Global Headquarters: 5 Speen Street Framingham, MA USA P F

Transcription

1 Global Headquarters: 5 Speen Street Framingham, MA USA P F WHITE PAPER HP's Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions Sponsored by: HP Christine Tenneson March 2005 INTRODUCTION IT managers are constantly faced with the demands and challenges of managing their organizations' end-user client devices. IT teams often struggle to provide quality desktop and mobility solutions to their users a task made more challenging by tight budgets and staffs that are often forced to provide purely reactive services. With limited available resources, IT departments are frequently unable to focus on deploying and implementing new technology initiatives that will net long-term benefits; the day-to-day business needs of end users from crashes to patches and viruses to user error can often delay significant proactive enhancements until the situation reaches a crisis point. Staying ahead of the technology curve by initiating improvements in technology, security, and IT management processes is unquestionably the correct course of action, but IT's behind-the-scenes role can make it difficult to secure the additional resources needed to follow through on this mission. This situation leaves IT managers scrambling to solve the problems of today and prepare for tomorrow; and often neither task receives the attention it deserves. Using an external provider for different aspects of desktop and mobile computing management is increasingly becoming one of the few viable solutions for large and growing enterprises. IN THIS WHITE PAPER This IDC White Paper describes the issues organizations face in managing desktop and mobile computing environments, best practices for desktop and mobility management, and the solutions presented by HP to help enterprises conquer these challenges. This paper illustrates HP's commitment to helping its customers reduce the complexity and costs associated with managing the desktop and mobile environment throughout lifecycle phases such as planning, deployment, management, and transition.

2 MARKET OVERVIEW A well-managed PC fleet is a strategic asset and possibly a strategic differentiator, but because of the high associated costs, most enterprises do not have the people, processes, and tools necessary to efficiently support the number and range of end-user client devices being used within their environments. IDC has found more than 50% of IT budgets are spent on support and help desk services. This spending limits or even eliminates the funds available to many IT departments for investing in new technologies or services. Economic stress in recent times exacerbated this dilemma. Instead of replacing equipment that has reached its normal end of life (the ideal PC refresh rate is three years), some organizations chose to maintain the existing fleet and extend the cycle for as long as five years. Because an aging fleet requires additional support, IT departments were once again forced to focus on the immediate issues at hand technical support issues coming into the help desk instead of long-range activities. The strain of delaying equipment retirement was also frequently coupled with a reduced head count in IT departments another cost-savings tactic during lean times. And even though the market has rebounded, IT head count has not necessarily bounced back. Companies have become increasingly reliant on external services providers for desktop and mobile services assistance to cope with these challenging circumstances. IDC found that more than 65% of organizations used an external provider for some level of desktop and mobile services in IDC found that more than 65% of organizations used an external provider for some level of desktop and mobile services in Customer Challenges Three sets of challenges are critical to today's IT managers. First, the high costs and resources associated with maintaining existing IT environments routinely prohibit IT staffs from focusing or spending on new technologies or initiatives. Second, IT environments are becoming more complex to manage due to the proliferation of applications and mobile devices. Third, security and regulatory mandates have created additional requirements and hurdles for organizations to clear. The following sections describe each challenge in more detail. Operational Costs One would be hard-pressed to find an IT manager, CIO, or CFO who does not realize that managing the desktop and mobile environment is an expensive proposition. Even with the additions of electronic support and remote diagnostics to an IT department's toolbox, service and support still represents the largest portion of most IT budgets. Additionally, routine services, such as deployments as well as moves, adds, and changes (MACs), continue to require an onsite technician, and these labor-intensive processes are particularly expensive. 2 #05C IDC

