GBCblue is offering fully managed guest computing to the hotel market and anticipating 25% sales

• Desktop Computing growth as it expands into • Networking • Security new markets • Services

“Hotel operators typically order different capabilities for business center than for computers that they place on the concierge floor or in the lobby. has the ability to customize each individual , which is a powerful competitive advantage for us as well as a time-saver.”

Ken York, Vice President of Operations, GBCblue

Customer Profile TM Company: GBCblue GBCblue Industry: Travel, Hospitality and Tourism GUEST COMPUTING SYSTEMS Country: United States Employees: 15 Benefits Web: www.gbcblue.com • Projected 25% increase in revenue in short term Business Need • Real-time, 24×7 monitoring of GBCblue places guest computing systems in hotels around the world computers in customer locations and manages them on an ongoing basis. It needed help designing • 50% faster deployment of new a network operations center to support its managed services, and it customer systems needed a hardware partner able to customize client computers to • Custom branding of systems meet the needs of high-end hotel chains. possible for each hotel chain • Enhanced security for systems Solution used by hotel guests The company engaged Dell™ IT Consulting Services to design a secure and efficient network operations center, populated with Dell PowerEdge™ • 75% of new customers select servers. GBCblue provides hotel business centers with Dell OptiPlex™ GBCblue for design and performance desktop computers and ™ and Inspiron™ computers. of Dell XPS One And it provides sleek, powerful and custom-branded Dell XPS™ One all- • Processing power enables expansion in-one desktop computers to upscale hotel lobbies. Dell Configuration of system functionality over time and Deployment Services configures the desktop and laptop machines • New markets opening for GBCblue- before they leave the factory so that GBCblue technicians can focus on provided systems the company’s maintenance and support needs. Keeping up with the needs of increasingly tech-savvy guests is a daunting task for today’s hoteliers, as travelers often expect hotels to provide a computer that they can use to check e-mail and remain productive during their stay. To accommodate these guests, many hotels place personal computers in guest rooms and business centers. But hotel owners don’t want to go into the computer business—they need someone to accept the task of managing and maintaining the computer systems so that the hotel staff can focus on its traditional hospitality duties.

GBCblue welcomes that management The servers perform functions vital to responsibility: the company was the GBCblue business model, including founded to meet the demand for guest running the management applications “The Dell XPS One computing systems in the hospitality used to ensure hotel computers are is an absolutely industry. Today, it has computers in working and secure. They also process more than 1,000 sites inside 300 hotels the more than 3 million credit card gorgeous computer, located around the world. GBCblue payments hotel guests make each year established a leadership position by to GBCblue for computer use. “The both front and back. understanding exactly what hotels Dell PowerEdge servers give us the That’s important require in a guest computing system— reliable, enterprise-class performance but as the market has evolved, so have we need for our mission-critical because out in a those requirements. applications and databases,” says York.

