F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG chooses enteo NetInstall to manage software packaging and distribution

Transcription

1 enteo I success story GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG chooses enteo NetInstall to manage software packaging and distribution Global structures require global management. Central administration doesn t just prevent the duplication of effort, it also helps to reduce costs. As a multinational corporation, F. Hoffmann- La Roche AG has used a global active directory for some time. Its system management has recently been consolidated. Software packages are now created once and then distributed globally, using a tool made by enteo.

2 Since we ve been using enteo NetInstall, we re able to report zero downtime in Software and Configuration Management. Robert Lonsdorfer, Global Head of Application Management, Engineering and Deployment, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. We innovate healthcare is F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG s mission statement and this innovative spirit has enabled a small pharmaceutical lab in Basle, Switzerland, to grow into one of the world s leading pharmaceutical corporations, employing 64,000 people and selling products in 150 countries. The company s global scale requires a global strategy, global organizational structures, and global IT/ technology systems. IT-related issues in particular have become more important in the last few years. The fact that network monitoring and administration had been managed locally at Roche for a long time meant that there were a large number of applications in use and the associated licensing costs were correspondingly high. The trigger for the reorganization was a global IT project. Roche wanted to be able to manage its network resources using a central active directory. The decision to introduce a standard system for software distribution was a natural part of that process. Until then, several different solutions including SMS and Columbus had been used. Since we had to repackage all our applications anyway as part of the active directory implementation, we decided to start again from scratch. We didn t just want to replace one software solution with another; we wanted to establish a global change management process, explains Robert Lonsdorfer, the company s Global Head of Application Management, Engineering and Deployment. Standardized worldwide processes require standardized worldwide solutions In 2001, the Roche solutions database contained 10,000 applications including both universal applications such as web editors, Internet browsers and Office applications and specific solutions for field sales employees and production (validated environment). Today there are just 2,000. This change is not due to a reduction in demand instead, it s been made possible thanks to a fundamental reorganization of the distribution structure. Roche is reaping the benefits of a centralized packaging system; a new global structure which includes all 150 of the company s locations. Previously, every software application had to be packaged and distributed by the local organizations themselves. The new system aimed to consolidate these processes to leverage synergies and reduce costs. But creating a global structure for the portfolio, packaging, antivirus and software distribution systems also had a very practical purpose: as a pharmaceutical company, Roche s operations are governed by the stringent guidelines of the Food and Drug Association (FDA). These dictate that every modification to the infrastructure even the implementation of the latest patch must be properly documented. For example, before a software package can be distributed, it must undergo an exhaustive testing and documentation process. For major

3 releases, as many as 2,000 sign-offs must be collected before the actual roll-out can take place. Managing these processes centrally both prevents unnecessary roll-outs and reduces the risk of productivity being compromised by a system failure. Minimizing duplication and reducing licensing costs A global project team was tasked with finding a suitable solution and evaluating the various alternatives took around 18 months. Several of the possible alternatives did not pass the first hurdle that of active directory compatibility while others were simply too expensive. Some solutions provided only the packaging functionality without the application distribution element. At the end of the selection process, Roche decided in favor of enteo s flagship product, NetInstall. Says Robert Lonsdorfer: The solution met our technical requirements and offered the best combination of value and performance. enteo NetInstall also enabled test processes to be created for system modifications, an advantage that met many of the FDA s stringent quality assurance requirements. The individual steps need to be carried out by people with specific permissions and roles and the software is only considered ready for distribution once all these steps have been performed in the correct sequence by the correct people. The management board approved the project team s recommendation and enteo NetInstall became the central solution for system management at Roche. The implementation took just under a year a long time for a NetInstall project. The reason was that the Roche project involved the standardization of an entire application environment. Both sides have benefited from the experience they have gained, both during the implementation and in their long-term partnership. enteo worked closely with us to ensure that all our requirements were met. They also provided excellent solutions for all our additional requests says Robert Lonsdorfer. Roche needed a system management solution which would precisely reflect its global organizational structure. We, too, have grown thanks to the experience The combination of the new internal procedures and the advanced functionality of enteo NetInstall makes our day-to-day work considerably easier. This is a robust, mature product that also provides optimum support for the new processes. Robert Lonsdorfer, Global Head of Application Management, Engineering and Deployment, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. we gained on the Roche project, says Holger Leonhardt, Project Leader for enteo. We are now able to offer customers a solution that is 100 percent enterprise-ready. To ensure the distribution runs as smoothly as possible, all the company s software was first inventoried and categorized. The aim was to keep the number of duplicates functionally identical applications as low as possible. If, for example, there was a Roche unit using web editing software (such as Front Page), a new query showed any other solutions that served the same purpose. Exceptions were made only in cases where there was a difference in the scope of the applications functions. All existing applications were stored in a database from where they could be accessed by users. The fact that this system was originally so complex makes the difference all the more impressive: post-restructuring, just one-fifth of the original number of packages remains. Today, the system administrators are still able to create software packages locally but the use of central packages is recommended and technical support is provided only for these.

