“[With Windows 7], we have a reliable alternative to our onshore VPN solution, thereby enabling users to connect to the corporate network more easily without having to call our support desk to troubleshoot.”
Per Arne Strømø, IT Manager, DeepOcean
Based in Norway, DeepOcean specializes in subsea services as part of the Trico Marine Group. As a result of the upgrade, DeepOcean has simplified IT management, enhanced IT security, and improved employee productivity.
Business Needs
DeepOcean, a wholly owned subsidiary of Trico Marine Group, specializes in subsea installation and construction support, survey, inspection, maintenance, and repair services, as well as subsea decommissioning. Headquartered in Haugesund, Norway, DeepOcean has 650 employees and onshore and offshore operations in Brazil, England, and Mexico.
In 2000, DeepOcean was among the first in its industry to implement the Windows® platform for its onshore operations and offshore data processing, moving from a Unix-based platform with flat files. “The technology was out-of-date and we wanted to develop new applications on the Windows platform,” says Per Arne Strømø, IT Manager at DeepOcean. “It was the best solution for our infrastructure, and others in our industry have since followed suit.”
When DeepOcean migrated to the Windows platform, it implemented the Windows NT® 4.0 operating system on its 50 client computers and the Microsoft® Windows NT Server 4.0 operating system on its 10 servers, which it is gradually upgrading from Windows Server® 2003 to Windows Server 2008 R2. DeepOcean uses Microsoft Forefront™ Client Security to help protect its client and server environment from Internet-based threats.
The company’s computer fleet is composed of more than 25 percent portable computers, supporting its travelling sales force, as well as engineers that travel between onshore and offshore vessels. These employees connected to the corporate network with a virtual private network (VPN) solution; however, employees struggled with connectivity problems and were often unable to access resources while on the road.
Also, DeepOcean did not have a hard drive encryption solution. Although the company has never had a security incident as a result of a lost or stolen computer, it wanted to be more proactive in its approach to IT security and better protect its intellectual property and critical business data.
Solution
In an effort to enhance IT security and deliver easy-to-use, reliable access to its network for mobile employees, DeepOcean decided to migrate to the Windows 7 operating system. At the same time, the company is upgrading to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 and Windows Internet Explorer® 8 Internet browser.
Teamed with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Atea, DeepOcean started its migration with a pilot to 20 employees in May 2009. It chose employees from a variety of roles in departments across the company, including engineering, sales, and finance, in order to collect comprehensive user feedback. The company plans to implement Windows 7 to 200 employees by the end of 2009 and will continue the migration enterprise wide through 2010.
Employees are taking advantage of user interface enhancements in Windows 7, including the Windows Taskbar and Jump Lists for quick access to recently used programs, documents, and files.
DeepOcean used Windows Deployment Services for automated, unattended deployment for its initial pilot. The company plans to upgrade to Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2, using Zero Touch deployment for its companywide migration. It will use System Center Configuration Manager to manage its client and server environments.
To address security concerns, the company is implementing BitLocker™ drive encryption for enhanced security in the event of a lost or stolen laptop. DeepOcean also intends to use DirectAccess, providing seamless connectivity for mobile employees. DirectAccess is a feature in Windows 7 that, when combined with Windows Server 2008 R2, enables users to connect to the corporate network with any Internet connection. DeepOcean is also evaluating BranchCache™ in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to help improve application response time and reduce network bandwidth at offshore vessels.
Benefits
As a result of upgrading to Windows 7, DeepOcean benefits from easier IT management, enhanced security, and improved employee productivity.
Easier IT Management
“By implementing DirectAccess, we are enabling users to connect to the corporate network more easily without having to call our support desk to troubleshoot,” explains Strømø. DeepOcean uses DirectAccess to better manage remote computers. With bi-directional connectivity, IT administrators can manage remote computers any time a remote PC gets connected to the Internet by performing tasks such as installing software updates—resulting in a 50 percent reduction in the time it takes to manage these devices now.
Enhanced IT Security
Though DeepOcean had not previously had any security breaches, the company wanted to take more proactive steps to enhance its security with full-volume disk encryption. “Confidential data and intellectual property on our central server storage is secure, but once an employee saves that data to their laptop, we don’t have as much control over safeguarding it,” says Tor Magne Økland, IT Consultant at DeepOcean. “With BitLocker, we have that layer of protection that we need to ensure company information doesn’t get into the wrong hands.”
Improved Employee Productivity
DeepOcean has improved logon times by 40 percent as a result of upgrading to Windows 7, helping to improve employee productivity. In addition, users have offered positive comments about the user interface. “Employees love the improvements to the interface, which is more intuitive and helps shave valuable seconds off of common tasks,” explains Per Ove Sandhåland, Senior IT Consultant at DeepOcean. “Even employees who use Macintosh computers at home are thrilled with Windows 7.”
With BranchCache, DeepOcean will have faster application response time at its offshore vessels. By downloading cached content from BranchCache instead of servers in the main office, employees will have faster access to corporate resources and network bandwidth is freed for other tasks—improving latency from satellite connections.
 |
Customer Profile
DeepOcean is a subsea services and construction support company based in Haugesund, Norway. In addition to its offshore operations in the North Sea, the company has offshore vessels in Brazil, England, and Mexico.
Software and Services
- Windows 7 Enterprise
- Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
- Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2
- Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
- Microsoft Forefront Client Security
- Technologies
- BranchCache
- DirectAccess
- Windows Internet Explorer 8.0
- Windows Deployment Services
|