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See how Microsoft’s DesktopOptimization solution helps

government agencies deliver

better services more cost-effectively.

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Real World Situations:

Desktop Optimization Best Practices GuideState and Local Government

Infrastructure Optimizationand Windows Vista® Customer Solution Case Studies

IT Security and ManageabilityCustomer Case Study

Microsoft® DesktopOptimization SolutionDatasheet

State of Indiana acceleratedcomplex application deploymentsand upgrades while reducing costs.

Read more>

Washington State Departmentof Licensing decreased their

application deployment timeto help ensure a more reliable

and manageable system.

Read more>

Fulton County created a morestable network by decreasing

network disruptions caused by

noncompliant computers.Read more>



Infrastructure OptimizationCustomer Solution Case Study

State of Indiana Streamlines DesktopManagement, Saves $14 Million Annually

Overview

Country or Region: United StatesIndustry: Government

Customer Profile

Indiana, with its capital in Indianapolis,

has 6.2 million people living on more than

36,000 square miles.

Business Situation

The state wanted to reduce the expense

of managing computers on an agency-by-

agency basis, increase the effectiveness of

state government, and free funds for

investment in taxpayer services.

Solution

The state worked to optimize its core

infrastructure, centralize its desktop

management, and automate software

updates and other administrative

functions.

Benefits

Fast application deployment that boosts

IT productivity and reduces user

downtime

Scalability from 900 desktop computers

to 25,000

Savings of U.S.$14 million

Smooth upgrade path to Windows Vista®

“We’ve increased the number of desktops we manage

by a factor of 25 while increasing staff by only 10 or15 percent.… That’s an extraordinary increase in IT

productivity.”

Gerry Weaver, Chief Information Officer, Indiana Office of Technology

State agencies in Indiana were managing their own desktop

computers independently—and depriving the state and taxpayers

of optimal return on IT spending. So the state centralized desktop

computer management with the help of Microsoft® Desktop

Optimization Pack for Software Assurance and its SoftGrid

Application Virtualization technology, along with Microsoft System

Center Configuration Manager. The result boosts productivity 2500

percent by enabling the central IT office to go from managing 900

desktop computers to managing 25,000 computers without a

significant staff increase. The solution also helps save U.S.$14

million and paves the way for a smooth upgrade to the Windows

Vista® operating system.



SituationThe state of Indiana wasn’t satisfied with the

state of its desktop technology management.

State agencies were spending large amounts

of time and money to manage thousands of

desktop computers—taking away from the

time and money that they wanted to spend

on innovative solutions to improve the ser-

vices available to citizens.

At fault was a highly decentralized desktop

infrastructure. Most agencies managed their

own desktop computers with their own IT

staffs. “Everybody was managing their

desktops differently,” says Brian Arrowood,

Director of Service Operations, Indiana Office

of Technology. “They were running different

versions of operating systems. There was no

consistency or centralization.”

Complicating matters was the enormous

range of services that the state provided—

from public safety and social welfare to

employment services and motor vehicle

registration—and the hundreds of line-of-

business applications for those services that

it had to support across approximately

25,000 desktop computers.

Desktop images varied not just among agen-

cies, but also from desktop to desktop. Given

the challenges of managing a diverse collec-

tion of desktop computers, the state could

not afford a decentralized approach that

multiplied those challenges.

Meanwhile, Governor Mitch Daniels and

his administration wanted to tackle issues

including childcare, education, public health,

and state finances. “The governor asked us

to take a look at IT across the state and

dramatically improve service levels, and also

reduce cost,” says Gerry Weaver, Chief Information Officer, Indiana Office of

Technology.

The IT team couldn’t begin to do so effectively

without a technology infrastructure that facil-

itated innovative solutions, rather than one

that threw up obstacles to those solutions.

