German automobile maker BMW is many things: Manufacturer of luxury cars and motorcycles; a brand name famous around the world; a giant corporation with a reputation for efficiency.
You can now add Windows 7 early adopter to that list.
The Munich-based car giant, whose headquarters building is considered an architectural icon in Europe, has 100,000 employees in 250 locations in countries such as South Africa, the United States, Canada and China. Within this vast environment, with users ranging from auto engineers to salespeople, sits 85,000 Windows machines.
BMW has been running Windows XP in its broad client environment since 2001. Happy with XP, the automaker passed on Windows Vista, so its planning for Windows 7 started early, says Bernhard Huber, BMW's Head of IT Workplace Systems.
"We identified a lot of functional and monetary benefits of Windows 7 early on," says Huber, adding that BMW first started testing the Windows 7 beta in the first quarter of this year and has increased the number of pilot users since the RTM (release to manufacturing) version of Windows 7 became available in late July.
"It is expected that 200 to 500 key users will participate in the pilot program until the end of 2009," he says.
Huber mentioned that BMW IT will increase compatibility testing with 5,000 users in a production environment in 2010, after which the rollout of Windows 7 on all machines at BMW will begin in 2011, probably around the time of Windows 7 Service Pack 1.
Better UI, Speed, App Virtualization and Memory
Huber said he sees life getting easier for BMW employees with the redesigned user interface and improved memory management of Windows 7.
The desktop features of the new OS, such as the revamped taskbar, are not usually mentioned as enterprise benefits. However, Huber envisions improved worker productivity with features like thumbnail previews, which allows for quicker switching between applications.
Huber also expects Windows 7 will further promote efficiency via its speedier startup times and improved memory management.
"Windows 7 uses its resources well and starts the applications perceptibly fast," he says. "This will make the upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 easier than it would have been with Vista."
Huber adds that BMW will be using XP Mode, a free virtualization feature for enterprises in Windows 7 that runs older XP-only applications through a Microsoft virtual machine containing a licensed copy of Windows XP SP3.
"With the help of application virtualization features like XP Mode, whatever software we have that is still not compatible with Windows 7 can be further used as we roll out the new OS. We can migrate legacy applications immediately and establish Windows 7 readiness later," he says.
Enterprise Features = More Efficient Users
On a deeper level, BMW plans to utilize the Windows 7 enterprise features that work with Windows Server 2008 R2, which will release the same time as the client OS. Huber says that plans to deploy Windows Server 2008 R2 are well under way in order to use "the full potential of Windows 7."
Huber highlights features tailored for BMW's mobile workers such as DirectAccess, a networking tool that eliminates the need for VPNs, BranchCache, which speeds up networks in remote offices by caching files locally; and BitLocker To Go, an encryption feature that protects portable devices such as thumb drives and external hard drives.
"These features will give BMW IT more efficient remote management abilities and will replace third-party products which must be purchased," says Huber.
Huber says BMW is also hoping its diverse user base will benefit from the improved Remote Assistance functions in Windows 7. Remote Assistance, a long-time Windows tech support tool that allows an IT expert to connect to a user's computer to fix problems directly, has a new feature in Windows 7 called "Easy Connect" that simplifies the process of connecting IT experts to distressed users.
"The improved Remote Assistance functions permit quicker failure analysis and will reduce downtime," says Huber.
Complementing BMW's Technical Strategy
Huber's hope for Windows 7 is that it will be as reliable as Windows XP once it is fully rolled out at BMW.
"The new and extended features of Windows 7 such as DirectAccess and Remote Assistance and application virtualization will play an integral part in our roadmap to have a highly automated client environment," says Huber.
Huber expects support costs per client to go down as employees use Windows 7 to log on, navigate and get technical support quicker.
Most important, says Huber, is that Windows 7 help BMW maintain a cost-effective IT business. He says both local (German) and foreign colleagues from different departments at BMW weighed in on their needs and risks involved in a Windows 7 upgrade.
"Because of this, our IT organization is conserving as many resources as possible and a lot of the Windows 7 deployment will be done parallel to the daily business," he says.
Huber adds proudly that in comparison to BMW's competitors, "we have achieved a leading position in cost-effective IT operations."
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This story, "BMW and Windows 7: Why the car maker is upgrading now" was originally published by CIO.