3 Beyond end-user costs, there are also significant ongoing expenses for IT administration. According to a recent IDC survey, only 65% of organizations track assets by an internal audit, and 33% are using a spreadsheet for this activity. Both of these methods of asset tracking are labor-intensive and, therefore, expensive. The same survey revealed that one-third of the time assets are tracked by a person outside the IT department typically in finance or communications. As a result, a disconnect can often result in inaccuracies. More than 20% of organizations said that they do not have a solid and complete understanding of their devices and applications, including software licenses. The need for ongoing training is an additional operational expense. First, end users must be trained. For customers who forgo end-user training, the immediate savings on those classes will be negated by a delayed realization of the desktop and mobility solution's benefits. In addition to providing end-user training, organizations should ensure that IT department members receive ongoing training to maximize the usage and savings the solution offers. For customers who forgo end-user training, the immediate savings on those classes will be negated by a delayed realization of the desktop and mobility solution's benefits. Complexity of Environment A number of factors have contributed to the increasing complexity of today's enterprise computing environments. These factors include:! Lack of standardization. Many organizations suffer from a lack of standardization, which has led to multivendor hardware proliferation and an abundance of applications installed within the environment. Coupled with the high numbers of mergers and acquisitions (where each company brings its own menagerie of vendors and products into the ecosystem), the number of devices and applications installed has increased steadily.! Contract proliferation. A large number of organizations have dozens and sometimes hundreds of individual support contracts to manage. Proliferation creates inefficiency and inconsistent service in many ways. Managing multiple support contracts is a time-consuming, labor-intensive process because it requires the maintenance of a database of service levels, response times, contacts, and terms and conditions, among other things. Having myriad vendor contracts also creates inconsistent service because each vendor's quality varies.! Growth of the mobile workforce. The mobile workforce has also contributed to IT complexity. According to IDC, the growth rate of notebook PC shipments is expected to be triple that of desktop units. There are also scores of other wireless devices to support, as more than 60% of organizations currently use mobile phones with wireless data capabilities and 45.3% of organizations use wireless data enabled PDAs. As a result of global business travel and international office locations, 24 x 7 support has moved from being a luxury to a necessity IDC #05C4396 3

4 Security and Compliance Security and compliance mandates have created additional strains on IT departments, consuming significant financial resources and requiring the hiring or retraining of engineers with the necessary security expertise to fulfill the requirements. These stressors include:! Increasing Web-based attacks. Desktop and mobility-related security solutions have been gaining attention due to the proliferation of Web-based attacks (e.g., NIMDA, Code Red, Slammer, and SCOB). IT departments are facing increasing regulatory demands to bolster and actively maintain security measures. In addition, they continue to deal with the challenges of effectively managing all the disparate security systems across organizations.! Government regulations. Government regulations, specific to various vertical industries, present additional challenges for companies striving to meet compliance deadlines. Furthermore, the ad hoc nature of enterprise computing infrastructures makes them vulnerable and, therefore, unable to fulfill the promise of security as a strategic business process.! Detection and response challenges. The network complexity described above makes it difficult for internal IT staffs to rapidly detect and respond to attacks. The situation only grows more dire as hackers become increasingly savvy and aggressive in their methods of attack. Best Practices in Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions To provide superior IT service management and reduce long-term support costs, organizations must invest in people, processes, and technology to ensure seamless service delivery and desktop and mobility lifecycle management best practices. People! Global coverage. Because of the expansion of the mobile workforce, most organizations must provide 24 x 7 support. Organizations lacking an extensive global service delivery practice should look to partner with a firm that offers 24 x 7 capabilities. To provide superior IT service management and reduce long-term support costs, organizations must invest in people, processes, and technology to ensure seamless service delivery and desktop and mobility lifecycle management best practices.! IT training. Because up-front training lowers the number of support calls, training and education should be provided, encouraged, and rewarded not only for the IT staff but also for end users. 4 #05C IDC

