Microsoft Windows Server System Customer Solution Case Study

Telecoms Infrastructure Provider Enhances Software Development and Project Management

Overview “Now, we can share large, complex, and even Country or Region: France classified documents, using shared workspaces Industry: Telecommunications created by team leaders and authorised Customer Profile personnel.” The Hewlett-Packard (HP) OpenCall Business Unit (OCBU) is the software Hewlett-Packard (HP) OpenCall Business Unit (OCBU) is the division behind the HP OpenCall suite of comprehensive, carrier-grade platforms software division behind the HP OpenCall suite of for developing next-generation voice, comprehensive, carrier-grade platforms for developing and data, and converged services. deploying next-generation voice, data, and converged services. Business Situation To increase operational efficiency, the organisation has The company wanted to deploy a collaborative software solution to deployed next-generation collaborative working tools, including enhance project management, track Microsoft® Windows® SharePoint® Services and Microsoft Office costs, and improve reporting. It also wanted to comply with Capability Maturity Project Server 2003. It can now trace costs and view the status Model Integration (CMMI) software of projects more effectively. Employees can upload shared development standards. documents to the new collaborative sites quickly and easily, Solution enhancing collaboration and reducing bulky e-mail attachments. The organisation rolled out new collaborative sites based on Microsoft® The solution is expected to deliver a tenfold return on Windows® SharePoint® Services and investment. In addition, the Microsoft infrastructure that supports Microsoft Office Project Server 2003. the collaborative technologies offers full compliance with Benefits Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) standards for  Standardised software development compliant with CMMI model software development.  Enhanced project management and reporting  Better information sharing  Increased visibility of project costs Situation Microsoft Windows® SharePoint® Services Following initiatives by the Hewlett-Packard was deployed to support collaborative (HP) OpenCall Business Unit (OCBU) working across the organisation. This quality subsidiary in France, the technology provides the tools teams need organisation decided to optimise its to create their own shared workspaces, operational efficiency by adopting eliminating the need for centralised Capability Maturity Model Integration development effort. Templates provided (CMMI) standards, which certify business with the system can be quickly customised maturity in terms of software development for each team’s requirements by processes. nontechnical personnel.

