Management vanuit de Cloud?
For Netherlands-based system integrator Inovativ, helping customers manage their desktops effectively is critical to business growth. Many of the company’s customers need affordable management software that requires no on-site infrastructure. By capitalizing on the Windows Intune subscription model, Inovativ can provide a flexible desktop management offering to meet its customers’ needs, while lowering its costs to provide support.
Business Needs
From its founding in 2007, Inovativ has focused on providing data center and desktop management solutions to customers with more than 100 computers. The Netherlands-based company wanted to expand its business by adding solutions for companies with limited IT resources and budgets. Maarten Goet, Managing Consultant at Inovativ, explains, “Smaller businesses can be quite concerned about the infrastructure cost associated with an on-site management solution.”
In addition, Inovativ has numerous customers that are eager to take advantage of the productivity and security enhancements in Windows 7 Enterprise but have not been able to make the move yet. Many of these customers have opted to wait for the end of their hardware replacement cycles before upgrading the operating system software on their computers. These customers are ready to move to Windows 7 Enterprise but need a cost-effective way to license the software.
As part of the company’s strategic move away from providing implementation services to offering comprehensive consulting services, Inovativ also sought to minimize the cost and complexity of providing customer support. By reducing the time required to install and configure management solutions, company leaders hoped to allocate additional staffing resources to lead generation and sales activities, as well as to delivering value-added support services to existing customers.
To that end, Inovativ has recently incorporated third-party, cloud-based data storage components into the solutions it has designed and built for several customers. The company has also explored the use of Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure. “In 2010, we started to realign our services with online offerings from Microsoft, which led to the search for a cloud-based system management solution,” says Goet. “Customers are looking for guidance on how to optimize their desktop and data-center environments. But if staff spend most of their time on implementation tasks, we have only a limited opportunity to talk to customers about the bigger picture—about things like their journey to the cloud over the next several years.”
Solution
Goet and other Inovativ executives immediately recognized that Windows Intune software and services would offer a unique opportunity to help the company expand its solution portfolio and reduce barriers to investment for new and existing customers. Windows Intune is a comprehensive solution that brings together Microsoft cloud services and a Windows 7 upgrade subscription to help simplify PC management and security.
Also, because Windows Intune is delivered as a cloud-based service, it would significantly reduce the time and cost needed for deployment. Furthermore, the endpoint protection included with Windows Intune is powered by the same Microsoft Malware Protection Engine used by the Microsoft Forefront Protection Suite.
The Inovativ team can manage multiple accounts from a simple, web-based console in Windows Intune. The console provides an aggregate view of managed environments, which staff can use to easily monitor the status and health of client PCs through access to alert history, pending updates, and consolidated security reports. The team also can instantly compare the health status of multiple PC environments to prioritize support for customers in need of immediate assistance. “The console makes it simple for us to pinpoint the most difficult and urgent support issues, so we can focus on resolving those first,” says Goet.
Benefits
By incorporating Windows Intune into its solution offerings—a strategic move that has helped the company shorten deployments of system management solutions and lower its support costs while expanding sales opportunities— Inovativ is better positioned for growth.
Achieves 97 Percent Faster Deployments
Through its adoption of Windows Intune, the company has significantly reduced the amount of time it devotes to implementation tasks. The Inovativ team no longer needs to install servers and configure client software on each computer at a customer location. Instead, it can set up managed collections in minutes and start administering customer PCs from a centralized web portal. All that is required is an Internet connection and that the Windows Intune client software is installed on each PC that needs to be managed.
“It would normally take at least 40 hours to deploy an on-site system management solution. We can deploy Windows Intune to the same set of computers in about one hour,” says Goet. “Now, we have more time each week to provide high-value customer service and to focus on ways to grow our business. And, because we can complete deployments so much more quickly than before, customers spend about €5,000 less and still get all of the functionality they need.”
Lowers Cost of Service
By adopting Windows Intune, Inovativ has been able to lower its cost to provide service—thanks to shorter deployments and more efficient and responsive support activities—which has helped to boost profitability. “Windows Intune eliminates the infrastructure and security requirements of on-site management software, making it easier and less costly to support our customers,” says Goet.
Expands Revenue Opportunities
Because Inovativ is able to combine subscription-based pricing with license upgrade rights for Windows 7 Enterprise through the Windows Intune offering, the company is hoping to attract more customers. The cloud-based pricing model of Windows Intune removes a significant cost barrier for smaller businesses looking to gain desktop management capabilities while simplifying the path to completing an operating system upgrade. “Windows Intune is a great fit for our target customers,” says Goet. “It gives growing companies access to PC management capabilities and a chance to standardize on Windows 7 Enterprise at a highly attractive cost.”
