“By using Windows 7 Enterprise, our employees can experience the user-friendly interface, performance, and reliability of a modern operating system.… while using App-V for desktop virtualization.”

Arif Al Yedaiwi, Director, IT Service Delivery, Dubai World

Dubai World wanted to maintain an advanced IT infrastructure in order to enhance efficiency and data security while delivering high customer value. The company standardized its PC environment with Windows 7 Enterprise, and is adopting desktop virtualization using Microsoft Application Virtualization. As a result, Dubai World has enhanced system performance, employee productivity, and IT security.

Business NeedsBased in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dubai World is a global holding company focused in the transportation and logistics, dry docks and maritime, urban development, and financial services industries. The Dubai World portfolio contains some of the world’s major companies within their industries, such as Dry Docks World, Economic Zones World, Istithmar World, Nakheel, and DP World.

To support its growing operations, Dubai World maintains a comprehensive IT network that supports more than 9,000 PCs. The company ran its PC environment on the Windows XP operating system, and it uses the Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems to run its server environment. Dubai World also employs an extensive and growing set of applications, including critical line-of-business applications.

Dubai World strives to continually enhance efficiency for its 9,000 employees and deliver increased value to its customers and partners. As a part of its desktop IT infrastructure strategy, the company sought to standardize and optimize its PC environment. Dubai World wanted to improve system performance, enhance information security, deliver a better user experience, make processes more productive, facilitate mobility, and streamline desktop management.

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Customer: Dubai WorldWebsite: www.dubaiworld.aeCustomer Size: 9,000 employeesCountry or Region: United Arab EmiratesIndustry: Transportation and logistics; Maritime; Urban development; Financial servicesPartner: Wipro

Customer ProfileBased in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai World is a global holding company with more than 9,000 employees. The company’s portfolio contains some of the world’s major companies within their industries.

Software and Services Windows 7 Enterprise Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Windows Server 2003− Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack− Microsoft Application Virtualization− Microsoft Enterprise Desktop

Virtualization Technologies− Windows Internet Explorer 8− BitLocker− BitLocker To Go− BranchCache

For more information about Windows 7, go to:www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7

Windows 7Customer Solution Case Study

Global Holding Firm Upgrades Operating System, Optimizes PC Environment

“Overall, our objective was to achieve a dynamic, secure, and scalable modern desktop computing infrastructure that responds to our growing business,” says Arif Al Yedaiwi, Director of IT Service Delivery at Dubai World. “We designed our optimized desktop strategy with Windows 7 Enterprise in order to meet those goals.”

SolutionIn early 2010, Dubai World began working with the IT services firm Wipro—a member of the Microsoft Partner Network—to upgrade its entire PC environment with the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system, the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance, and the Windows Internet Explorer 8 Internet browser.

Following a well-planned, phased strategy for its upgrade, the Dubai World IT team prepared a hardware and software inventory to assess the company’s readiness for deploying Windows 7, and it worked with Wipro to test its applications for compatibility with the upgraded operating system by using the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit.

Most of the applications running at Dubai World had no compatibility issues with Windows 7. For applications that did have issues, Dubai World upgraded the applications, or in some cases, the company used Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) to virtualize applications and deliver them as services to employee computers.

Initially, to operate some web applications that ran on Internet Explorer 7, the company used Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization to deliver a virtual image of Internet Explorer 7 to employee computers in order to run the application. The Dubai World IT department then had time to update the applications to run correctly with Internet Explorer 8, and now all the company’s web applications run with the upgraded Internet browser.

After the assessment phase, the IT team initiated a pilot deployment of Windows 7 Enterprise in the IT department. After completing the initial pilot, Dubai World extended the deployment to select pilot groups. “Initial feedback from users was

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

Document published March 2011

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very positive, and this helped accelerate plans for large-scale deployment,” says Khalid Sandhu, IT Customer Service Manager at Dubai World.

The company is taking advantage of the system security features in Windows 7 by implementing BitLocker drive encryption to help safeguard data on its hard disk drives, and BitLocker To Go on removable storage devices. Now Dubai World can help protect data in the event of a lost or stolen computer or device. The company is also evaluating the BranchCache feature in Windows 7 to improve application response time and improve network bandwidth utilization at branch offices.

By the beginning of 2011, Dubai World had completed the first phase of its deployment, upgrading 2,700 computers with Windows 7 Enterprise. The Dubai World IT department is in the final stages of the deployment, and the company expects to upgrade its remaining PCs by the end of 2011.

BenefitsEven with the upgrade to Windows 7 Enterprise still underway, Dubai World is already experiencing improved system performance, increased employee productivity, and enhanced IT security.

Optimized performance. By delivering virtualized applications with App-V instead of installing them on individual PCs, Dubai World has helped to optimize its desktop environment by making critical business applications available to employees from any computer with an Internet connection. By downloading content from BranchCache instead of file servers and web servers in the main office, employees at Dubai World branch offices will have faster access to corporate resources.

Enhanced IT security. By encrypting data on employee PCs with BitLocker, Dubai World is helping to safeguard its sensitive corporate data. With BitLocker To Go, the company can extend its encryption solution to widely used removable media devices.

Increased productivity. By deploying Windows 7 Enterprise, Dubai World has provided its employees with the tools they need to efficiently deliver high value to the company’s customers.

“By using Windows 7 Enterprise, our employees can experience the user-friendly interface, performance, and reliability of a modern operating system,” says Al Yedaiwi. “And importantly, we can achieve enhanced security and manageability while using App-V for desktop virtualization.”

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

Document published March 2011

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