5 Processes! Standardization. Standardization on a few quality vendors eliminates unnecessary complexity in the environment and ensures more consistent levels of service for the lifecycle of the desktop and mobile device.! Automation. Many desktop and mobile device lifecycle processes can be automated, such as procurement, asset management, and some support processes, such as software upgrades. Technology! Advanced support tools. Web-based remote diagnostic and support tools speed up issue resolution by limiting onsite service calls and the associated costs.! System management tools. The proactive use of system management tools trims the resource requirements and overall complexity of managing a new migration. THE VALUE OF USING AN EXTERNAL SERVICES PROVIDER Although equipping the workforce with PCs and laptops is a mission-critical activity, the skills and expertise for this service are rarely tied to the core competencies and activities of companies in any sector. Nonetheless, organizations are forced to make huge capital and personnel investments to provide their employees with these basic tools of business and communications. Using an external services provider for some or all PC fleet management makes sense for many enterprises. IT strategy and initiatives should be decided in-house, but the execution of these tasks is laborious and time-intensive. To service end users, companies need well-trained and efficient staffs that can handle all of the day-to-day issues that arise while retaining the capacity for the busiest times of the business cycle as well as outlying events (such as mergers, acquisitions, and viruses/patches). If all IT initiatives are handled using internal resources, IT departments either are overstaffed to handle those peak periods or, much more likely, are minimally staffed and become completely inundated when major events come their way. By outtasking portions of or all desktop and mobility management, companies and their IT departments can remain "lean and mean" and focus on other, more strategic areas, including long-term programs with significant business impact that align with the overall corporate strategy. For companies that select a path of self-management, external vendors can still provide value by providing software and service solutions that leverage their expertise in this area while integrating with existing in-house systems. These software and services can optimize the productivity of IT departments, improving customer service while decreasing costs and freeing up staff for other endeavors IDC #05C4396 5

6 HP'S DESKTOP AND MOBILITY LIFECYCLE SOLUTIONS HP's Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions are part of a more comprehensive portfolio: End-User Workplace Solutions. The reality is that the proliferation of new access technology has mixed results for most businesses today. End-user productivity improves, but at the same time, management of such distributed, mixed environments becomes increasingly complex encompassing a world filled with desktops, portable PCs, mobile and wireless access devices, printers, LANs, servers, networks, voice and data circuits, messaging and collaboration, as well as Internet and intranet sites. To help companies address these challenges, HP offers End-User Workplace Solutions, which take a flexible, holistic approach to end-user computing environments. HP can help companies simplify the provisioning, support, and management of any access device or printer while providing office workers with secure access to corporate information, , Internet, and printer services anywhere and anytime they need to reach clients, partners, or coworkers. HP's End-User Workplace Solutions are available as modules, integrated solutions, utility pricing solutions, and fully managed outsourced services. Companies choose the type and scope of solutions that meet the demands of their end-user communities today and know that they can evolve that support as needed to keep IT in synch with their businesses. HP brings to the table its vast organization, with 160,000 employees in 140 countries and the largest pool of Microsoft-certified engineers in the world; a long and successful history in the services industry; and years of experience building desktops, laptops, PDAs, servers, and printers. HP's Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions are designed to reduce the complexity and costs associated with IT management. HP's offerings include a wide range of IT support services and tools that help customers manage complex end-user client device and application environments throughout their functional lives. Realizing that IT departments have their own unique sets of challenges and requirements in this arena and that end users have their own particular sets of needs, HP has created a flexible portfolio of Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions that lets customers select appropriate combination of solutions and levels of service. HP's Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions are designed to reduce the complexity and costs associated with IT management. The portfolio is arranged into four categories: Plan, Deploy, Manage, and Transition. HP also offers a range of comprehensive solutions covering all phases of the desktop and mobility lifecycle, including HP Integrated Support, Managed Desktop and Mobility Solutions, and Consolidated Client Infrastructure. This portfolio is illustrated in Figure 1. 6 #05C IDC

7 FIGURE 1 HP's Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions Source: HP, 2005 Desktop and Mobility Planning Solutions Desktop and Mobility Planning Solutions allow customers to create a unique, proactive end-user client device strategy. Some of the Desktop and Mobility Planning Solutions include:! Project Management Services. These services provide customers with an HP Services project manager who oversees projects and guides migrations through all of the lifecycle phases. HP's Desktop and Mobility Planning Solutions allow customers to create a unique, proactive enduser client device strategy IDC #05C4396 7