lobby or sitting area, Dell helps GBCblue find the right formula you don’t know Technology at Work Dell has played an important role for which part of the GBCblue from the beginning, ever Services since GBCblue began to develop its computer will face Dell™ Configuration and strategy of creating a fleet of remotely Deployment Services hotel guests.” managed workstations for hotel locations. “We offer a turnkey solution Dell IT Consulting Services Ken York, including 24-hour monitoring of Dell Support Services Vice President of Operations, each computer,” says Ken York, vice GBCblue president of operations at GBCblue. Hardware “Hoteliers reap the benefits of providing ™ 5150 laptop first-class technology options for their computers customers, without the expense and ™ difficulty of managing client terminals.” Dell Latitude D610, X300, D505 and D400 laptop computers To help design the wide area network Dell OptiPlex™ GX280 and GX270 infrastructure and network operations desktop computers center required to monitor the fleet of computers, the GBCblue team turned Dell PowerEdge™ 2650 servers to Dell IT Consulting. “We spent a lot of Dell XPS™ One all-in-one desktop time looking at different development computers experts and chose Dell Services for the team’s experience and the flexibility of its program,” says York. “The Dell Microsoft® Office team helped us design our network operations center using customized ® XP Dell PowerEdge 2650 servers.” “We have been so impressed with Dell new computer had to be an all-in-one servers that we use them throughout design to conserve space, and it had our network operations center and to be sturdy and secure to endure the our own internal IT infrastructure.” increased public exposure. “It was essential to safeguard guests’ personal GBCblue selected Dell OptiPlex GX270 financial information as they entered it and GX280 desktop computers to place into the computer,” he adds. in hotels for guest use. “The Dell OptiPlex computers provide ample processing Dell simplifies the power for business applications, gaming upgrade process or Web surfing,” says York. “Their reliability GBCblue achieved its initial success has been excellent, helping us keep our using Dell OptiPlex desktop computers ratio of use-to-service-calls one of the and chose to stay with Dell as it moved best in the industry. That’s one reason we into higher-end hotels. “Our customers also use Dell PCs for our own employees, trust Dell, and staying on a Dell platform including Dell OptiPlex desktop allows our engineers to develop to a computers and Dell Latitude .” single set of technologies,” says York. “It New opportunities bring also saves us time and money because new design challenges we can simplify our work by using the “The monitoring and same setup and configuration options The combination of Dell equipment for all of our computers.” communications and GBCblue’s comprehensive support was the right formula for many The Dell team recommended the Dell technology that hoteliers, and the GBCblue systems XPS One computer with ® Core 2 became computers of choice for Duo® processors for GBCblue’s new Dell Services several hotel business centers. Building hotel guest computing system. The designed into on this initial success, the GBCblue XPS One has an all-in-one design that team identified an opportunity to features a high-definition, 20-inch flat our infrastructure expand beyond the business center panel display and complete multimedia and help their customers provide better functionality, including an integrated differentiates us from service. “Hoteliers are always looking digital camera. Just as important to our competitors to broaden their connection with their GBCblue is the system’s sleek, stylish guests,” says York. “One way to do that appearance. “The Dell XPS One is an because it helps is by putting computer kiosks in lobbies absolutely gorgeous computer, both and other busy hotel locations where front and back,” says York. “That’s make our computers guests can use them to find information important because out in a lobby or uniquely suited for about hotel amenities, such as golf seating area, you don’t know which part courses or spas. Hotels could even use of the computer will face hotel guests.” use in hotel lobbies.” our computers to deliver guest services, Ken York, such as personalized photo postcards 50% faster delivery of custom- branded GBCblue product Vice President of Operations, printed on the spot.” GBCblue York’s team decided to standardize Expanding beyond the business center on the Dell XPS One for luxury hotels would also enable GBCblue to develop and upscale chains looking to expand new business opportunities. “The computer use beyond the business hospitality industry is finite because center. GBCblue simplified the there are only so many high-end deployment process by engaging business and luxury hotels,” explains Dell Configuration and Deployment York. “In order to grow, GBCblue needs Services to configure the new systems to find new applications in the hotel to GBCblue’s custom requirements and industry as well as new customers in load the software at the Dell factory. other related industry sectors.” This saves configuration and software To help achieve these goals, the imaging time for GBCblue’s technicians, GBCblue team decided to broaden its enabling them to ship systems out client offerings. “The challenge was to approximately 50 percent faster. find a system with outstanding visual “Device configurations can vary even appeal that would complement the within a single hotel, because hotel high quality interior design present in operators typically order different an upscale hotel lobby,” says York. The capabilities for business center TV tuners on the computers so that York. “At the same time, the XPS One computers than for computers that people can watch TV and movies is helping GBCblue create new sales they place on the concierge floor or on them. The processing headroom opportunities in what is otherwise a in the lobby,” says York. “Dell has the provided by the 2 Duo finite hotel market. For example, a major ability to customize each individual processors, along with the wide screen luxury chain has agreed to use our new computer, which is a powerful and high-definition video, were big systems for interactive kiosks that will competitive advantage for us as well factors in the selection process.” enable guests to take a virtual tour of the as a time-saver.” hotel’s attractions and make reservations Technology built into the Dell-designed directly on the computer.” The Dell team also provides factory network operating center enabled the branding to meet the requirements GBCblue team to enhance the security Dell and the XPS One computer of GBCblue customers. “Many of the of the Dell XPS One computers. “The are also helping GBCblue find new major, upscale chains want to deliver a monitoring and communications customers outside the hotel industry. consistent brand experience,” says York. technology that Dell Services designed “We are talking to companies in the “They want us to brand our systems into our infrastructure allowed us to add retail industry about using the XPS with the particular hotel’s identity, and protection against hardware keystroke One as the basis for in-store customer our partnership with Dell permits us loggers—devices that criminals can computing services,” says York. “One to offer custom branding on the Dell attach to computer keyboards to obtain of our most exciting projects is a trial XPS One. Dell gives us several factory personal information,” says York. “We deployment with a global package branding options, from the computer have the ability to communicate with shipping company that operates 4,500 exterior to on-screen user pages, each of our XPS One computers to retail stores. The two pilot systems we depending on the preferences of shut down the affected USB port and placed with them are already some of each hotel operator.” alert a field technician when we detect our most heavily used computers.” an attack. Having this extra protection The Dell XPS One computer systems Expanding functionality, differentiates us from our competitors are also helping GBCblue drive more enhanced security because it helps make our computers business: the team is anticipating The Duo processors in uniquely suited for use in hotel lobbies, increased sales as more customers the XPS One computers give GBCblue where this type of attack is most likely join the fold. “In the short term, the processing headroom to add new to occur.” we expect sales to increase by an functionalities, and several hotel chains estimated 25 percent over the next have begun pilot projects with GBCblue Projected 25% revenue increase year as we continue to bring the XPS to explore new capabilities and uses for through partnership with Dell One computers into the market,” says the system. “One prominent chain is The attractive design of the XPS One York. “To date, several of our existing turning the lobby of its flagship hotel computer and its potential to inspire hotel customers have migrated to the into a destination where people can new uses has opened up opportunities XPS One, and 75 percent of our new relax, have beverages and explore for the both the GBCblue team and customers have joined us based on its online,” says York. “The main attraction its customers. “With the Dell XPS One design and performance. In the long of the area will be the Dell XPS One computer, we are helping hoteliers term, we believe there are few limits computers we install. The hotel increase their interaction with customers to the success we can have with Dell management’s vision is to include throughout their hotel properties,” says technology behind us.”

GBCblueTM GUEST COMPUTING SYSTEMS

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Availability and terms of Dell Services vary by region. For more information, visit: dell.com/servicedescriptions © April 2011. Intel and Intel Core 2 Duo are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. This case study is for informational purposes only. DELL MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS CASE STUDY. Reference number: 10009361