SolutionTo provide hundreds of line-of-business

desktop applications to relatively limited

numbers of users, and to create a more

optimized desktop experience for them, thestate of Indiana adopted Microsoft® Desktop

Optimization Pack for Software Assurance, a

set of technologies that help reduce applica-

tion deployment costs, enable delivery of

applications as services, and allow for better

management and control of enterprise

desktop environments.

“We chose the Microsoft desktop optimi-

zation solution because it allowed us, in our

heterogeneous environment, to provide good

service to all users across the board,” says

Paul Baltzell, Distributed Services Manager,

Indiana Office of Technology.

In particular, the state took advantage of

Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization,

which it uses to deploy virtual versions of

applications. The state can virtualize an

application, create a protected “sandbox”

space on a target computer running SoftGrid,

and then download the virtual software with-

out having to grant users administrative

rights and without changing the underlying

configuration settings of the computer. The

state controls authorization to the virtual

software through its updated Active

Directory® service.

With SoftGrid, the state does not have to put

applications through costly compatibility test-

ing, maintain them on desktop computers, or

troubleshoot configuration issues or otherproblems arising from unique collections of

applications on user desktops. “SoftGrid and

application virtualization give us the

capability to essentially manage all the

“We chose the Microsoft

desktop optimization

solution because it

allowed us, in our

heterogeneous

environment, to provide

good service to allusers.”

Paul Baltzell, Distributed Services Manager,

Indiana Office of Technology



desktops as if they’re exactly the same,”

says Arrowood.

The virtualization technology eliminates

incompatibilities between older applications

and the 2007 Microsoft Office system soft-

ware that the state uses. Further, SoftGrid is

helping reduce the number—and expense—of

software licenses; the state deploys software

only when and to whom it is needed, rather than maintaining hundreds of unused appli-

cations on user desktops.

The state government is in the midst of its

adoption of SoftGrid. The state refreshes

desktop computers on a four-year cycle,

replacing 6,000 computers each year. The

new computers receive the SoftGrid software

as part of the imaging process, eliminating

the need for any action on the part of tech-

nicians to install SoftGrid on the desktops.

The state also adopted Microsoft System

Center Configuration Manager 2007, which

has enabled the state to not only manage its

desktops more easily and with better security,

but also scale to support its 25,000 users.

“System Center Configuration Manager gives

us the capability to manage updates and the

security of the desktops and servers in a way

that we would never be able to do with other

products,” Arrowood says.

BenefitsThe moves to Microsoft Desktop Optimization

Pack and its SoftGrid Application Virtualiza-

tion component, along with System Center

Configuration Manager, have been a key part

of Indiana’s desktop optimization and a key

contributor to several benefits of that opti-

mization: boosting the productivity of IT pro-

fessionals, paving the way for a smooth

upgrade to the Windows Vista® operating system, reducing the cost of managing

computers by U.S.$14 million.

Boosts IT Productivity

With the new desktop optimization solution,

many of the tasks that formerly consumed

the time of IT professionals are automated or

unnecessary. The technologies help the IT

team deploy desktop applications more

quickly, while reducing downtime for the

users waiting for those applications. The

ability to virtualize all key components of a

Windows®-based application allows admin-istrators to accelerate each step of the appli-

cation management process by compressing

the time necessary for packaging and pre-

paring applications, deployment, update

management, support, and termination.

A single, consistent desktop image across the

state has made it possible for the Indiana

Office of Technology, the central IT organi-

zation, to go from managing just 900 desk-

tops to managing all 25,000 desktops

without significantly increasing staff—an

increase of more than 2,500 percent.

“One of the best things we see now is that

we have a common desktop that can be

managed not only remotely but also

securely,” says Weaver. “We’ve increased

the number of desktops we manage by a

factor of 25 while increasing staff by only 10

or 15 percent. We were able to consolidate

what was done by about 400 people into

something that’s now done by about 200

people much more effectively. That’s an

extraordinary increase in IT productivity, and

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack was

essential to that.”

Enables Smooth Upgrade to New

Operating System

By creating a streamlined, consistent desktop

environment, the state is well positioned for a

smooth upgrade to the Windows Vista oper-ating system.