8 ! Early Evaluation Program. This program allows customers to try beta versions of hardware and software to assess new technology and accelerate image development.! Factory Express Services. These services provide a set of factory services that help accelerate deployment by implementing physical and CMOS asset tagging, image development, loading, testing and management, custom packaging, additional hardware installation, and application loading. Desktop and Mobility Deployment Solutions Desktop and Mobility Deployment Solutions help customers to automate and deploy desktops and mobile devices in an efficient manner while controlling costs. Some of the Desktop and Mobility Deployment Solutions include:! Managed Deployment Solutions. These solutions provide customers with a single source for procuring and managing new technology.! Image Management Solutions. These solutions customize global hardware and software, using images installed during manufacturing to help deploy PCs. HP's Desktop and Mobility Deployment Solutions help customers to automate and deploy desktops and mobile devices in an efficient manner while controlling costs.! HP Client Management Solutions. These solutions provide PC hardware and software management, including tools for inventory and asset management, lifecycle configuration, change management, and system management integration. Desktop and Mobility Management Solutions Desktop and Mobility Management Solutions are designed to allow organizations to keep the desktop and mobile environment running smoothly and efficiently while improving service to end-user customers. Some of HP's Desktop and Mobility Management Solutions include:! Proactive Change Notification. This solution alerts customers about hardware and software upgrades to servers and client hardware. It provides driver, patch, security, and support alerts via the Internet. HP's Desktop and Mobility Management Solutions are designed to allow organizations to keep the desktop and mobile environment running smoothly and efficiently while improving service to end-user customers.! Instant Support. This solution enables users to identify, evaluate, and resolve their client device and printing problems through the use of Web-based search tools and hardware and software diagnostic tools.! Global Service Desk Management. This solution offers complete outsourcing of the help desk. The Global Service Desk leverages HP's infrastructure and delivery capabilities to reduce the complexity of the support environment and respond to changing business needs. 8 #05C IDC

9 Desktop and Mobility Transition Solutions Desktop and Mobility Transition Solutions enable customers to minimize the impact of and disruptions from evolving market and technology changes. Some of HP's Desktop and Mobility Transition Solutions offerings include:! Technical Asset Discovery Services. These services identify, track, and manage hardware and software assets. HP's Desktop and Mobility Transition Solutions enable customers to minimize the impact of and disruptions from evolving market and technology changes.! Installation, Move, Add, Change, and Disposal (IMACD) Lifecycle Services. These services install and verify HP and third-party products, software loading, relocation, reconfiguration, and deinstallation.! Asset Recovery Services. These services provide ownership relief, replacement schedules, and reduced disposal expenses to help reduce hardware costs. Other Services Because no two customers are exactly alike, HP offers additional categories of services to help its clients reduce long-term support costs. These services include:! HP Integrated Support. Unlike outsourcing, which shifts IT service management entirely to an external service provider, HP Integrated Support provides a collaborative support structure: Customers retain control of managing their assets, while HP, acting as a single point of contact (SPOC), focuses on reducing support costs and improving SLAs by managing multivendor support for complex IT environments. Because no two customers are exactly alike, HP also offers additional categories of services to help its clients reduce longterm support costs: HP Integrated Support, HP PC Utility Solutions, and Managed Desktop and Mobility Solutions.! HP PC Utility Solutions. This offering streamlines the management of IT assets by combining products, lifecycle solutions, and financing solutions. For a per-seat monthly price, this service provides elements of hardware procurement, deployment, help desk, asset reporting, and hardware support.! Managed Desktop and Mobility Solutions. These services provide a holistic, custom outsourcing solution designed to reduce the complexity and operating costs of managing a multivendor end-user environment. These solutions provide elements of assessment, asset management, procurement and provisioning, service desk, security, support services, and software management. Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions: Benefits to Customers HP's flexible offerings provide the people, processes, and technology to enable IT departments to provide high-quality Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions and realize the following benefits:! Cost savings. Customers are experiencing reduced IT costs through improved asset management, reduced downtime expenses, and improved productivity as a result of standardization. HP's flexible offerings provide the people, processes, and technology to enable IT departments to provide high-quality Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions IDC #05C4396 9

