“With Windows Intune, we can help our customers address so many pain points. We can deliver an operating system upgrade, better security performance, and desktop management all in one package.”

Darryl Heanen, Support Services Manager, Leaf

The IT services provider Leaf is always exploring new ways to help its customers manage their PC environments smartly and efficiently. In 2010, the company prepared to offer Windows Intune to customers. With this subscription-based cloud offering, Leaf can develop new revenue opportunities by delivering centralized PC and security management, remote monitoring and assistance, easy deployment of updates, and upgrade rights to Windows 7 Enterprise.

Business NeedsLeaf is an IT service provider that provides technology solutions for hundreds of small and midsized businesses. A member of the global Microsoft Partner Network, Leaf has grown quickly since its founding in 2003 and to maintain and build on its success, the company is constantly looking for ways to expand and improve its offerings.

One example in is the area of IT security. While most businesses recognize that they must safeguard their IT environments from malicious software (malware), many of Leaf’s smaller customers find it difficult to afford complex IT-security solutions that add additional servers to their infrastructures. Some of the company’s customers have also reported that some malware-protection solutions can slow computer performance.

“The one challenge that never goes away is keeping our customers’ PCs secure without adding extra infrastructure or degrading desktop performance,” says Darryl Heanen, Support Services Manager at Leaf.

Most of Leaf’s customers would benefit from a centralized PC-management solution, but few prioritize it due to the cost and complexity associated with traditional, on-premises PC management. The company also has many customers that are ready to upgrade to the Windows 7 Enterprise operating system, but that have delayed migrating their PCs due to cost.

Leaf wanted to see if it could use cloud technology—computing resources hosted off-site and delivered as online services—to provide its customers with centralized desktop management, tools to protect PCs from malware, remote problem resolution

Partner: LeafWebsite: www.leafconsultancy.comPartner Size: 10 employeesCountry or Region: Northern IrelandIndustry: Professional services—Information technology

Partner ProfileBased in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Leaf helps hundreds of customers do business better through class-leading IT solutions.

Software and Services Windows Intune Windows 7 Enterprise

For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies

Windows IntunePartner Solution Case Study

Managed Service Provider Delivers Better PC Management with Online Offering

and software updating, and an easier way to upgrade and standardize customers’ operating environments.

“We want to be at the forefront of cloud computing,” says Heanen. “We believe that our future revenue will be based more on delivering online services than on installing traditional on-premises infrastructures. Ultimately, our goal is to find ways to better serve our customers while increasing our efficiency.”

SolutionIn late 2010, Leaf evaluated a beta version of Windows Intune, a cloud-based PC-management and security solution. Today, Leaf uses Windows Intune to generate reports and monitor the status of a PC environment, set system policies, manage malware, and customize deployments of software updates.

The company’s customer-support teams can use the web-based management console in Windows Intune to manage customer PCs as long as they are connected to the Internet using a Microsoft Silverlight–enabled browser. Mobile employees can receive system health alerts and software updates, even when they aren’t connected to their corporate network. Leaf also uses Windows Intune to protect PCs from malicious software with features built on the same Microsoft Malware Protection Engine used by Microsoft Forefront Protection Suite. Leaf administrators can use Windows Intune to detect and block malicious software, remove it, notify users, and prompt them to take any needed follow-up actions. The company can provide an additional layer of protection for a customer’s computers by using Windows Intune to set policies that schedule automatic system scans on managed PCs.

Customers who subscribe to Windows Intune also get upgrade rights to Windows 7 Enterprise, so Leaf can help them standardize their managed PCs. “With an upgrade to Windows 7, both we and our customers win,” says Heanen. “They get a more efficient interface and enhanced security features, and we get to reduce our management effort.”

BenefitsBy adopting Windows Intune, Leaf can develop new revenue opportunities by offering its customers better PC and security management and making it easier for them to create a homogenous, up-to-date environment. “We love how Windows Intune helps us better support our customers,” says Heanen.

Better Malware ProtectionWith Windows Intune, Leaf can help safeguard PCs from malware with tools built on proven Microsoft technology that does not require large investments in software or hardware, and that does not impact PC performance. “Our customers definitely notice slowdowns on their desktops, and Windows Intune runs noticeably faster than our previous antivirus software,” says Heanen. “And with Windows Intune, we can take action to resolve issues before they become crises.”

Easier PC UpgradesBy upgrading to Windows 7 Enterprise, Leaf’s customers will benefit from an improved interface, advanced search capabilities, and security features like BitLocker drive encryption. And by helping its customers standardize on a single desktop operating system, Leaf will have an easier time providing effective support and troubleshooting services to customers.

“We have hundreds of customers who have been waiting for the right opportunity to upgrade to Windows 7 Enterprise,” says Heanen. “With Windows Intune, we can help our customers address so many pain points. We can deliver an operating system upgrade, better security performance, and desktop management all in one package.”

New Revenue OpportunitiesNow Leaf can provide its customers with remote assistance, respond proactively to issues, and use the Windows Intune console to distribute updates no matter where employees are working—saving time, reducing costs, and providing better support to remote users. With these new capabilities, Leaf can expand its offerings and generate new revenue.

“Our business depends on helping customers make the most of their IT

investment, and they will find the combination of PC management, malware protection, and an easy path to a Windows 7 Enterprise upgrade very attractive,” says Heanen. “And we can deliver Windows Intune without requiring them to use up resources installing a solution on a server.”

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Document published March 2011