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To react fast to changing business requirements, employees at Embru require rapid, reliable access to key applications and files. As such, keeping staff workstations up-to-date with the latest software and application upgrades is a top priority.
Rolf Ziegler, IT Manager at Embru, begins: “It’s very important that we are able to replace damaged workstations as quickly as possible. The last thing we want is for an employee to be offline while they wait for their PC to be repaired.”
Managing more than 180 employee workstations at several sites, Embru is always looking for ways to facilitate IT management and deliver efficient, effective user support. Operating sites across Switzerland, Embru must also ensure that IT systems and support are available in both German and French.
To take advantage of the latest functionalities and to stay on the vendor’s support path, Embru planned to upgrade its workstations nationwide from Microsoft Windows 7 to Windows 10. To minimize disruption to users, Embru needed to make the migration as seamless as possible.
Embru has been using Micro Focus ZENworks® Configuration Management to centrally manage employee workstations for many years.
Rolf Ziegler remarks: “We’ve been using ZENworks Configuration Management since the mid-90s, so we know from over two decades of experience what a fantastic tool it is. To make sure that we weren’t missing out, we looked at a few alternative offerings, but that exercise simply confirmed that ZENworks Configuration Management met all of our requirements and is the right fit for a company of our size.”
Working closely with its long-term technology partner NEXPERT, Embru created a universal dual-language base image of the Windows 10 installation using the ENGL Imaging Toolkit, an automated deployment tool optimized for ZENworks Configuration Management.
Rolf Ziegler comments: “Using the ENGL Imaging Toolkit, we were able to produce a comprehensive Windows 10 set-up, complete with all the applications that staff use on a day-today basis, which was then ready to roll out in almost no time.”
Next, Embru worked with NEXPERT to roll out the base image across its IT estate, including virtual desktops running on Windows-based devices, which operate in a virtualized environment. “With ZENworks Configuration Management, we were able to automate the entire migration to Windows 10,” recalls Rolf Ziegler. “It took just 30 minutes to install Windows 10 with all the standard applications on each workstation.
“Support from NEXPERT has been excellent. They were with us every step of the way during the rollout phase, helping us to complete the Windows 10 upgrade within our chosen timeframe.”
With ZENworks Configuration Management and the ENGL Imaging Toolkit, Embru has streamlined software maintenance and endpoint management. As a result, it is easier than ever to ensure that employee workstations are kept up-to-date with the latest features and vendor support.
“Our most recent rollout was a huge success,” notes Rolf Ziegler. “Using ENGL Imaging Toolkit, it took just a few days to prepare and package a base image of Windows 10 including all standard applications. Then, thanks to ZENworks Configuration Management, the rollout was completely automated.
“Had we installed the operating system on each PC manually, it would have taken hundreds of hours. And because we were able to roll out a dual-language base image to all workstations, we didn’t have to worry about deploying a French-language operating system for some users, and a German-language version for others.”
With faster deployment of new functionalities and security upgrades, employees benefit from a more reliable working environment – enabling them to get on with their day jobs.
Rolf Ziegler says: “End users often don’t realize that keeping their workstations updated and running smoothly can be a big challenge. Luckily for us, ZENworks Configuration Management and ENGL Imaging Toolkit make the entire process quick and easy."