10 ! Reduced complexity. HP's competence in multivendor support addresses the complexity commonly present in organizations' enterprise computing environments. HP's services also address the challenges of contract proliferation and are optimized to deal efficiently with the challenges of a highly mobile workforce.! Focus on strategic activities. With HP handling the burden of desktop and mobility management, IT staffs are free to focus on more strategic activities.! Assistance with new technology initiatives. HP's service offerings allow IT resources to focus on new technology initiatives while HP helps keep pace with technology changes at the desktop and mobile level.! Access to additional expertise and skill sets. It is not always feasible or sensible to employ an expert in each technology area. HP's services give customers the ability to leverage HP's 65,000 trained professionals on an as-needed basis.! Improved service levels. Having HP as a SPOC leads to more efficient processes, such as faster procurement of PCs or more rapid deployments, due in large part to automation. In addition, guaranteed service levels improve the quality of service delivered.! Flexibility. HP's Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions provide customers with the ultimate flexibility to choose from a set of modular services based on their individual needs. For a more comprehensive solution, clients can choose additional services such as HP Integrated Support or HP PC Utility Solutions. HP's clients can also choose from multiple payment methodologies.! Improved employee satisfaction. Employee satisfaction improves when service levels improve. In addition, less time is lost waiting to resolve IT issues, leading to happier, more productive workers. CASE STUDY CROSSMARK Company Overview CROSSMARK Inc. is a professional service company servicing consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers. The company has 13,000 employees located in 60 locations throughout the United States and Canada and also has a presence in Australia and New Zealand. CROSSMARK has 4,500 end-point devices, including Windows-based PCs and ipaqs, that are used for its mission-critical sales force automation application. CROSSMARK's centralized IT team is located in Plano, Texas. 10 #05C IDC

11 Challenges Many of the IT challenges faced by CROSSMARK were directly related to the company's rapid expansion via acquisitions 60 corporations between 1997 and Geographically dispersed organizations such as CROSSMARK typically have more challenges tracking and managing assets, and the increase in mobile devices had further complicated these processes. CROSSMARK needed assistance to successfully manage the assets on a day-to-day basis. CROSSMARK faced challenges in each phase of the lifecycle planning, deployment, management, and transition but the most significant were around the procurement process, desktop and mobile deployments, providing quality end-user support, and PC disposal. The level of onsite support needed by CROSSMARK's users presented additional challenges. "Break/fix had always been a challenge for us," said Charlie Orndorff, CROSSMARK's vice president of infrastructure services. In addition, with 70% of the PC fleet consisting of laptops, the shift toward mobility had forced CROSSMARK to look outside the company for help. "We weren't doing it well; it wasn't a core competence," said Orndorff. "We needed to partner with someone for whom it was a core competence." "We weren't doing it well; it wasn't a core competence," said Orndorff. "We needed to partner with someone for whom it was a core competence." Solution After careful deliberation, CROSSMARK selected an HP Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions contract to better manage its desktop and mobile device environment. HP provides planning, deployment, management, and transition solutions for PCs and networked printers for CROSSMARK's U.S. and Canadian locations. According to CROSSMARK, HP was chosen for its ability to deliver high levels of service and cost savings, as well as its overall approach. "The cultural fit was a big piece we felt like we were talking to ourselves," Orndorff said. "The cultural fit was a big piece we felt like we were talking to ourselves," Orndorff said. On the pricing side, one key benefit is that HP now maintains ownership of the equipment (CROSSMARK pays a service fee for the equipment and any new systems purchased are billed as a service charge), and the company has reduced complexity by standardizing on HP systems. In addition, a set, per-device fee for any desktop or mobile service delivered, such as moves, adds, and changes (MACs), provides more predictability and accurate budgeting input for CROSSMARK's IT planning. Moreover, a set per-call price for help desk services also provides budgetary predictability. (CROSSMARK currently averages between 2,500 and 3,000 calls per month.) CROSSMARK's first-level calls are taken from an HP call center located in Hull, Canada, while second-level calls are handled by HP engineers located onsite at various CROSSMARK locations. As part of the contract, HP's full-time, dedicated principal program manager as well as six other full-time, dedicated resources (three engineers focused on IT issues and three project managers focused on business and management issues) are located onsite IDC #05C

