EM - June/July 2014 - (Page 17)

17 June/July 2014 www.esb.ie/em GET SMART Access ESB internet and email on your smart device P18 BSC & Electric Ireland Windows 7 Project - delivering on many fronts 8 The project has achieved much since its initiation, including reduced costs, better performance, enhanced security and easier support WINDOWS 7 PROJECT KEY FIGURES: * * * * * * * * * * * 5,500 devices across ESB upgraded to Windows 7. 2,500 Thin Clients rolled out. 165 locations across ESB visited as part of the project, including three UK locations. 1,391 decommissioned desktops and laptops donated to charity. 64 bit operating system for improved application performance. 450 applications down from 11,000 applications. 40 second boot up time for Thin Clients. 1 User, 1 Device - ESB's corporate IT policy which was delivered by the project. €350 for a Thin Client in comparison to €800 for a desktop or €1200 for a laptop. €1,000,000 savings over three years with the introduction of Thin Clients. 26699 option 1, for any queries regarding Windows 7 or Thin Clients. Top left: Members of the Windows 7 Project team (l-r): Keith Gibbons, Bernard Murray, Paul Byrne, Declan Lannon, Ciaran McManus, Piotr Kakol, David O' Loughlin, Dadeolu Odugbose, Lorna Davey, Kevin Connolly, Denise Delaney, Aoife Mawhinney and Sinead Fahy. Left: Anne O'Connor, Programme Manager for the Windows 7 Project, pictured with Business Unit coordinators (l-r) Maura Kirby and Frank Gilmartin (BP & IT Team, ESB Networks) and Conor O'Sullivan, Sharon Tobin and Karen White (IT & BP Team, GWM and Innovation). Missing from photo: Elaine Ryan (GWM); Kevin Scanlon and Willie O Sullivan (ESB Networks); Tim Hartnett and Ciaran Hand (Electric Ireland); and Joope Seebus (ESB Telecoms). AFTER 16 MONTHS, the Windows 7 Project was completed in May. During that time the project has delivered on many fronts in terms of reduced costs, better performance, greater efficiency, enhanced security and easier support. Not only this, but the project also won a Sustainability award, donated old computers to help students and teachers in the developing world and even had poetry written about it! The Windows 7 Project was established as part of Microsoft Upgrades Programme to upgrade ESB's operating platform from Windows XP to Windows 7. The requirement for this was borne out of the fact that from April 2014, Microsoft would no longer provide any support for Windows XP. With over 13 million external attempts to access ESB's systems and approximately 20 laptops per month being treated for viruses, the risk of not upgrading to Windows 7 would have meant that we would not be able to rollout regular security patches to defend ourselves from such attacks. "The success of the project is not limited to the upgrade to Windows 7 or the deployment of Thin Clients. The project has brought about many positives in terms of cost savings, the ability to deploy new technologies POETRY IN MOTION To coincide with Valentine's Day, the Windows 7 Project ran a poetry competition. There some great entrants, but it was Ann-Marie McDermott, ESB Networks who emerged as overall winner. Her winning entry captured the imagination of the (expert!) panel of judges through its excellent rhyming, witty charm and of course the praise which it heaped upon Windows 7 and Thin Clients in particular. quicker, managing applications, sustainability, security, performance, reliability, license compliance, corporate social responsibility and more," said Eoghan Barrett, Project Sponsor and IT Service Delivery Manager, Business Service Centre. "None of this would have been achieved without the help and support of nearly every single staff member in the company who completed their upgrade to Windows 7. Central to the success of this were the project team, the Business Unit IT & BP teams and the Local Coordinators who worked tirelessly to complete the project," added Anne O'Connor, Programme Manager, Microsoft Upgrades Programme. n Ode to Windows 7 For Operating Systems, ESB's new corporate version is Windows 7, With 'Jump Lists' and 'Pinning Icons', I've gone to computer heaven. The 'Indexing' and 'Integrated Search' features are oh-so-very cool, And when I'm creating presentations, I simply use the 'Snipping Tool'. But when my complicated transactions, sometimes get me in a mess, Windows 7 'Problem Steps Recorder' really is the very best. So when you acquire new Windows 7, I don't want to hear you protest or whine, Just contact your local 'Super-User' or get plenty of help online. Windows 7 - in their words... "The enhanced Citrix / MyDesktop environment allows staff to log-on to any device quickly and easily without the need to reset or install personal settings." Richard Dufficy - Manager Desktop Support, Business Service Centre. "By reducing the number of devices, the project have enabled us to reduce the number of software licences we pay for." Edel O'Gara - Licence Manager, Business Service Centre. "Enhanced Windows 7 security features will help to protect our systems and data from the threat of viruses and hacking, while a streamlined Citrix environment means we can implement essential security patches much more rapidly than before." Garbhán Blake - IT Security & Governance Manager, Business Service Centre. "Almost 1,300 computers have been donated to the Camara charity by the project, helping to deliver digital literacy skills to over 42,000 students in disadvantaged schools in Ireland, Africa and the Caribbean." Lorna Davey - Windows 7 Project Manager, Business Service Centre. "New streamlined 'Bit Locker' encryption for laptops delivers significant improvements on their current boot up times." Declan Lannon - Windows 7 Transition Manager, Business Service Centre. "Thin Clients use just 10% of the energy in comparison to a standard PC and emit just 120lbs of CO2 in comparison to 378lbs - that is a €56K per annum saving in energy costs for 2,000 Thin Clients." Anne O'Connor - Programme Manager, Business Service Centre.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of EM - June/July 2014

EM - June/July 2014
Contents
News
Innovation
Generation & Wholesale Markets
BSC & Electric Ireland
ESB Network Ltd
Health & Habitat

EM - June/July 2014