Overview

The client stands among the 'Big Four' enterprise units in the professional services domain.They are known to handle 80% of public accounts in the USA, along with three other namesin the 'Big Four' circle.

The client wanted a solution for automating Application package management for all employee computing system units for their distributed workforce.

Problem Statement and Challenges

With a global presence in 144 countries and more than 2,30,000+ employees on their payroll, it becomes a mundane task to regularly manage, update, and troubleshoot the devices handed out to their employees.

They wanted a system that could handle automated installation, application and security updates, version control, image management, activity logs, report generation, and more. This could help them strengthen efficiency and gain better control of computing systems allocated to their employees.

Solution

With Application Packaging and Management service, we aimed to increase productivity and make the system more efficient, ultimately saving employee hours.

So, the first thing we did was to create automated MSI Installer patches along with transforms, containing changes that can be applied to the installation configured according to the client's requirement.

We also configured System Center Configuration Manager, which helps handle the hardware and device tagging. AdminStudio, WiseScript Editor and Windows Powershell were used for automated scripting tasks.

Moreover, a version control system was placed that removed multiple versions of the same application and scheduled updates approved by the central admin panel.

We initiated a task sequence that updated the BIOS, driver and application. And the best part was that all the update and maintenance tasks were scheduled during off-hours when the tagged systems were not in use.

The activity logs and related data were tracked and recorded in a daily report file generated at the end of each day and automatically mailed to the specified personnel.

• System Center Configuration Manager
• Powershell Scripting Automation
• Virtualization-Based Security
• AdminStudio and WiseScript Editor
• Application Version Control System
• Task sequence for BIOS and Driver Update.
• Update Scheduled During Inactive Hours
• Daily Report Generation

Results and Success Criteria

The client saved approximately 8-10 hours of employee hours and unburdened the load on their IT department with the power of automation. Moreover, with Admin Console and SCCM implementation, the organisation gained more control over their distributed workforce via their allocated computing systems.