12 Key Results and Benefits One year into the three-year agreement, Orndorff is pleased with the HP relationship. CROSSMARK uses satisfaction surveys, weekly update meetings with the HP program manager, and monthly managers' meetings to measure the effectiveness of the relationship. At the monthly meetings, metrics are distributed and discussed, including the average number of calls, classification of calls, and percentage of calls resolved at first contact. Key results are as follows:! More efficient procurement. Under the HP contract, the order approval process immediately and significantly improved. Managers now electronically enter new employee information and select a new PC via HP's procurement site. This information is then routed to the appropriate personnel for approval. HP has 48 hours to send the device and ensure that an engineer is onsite for installation. This process used to take more than 30 days.! Faster technology refresh cycle. In the first six months of the arrangement with HP, 2,000 systems were replaced because of improvements in the asset management process. CROSSMARK's technology refresh process is now automated. The system sends an alert when a machine reaches three years of life. "If you don't know what is out there, you can't keep people current. Now that we have a relationship with HP, we can keep everything current," Orndorff said. In the first six months of the arrangement with HP, 2,000 systems were replaced because of improvements in the asset management process.! Reduced IT costs. CROSSMARK realized immediate IT cost savings as a result of its Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions contract with HP. According to Orndorff, CROSSMARK was able to save over 25% on IT costs in the first year.! Improved service levels. With HP's use of best practices throughout the PC lifecycle, its customers benefit from consistent service levels. HP's service level agreements (SLAs) with CROSSMARK include a 90% break/fix guarantee for next-day restore and 90% second business day turnaround for laptops. For help desk services, the average response speed is 42 seconds (which compares favorably to the previous internal setup that allowed users only to leave a message for support). The percentage of incidents closed on first contact is now at 78%; first and second business day closures are at 86% and 95%, respectively. The percentage of incidents closed on first contact is now at 78%; first and second business day closures are at 86% and 95%, respectively. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES HP has enjoyed initial success with its Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions portfolio, but the company will face challenges as it continues to grow this part of its services business. HP will need to continually evaluate and augment its service offerings to quickly react to changes in the technology market and fluctuations in customer demands and preferences. A wide range of desktop and mobility services including a range of offerings, processes for implementation, and pricing exists today. The market for desktop and mobile device service management is fragmented, and the company continues to face intense competition from other global services players as well as competition from smaller firms and regional players. Additionally, many organizations will continue 12 #05C IDC

13 to resist using external assistance for desktop and mobile services such as installations, deployments, and MACs. This market will continue to face intense pricing pressures as organizations look to reduce the cost of IT. To lead in the marketplace, providers of desktop and mobile services will need to provide a suite of flexible services that help customers transform their businesses, reduce costs, and increase service levels and efficiencies. To continually be able to reduce delivery costs while increasing efficiencies, services organizations must leverage the next generation of electronic and remote technologies and implement IT service management best practices for service support and service delivery. CONCLUSION The tremendous task of PC fleet management is often undermanned and underfunded. Forward-looking organizations striving to optimize their operations while improving their service are turning outward for solutions. For those seeking expertise in any of the four lifecycle phases planning, deployment, management, or transition HP Desktop and Mobility Lifecycle Solutions offer a flexible, modular portfolio of individual services, customizable for specific IT requirements. HP helps its clients succeed by speeding procurement, reducing IT costs, increasing service and performance levels, and providing access to the latest technology. HP is uniquely positioned to deliver a complete solution throughout every phase of the desktop and mobility lifecycle because of its extensive global delivery organization, multivendor service capability, standardized processes, and commitment to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. Copyright Notice External Publication of IDC Information and Data Any IDC information that is to be used in advertising, press releases, or promotional materials requires prior written approval from the appropriate IDC Vice President or Country Manager. A draft of the proposed document should accompany any such request. IDC reserves the right to deny approval of external usage for any reason. Copyright 2005 IDC. Reproduction without written permission is completely forbidden IDC #05C