same desktops across
multiple shifts, agents and processes, in a secure manner,” says Rizwan.

3. Improved Security All application rights and user permissions to the applications are maintained
centrally using SoftGrid. This improves the overall security of application access by users. As a in savings
result of policy-based intelligent management, users can only access applications that they have
been given permission to use. Moreover, if a user leaves the company, his permissions and
applications can be immediately removed from end-user nodes.
Siemens expects to realize
4. Business Continuity and Agility With Microsoft SoftGrid, applications follow users rather than $1,400 in savings—per agent,
users following the applications. In the event of an outage or catastrophe, users can more per year through SoftGrid.
quickly resume business.

Microsoft SoftGrid gives SIPS the flexibility to shift processes and agents across desktops, offices
and cities at short notice. SoftGrid virtualizes applications, turning them into data files that can be
treated—and replicated—just like data, making them much easier to manage.

See For Yourself

To learn how Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization
Pack for Software Assurance can help you, please visit: www.windowsvista.com/optimizeddesktop.

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