Business Needs
From its founding in 2007, Inovativ has focused on providing data center and desktop management solutions to customers with more than 100 computers. The Netherlands-based company wanted to expand its business by adding solutions for companies with limited IT resources and budgets. Maarten Goet, Managing Consultant at Inovativ, explains, “Smaller businesses can be quite concerned about the infrastructure cost associated with an on-site management solution.”
In addition, Inovativ has numerous customers that are eager to take advantage of the productivity and security enhancements in Windows 7 Enterprise but have not been able to make the move yet. Many of these customers have opted to wait for the end of their hardware replacement cycles before upgrading the operating system software on their computers. These customers are ready to move to Windows 7 Enterprise but need a cost-effective way to license the software.
As part of the company’s strategic move away from providing implementation services to offering comprehensive consulting services, Inovativ also sought to minimize the cost and complexity of providing customer support. By reducing the time required to install and configure management solutions, company leaders hoped to allocate additional staffing resources to lead generation and sales activities, as well as to delivering value-added support services to existing customers.
To that end, Inovativ has recently incorporated third-party, cloud-based data storage components into the solutions it has designed and built for several customers. The company has also explored the use of Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure. “In 2010, we started to realign our services with online offerings from Microsoft, which led to the search for a cloud-based system management solution,” says Goet. “Customers are looking for guidance on how to optimize their desktop and data-center environments. But if staff spend most of their time on implementation tasks, we have only a limited opportunity to talk to customers about the bigger picture—about things like their journey to the cloud over the next several years.”
Solution
Goet and other Inovativ executives immediately recognized that Windows Intune software and services would offer a unique opportunity to help the company expand its solution portfolio and reduce barriers to investment for new and existing customers. Windows Intune is a comprehensive solution that brings together Microsoft cloud services and a Windows 7 upgrade subscription to help simplify PC management and security.
Also, because Windows Intune is delivered as a cloud-based service, it would significantly reduce the time and cost needed for deployment. Furthermore, the endpoint protection included with Windows Intune is powered by the same Microsoft Malware Protection Engine used by the Microsoft Forefront Protection Suite.
The Inovativ team can manage multiple accounts from a simple, web-based console in Windows Intune. The console provides an aggregate view of managed environments, which staff can use to easily monitor the status and health of client PCs through access to alert history, pending updates, and consolidated security reports. The team also can instantly compare the health status of multiple PC environments to prioritize support for customers in need of immediate assistance. “The console makes it simple for us to pinpoint the most difficult and urgent support issues, so we can focus on resolving those first,” says Goet.
Benefits
By incorporating Windows Intune into its solution offerings—a strategic move that has helped the company shorten deployments of system management solutions and lower its support costs while expanding sales opportunities— Inovativ is better positioned for growth.
Achieves 97 Percent Faster Deployments
Through its adoption of Windows Intune, the company has significantly reduced the amount of time it devotes to implementation tasks. The Inovativ team no longer needs to install servers and configure client software on each computer at a customer location. Instead, it can set up managed collections in minutes and start administering customer PCs from a centralized web portal. All that is required is an Internet connection and that the Windows Intune client software is installed on each PC that needs to be managed.
“It would normally take at least 40 hours to deploy an on-site system management solution. We can deploy Windows Intune to the same set of computers in about one hour,” says Goet. “Now, we have more time each week to provide high-value customer service and to focus on ways to grow our business. And, because we can complete deployments so much more quickly than before, customers spend about €5,000 less and still get all of the functionality they need.”
Lowers Cost of Service
By adopting Windows Intune, Inovativ has been able to lower its cost to provide service—thanks to shorter deployments and more efficient and responsive support activities—which has helped to boost profitability. “Windows Intune eliminates the infrastructure and security requirements of on-site management software, making it easier and less costly to support our customers,” says Goet.
Expands Revenue Opportunities
Because Inovativ is able to combine subscription-based pricing with license upgrade rights for Windows 7 Enterprise through the Windows Intune offering, the company is hoping to attract more customers. The cloud-based pricing model of Windows Intune removes a significant cost barrier for smaller businesses looking to gain desktop management capabilities while simplifying the path to completing an operating system upgrade. “Windows Intune is a great fit for our target customers,” says Goet. “It gives growing companies access to PC management capabilities and a chance to standardize on Windows 7 Enterprise at a highly attractive cost.”
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INOVATIV is de eerste Microsoft Gold Partner in Nederland met