4 Since the implementation of the new system management solution, 55,000 clients across 110 locations have been supplied with applications and configured using enteo NetInstall. The tasks in this process are clearly defined and allocated. Packaging the software is handled by package engineers (all of whom have undergone an internal certification process), while the local site administrator is responsible for the distribution. Thanks to enteo NetInstall, projects as complex as the enterprise-wide implementation of Windows XP have been performed quickly and smoothly. Client PCs are now running a total of ten different language versions including oriental languages, which present more technical problems from an IT point of view and all are supported by enteo NetInstall. Global IT project completed in just three days Since the upgrade, Robert Lonsdorfer views upcoming projects like upgrading the operating system to the next version with confidence. It s not just the performance of the system that has improved considerably since the implementation, internal change management processes have also been tested and further optimized. This means that modifications to the overall structure can now be managed much more efficiently. Now, for example, we categorize the changes as major, minor or patch releases and use the appropriate change management process before we implement them. The combination of the new internal procedures and the advanced functionality of enteo NetInstall makes our day-to-day work considerably easier. This is a robust, mature product that also provides optimum support for the new processes Lonsdorfer concludes. Having been highly satisfied with enteo NetInstall s performance for the last two years, Roche decided to migrate to NetInstall 5.7 with SP2 in January Since we ve been using enteo NetInstall, we re able to report zero downtime in Software and Configuration Management, says Robert Lonsdorfer with obvious satisfaction. For Lonsdorfer, therefore, the upgrade was simply a matter of finding the time. The update includes functions for packaging plugand-play drivers and for security patch deployment. enteo consultants developed the necessary migration concept in close cooperation with members of the Roche Global Client Engineering division. They prepared intensively for the upgrade and carried out several tests in Roche s global test environment. The migration involved checking and upgrading around 50 MB of data for each of the organization s 160 servers. Migrating the clients involved updating around 15 MB of data. Individual updates were performed over a 64KB ISDN connection and took up to ten hours. In total, 760 GB of data was transferred. Despite this, the migration for all the regions Asia Pacific, EMEA and NALA was successfully completed in less than three days.

5 About enteo Software, Inc. enteo Software is the German market leader in system management. The company offers one of the most extensive product portfolios in this market segment and specializes in software assignment and installation, hardware and software inventory, and remote control of PCs. The entire IT lifecycle is covered. enteo products make it possible to manage thin and rich clients, servers, and mobile workstations. enteo is the only manufacturer of system management solutions to support both Windows clients (rich clients) and Citrix MetaFrame servers (thin clients). enteo is an international company, headquartered in Stuttgart and with offices in Europe and the USA. It maintains a global service and sales network of qualified partner companies. enteo solutions are proven to reduce operating costs and deliver a quick return on investment. The use of the latest security technology ensures networks are protected effectively against both internal and external threats. The software is highly scalable and adaptable, making it ideal for expanding businesses. About Roche Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people s health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. In 2004 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totaled 21.7 billion Swiss francs, while the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 7.8 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners. Headquarters Alps Nordic North and South America enteo Software GmbH Gottlieb-Manz-Straße Filderstadt Germany enteo Software GmbH Zweigniederlassung Thalwil Zürcherstrasse Thalwil Switzerland Nordiska enteo Software AB Kanalvägen 10 C S Upplands Väsby Sweden enteo Software, Inc Plaza Drive, Suite 102 Schaumburg, IL USA tel fax [email protected] tel fax [email protected] tel fax [email protected] tel fax [email protected]