Serge Amar, Engineering Services Lead for Shared workspaces created in Windows HP OCBU, says, “We set ourselves the SharePoint Services can be used to track target of reaching CMMI level three. To the progress of projects across the achieve this, we needed new software tools organisation. The system is fully integrated “We set ourselves the to help us streamline and trace our with Microsoft Office Project Server 2003, target of reaching business processes without drowning in which provides a raft of extra project red tape.” management features. Project Server 2003 CMMI level three. To is part of Microsoft Windows Server achieve this, we Initially, HP OCBU called on the Q-Labs System™ integrated server software. consultancy to help it complete the project, needed new software and a number of technology tools were Jean-Yves Larnaudie, Project Leader for tools to help us chosen to support the initiative. The key HP OCBU, says, “Project Server 2003 challenge was to change from individual assigns each person their working hours streamline and trace point-to-point solutions, such as the and provides a detailed assessment of our business Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet software or project costs. Financial reporting functions Microsoft Access, to a shared collaborative used to be very complicated because they processes without working tool that could monitor the were split across disparate applications. drowning in red tape.” progress of projects and help employees Project Server 2003 simplifies the reporting share project-related information more process while improving visibility of Serge Amar, Engineering Services Lead for effectively. progress across all projects.” HP OCBU Solution HP OCBU called on Microsoft Certified The new collaborative system was created Partner and project management solutions using the Microsoft .NET Framework specialist M7 to support the deployment. development environment. This provides The rollout of the new technology was clustering functions so several servers can carefully regulated at every stage to ensure be used for each software layer, increasing success. performance and availability. In addition, the .NET Framework offers prebuilt Larnaudie says, “We first built the required libraries of code that significantly supporting infrastructure using the .NET streamline the development process. Framework on a fully redundant farm of 15 hardware servers. [Microsoft Office] SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services could then Larnaudie says, “Now we can share large, be rolled out, alongside Project Server complex, and even classified documents, 2003. And we have set up a support team using shared workspaces created by team located in Bangalore, India.” SharePoint leaders and authorised personnel. This Portal Server 2003 is also part of Windows reduces storage requirements related to Server System. exchanging attachments by e-mail. At the same time, it provides a virtual forum for The infrastructure incorporates the very driving projects forward and increasing latest Microsoft software. Larnaudie says, visibility across the organisation.” “We upgraded from earlier versions of SharePoint Portal Server and Project Claude Cornet, Research and Server to SharePoint Portal Server 2003, Development Manager, Service Interaction Windows SharePoint Services, and Project Products for HP OCBU, says, “Our division Server 2003. When we deployed these is split across several sites in France, new versions, they were not yet available in Sweden, and the United States. We also "We expect that the the public domain. We were able to have a team in India, as well as support efficiency gains achieve success with active support from groups in Europe, the United States, and Microsoft Services.” Asia. It is vital for us to have effective delivered by the new communications, trace all our exchanges, system will ultimately A specialist support team helps users and synchronise project-related information resolve any issues that may arise on a day- every day across the division. deliver a tenfold return to-day basis. Any requests for changes or on our initial improvements to the system are sent to the “Using Windows SharePoint Services, we central development team. can handle updates effectively and technology securely provide everyone with the investment.” Larnaudie says, “Windows SharePoint documents they need. We have also Services is now the default interface into reduced our storage requirements by Jean-Yves Larnaudie, Project Leader, HP our IT systems. It will also support our cutting the number of e-mail attachments OpenCall Business Unit needs in the longer term because we can we send. We also use the new system, add new functionality quickly and easily which is fully integrated with [the] Microsoft when required.” Office Outlook® 2003 [messaging and collaboration client], to organise meetings Benefits and share agendas more effectively.” New Opportunities for Collaborative Working and Because parameters related to the Enhanced Project Management progress of projects can be uploaded to the Windows SharePoint Services allows system quickly and easily, managers have geographically disparate employees and increased visibility of activities across the teams to upload and share project-related business. As a result, projects can be documentation quickly and easily. Because controlled and monitored more accurately, it restricts access to authorised users, it and a higher level of service can be helps protect sensitive data at all times. delivered to customers. This increased visibility is also compliant with the CMMI New projects are already being developed model. to support new collaborative working functions. Where extra processing power is Larnaudie says, “These new collaborative required, new hardware and software working features will help improve rigour servers can simply be added to the existing and efficiency in terms of project architecture. management. Windows SharePoint Services is now our standard technology Larnaudie says, “The flexibility of our for collaborative working. We expect that existing Microsoft infrastructure means we the efficiency gains delivered by the new can quickly tailor the system to meet future system will ultimately deliver a tenfold requirements for collaborative working.” return on our initial technology investment.”

Rapid User Acceptance with Minimal Training The new collaborative sites interface, which forms part of the Microsoft Office System, was immediately popular with HP OCBU employees. Because most already have the experience of working with Microsoft applications, little additional user training was required.

Larnaudie says, “We simply gave a 90- minute briefing to explain the capabilities of the new system, but no formal training was necessary. Acceptance of the new tools was also quickened by rapid adoption at the highest levels of management. The benefits of using the new system were quickly spread by word of mouth throughout the organisation.”

Cornet says, “We adopted the new collaborative sites solution without any need for custom development within our division. It took only two days to get to grips with the system and no specialised training was required.”

Scalable System Primed to Meet Future Functional Requirements For More Information Microsoft Windows Server System For more information about Microsoft Microsoft Windows Server System is a products and services, call the Microsoft comprehensive, integrated, and Sales Information Center at (800) 426- interoperable server infrastructure that 9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft helps reduce the complexity and costs of Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- building, deploying, connecting, and 2495. Customers who are deaf or hard- operating agile business solutions. of-hearing can reach Microsoft text Windows Server System helps customers telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) create new value for their business through 892-5234 in the United States or (905) the strategic use of their IT assets. With the 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 Windows Server™ operating system as its United States and Canada, please foundation, Windows Server System contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. delivers dependable infrastructure for data To access information using the World management and analysis; enterprise Wide Web, go to: integration; customer, partner, and www.microsoft.com employee portals; business process automation; communications and For more information about M7 products collaboration; and core IT operations and services, visit the Web site at: including security, deployment, and www.m7.fr systems management.

For more information about HP OCBU For more information about Windows products and services, visit the Web site Server System, go to: at: www.microsoft.com/ ‌windowsserversyste m www.hp.com

Software and Services − Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal  Products Server 2003 − Microsoft Office Professional Edition  Technologies 2003 − Microsoft .NET Framework − Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 − Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services © 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, Windows, the Windows logo, Windows Server, and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Document published January 2006