Barbara Maaskant, Associate Dean, Emory University Goizueta Business School

Microsoft Technology Center Customer Solution Case Study

University Gains Insight and Creates Best Practices with Technology Center Guidance

“Like nearly all universities, our resources are limited and we have to choose wisely. Going to the MTC was an incredible investment of our time—the payback was immediate and very large.” Barbara Maaskant, Associate Dean, Emory University Goizueta Business School Several groups at Emory University wanted to further their use of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and prepare for SharePoint Server 2010, but they weren’t sure how best to deal with their infrastructures. IT staff took advantage of the Microsoft Technology Center, where they worked with experts to establish best practices. Emory now has greater confidence, increased insight, and the ability to more efficiently conduct IT projects.

and 13 graduate programs in the Business Needs Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Originally chartered in 1836, Emory Emory’s faculty, staff, and students University is a private university in work collaboratively for positive metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The transformation in the world through university comprises four leadership in teaching, research, undergraduate divisions, nine scholarship, healthcare, and social graduate and professional schools, action.

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published June 2010 University Goizueta Business School. validate our current setup and see Working together requires the right “But we found out that it wasn’t a sales what was coming so that we could technology tools to support pitch but rather a customer-centric properly prepare for it,” says Lu. For communication and collaboration. facility where we could test ideas example, the business school group Multiple groups within the university alongside experts who would help us wanted to know whether to deploy an wanted to adopt Microsoft Office build and validate our infrastructure.” extra application server to handle SharePoint Server 2007 as the basis for requested functionality, such as the collaboration workspaces, document The team spent the first portion of the expanded use of Excel Services in repositories, and intranet functionality, engagement in the MTC’s Envisioning Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, so but they weren’t sure about the best Center, where MTC architects that faculty could share spreadsheets way to configure their infrastructures. conducted a demonstration of the with students without sharing the capabilities of Office SharePoint Server formulas behind the data. Another group, Emory University 2007, showing various facets of its Goizueta Business School, already used functionality and the way it works “We learned that another application the product for student collaboration closely with products such as server would be a good idea because and for communication between faculty Microsoft Office Communications of the requirements of SharePoint and students, but it wanted to validate Server 2007. “Going to the Envisioning Server 2010,” says Poon. “And we also its existing infrastructure, better Center was an eye-opening were advised not to virtualize our SQL understand its licensing options, and experience,” says Lu. “It was really Server 2008 instance as we’d been learn more about SharePoint Server helpful to see what optimal use of the planning to do. Those suggestions 2010 technology and how the future product looked like and how all those from MTC architects will really product might affect current technologies worked together in real- streamline our upgrade later this year.” infrastructure decisions. For instance, world scenarios. And because we were the group was considering the watching live people, as opposed to a Benefits virtualization of an instance of its video, we got to ask questions and Several Emory University groups have Microsoft SQL Server 2008 data have them answered then and there.” moved forward with plans to deploy management software, which is part of Office SharePoint Server 2007 using its collaboration solution. “We weren’t Following the demonstration, the the knowledge that they gained as a sure whether moving to a virtual Emory groups discussed their various guide. “Like nearly all universities, our instance would create performance requirements for Office SharePoint resources are limited and we have to issues or unnecessary downtime for our Server 2007. They also asked the MTC choose wisely. Going to the MTC was users, either now or when we upgrade architects for infrastructure-related an incredible investment of our time— to SharePoint Server 2010,” explains recommen-dations, learned more the payback was immediate and very Nathaniel Poon, Senior Technical about licensing, and brainstormed large,” says Barbara Maaskant, Product Manager for Emory University about potential usage and Associate Dean of the Emory University Goizueta Business School. configurations. “We received not only Goizueta Business School. Benefits of guidance about our specific situation, the MTC engagement include: Solution but also best practices that the whole After receiving an invitation from team could use to get the Emory Higher degree of confidence. Emory Microsoft, a team of Emory IT staffers groups headed in the right direction,” came away from its MTC experience with a greater comfort level with its technology says Poon. who represented three groups at the choices. “Following the MTC visit, we university attended a one-day were able to map out our strategy, feeling Architecture Design Session at the The MTC architects then showed the secure that we were making smart Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) in team a preview of Microsoft decisions for the future and that we SharePoint Server 2010 and shared weren’t wasting money on resources that Atlanta in April 2009. “We’d never heard we might not need,” says Maaskant. of the MTC before,” recalls Denys Lu, details about the product’s Senior Desktop Consultant for Emory functionality and overall look and feel. Insight for more efficient projects. The “We appreciated the chance to both university will be able to conduct a more

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published June 2010 effective upgrade project because of the downtime that we would have encountered Group, which meets quarterly to share knowledge that it gained at the MTC. “We if we’d gone ahead with projects like experiences and best practices. “Our MTC can be more proactive in getting ready for database virtualization.” engagement helped get us talking. We’re the upgrade,” says Lu. “We know more collectively saving time and headaches about the memory, server, and database Greater internal collaboration. Since the because we can learn from each other’s requirements and are prepared to meet MTC engagement, the university has mistakes and successes,” says Lu. them, so we’ll be able to avoid the formed the Emory SharePoint Users

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published June 2010