Application virtualization eliminates the

dependency between the operating system

“SoftGrid and

application virtualization

give us the capability to

essentially manage all

the desktops as if

they’re exactly the

same.”Brian Arrowood, Director of Service

Operations, Indiana Office of Technology



and applications, thereby eliminating appli-

cation incompatibilities experienced while

moving to a new operating system like

Windows Vista. The IT team can minimize

application compatibility testing, reduce

resource demands, and accelerate the

operating system upgrade and application

deployments. The use of System Center

software combined with a common image

format with Windows Vista Enterprise willhelp streamline deployments.

Cuts Costs $14 Million

That productivity increase, in turn, has helped

significantly reduce the per-computer cost of

desktop computer management. “The idea of

application incompatibility is virtually nonex-

istent,” explains Dewand Wilson, Senior

Systems Administrator, Indiana Office of

Technology. That reduces the computer

failures that come from such incompatibility,

likewise reducing the time and expense of

troubleshooting to get computers back up

and running. The state estimates that it has

saved $6 million in reduced support costs.

All told, the desktop optimization effort has

saved the state $14 million in taxpayer funds.

That’s time and money that have been

invested in new services from the unem-

ployment benefits program and motor

vehicles bureau.

Infrastructure Optimization With infrastructure optimization, you can

build a secure, well-managed, and dynamic

core IT infrastructure that can reduce overall

IT costs, make better use of resources, and

become a strategic asset for the business.

The Infrastructure Optimization Model—with

basic, standardized, rationalized, and

dynamic levels—was developed by Microsoft

using industry best practices and Microsoft’sown experiences with enterprise customers.

The Infrastructure Optimization Model

provides a maturity framework that is flexible

and easily used as a benchmark for technical

capability and business value.

For more information about infrastructure

optimization, go to:

www.microsoft.com/io

For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft

products and services, call the Microsoft

Sales Information Center at (800) 426-

9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft

Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-

2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-

hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone

(TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in

the United States or (905) 568-9641 inCanada. Outside the 50 United States and

Canada, please contact your local

Microsoft subsidiary. To access information

using the World Wide Web, go to:

www.microsoft.com

For more information about the state of

Indiana, visit the Web site at:

www.indiana.gov

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFTMAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THISSUMMARY.

Document published March 2008

Software and Services Microsoft System Center

− Microsoft System Center Configuration

Manager 2007

Technologies

− Active Directory

− Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for

Software Assurance

− Microsoft SoftGrid ApplicationVirtualization

Field Code Changed



Windows Vista

Customer Solution Case Study

State Agency Upgrades Operating System for

More Reliable Customer Service

“We want to do all that we can to make the public’s

experience a positive one. Upgrading to Windows

Vista helps us maximize our ability to provide

excellent customer service to the citizens of

Washington.”

Jim Henly, Chief Technology Officer, Washington Department of Licensing

The Washington Department of Licensing is upgrading to the

Windows Vista® operating system on all its Automated Testing

System (ATS) computers. These computers are used by citizens

taking driver knowledge tests. The ATS, administrative computers,

and automated lobby management system computers have

enhanced reliability and security, making it possible for thedepartment to deliver better customer service.

Business NeedsThe Washington Department of Licensing

strives to deliver the best possible service to

the citizens of Washington State while

making smart use of taxpayer dollars. There

are two primary functions of the department.

One is to test and authorize drivers at 63

field offices. The other is to provide new

vehicle registration tags and plates at 185

field offices.

To qualify for new driver licenses, citizens

must take knowledge tests using Automated

Testing System (ATS) computers. Other

computers are responsible for the

automated lobby management system,

which helps personnel serve citizens in order

of arrival. Until recently, both the ATS and

automated lobby management system

computers ran the Microsoft® Windows®

2000 operating system.

Unfortunately, lack of reliability was a

persistent problem. “It wasn’t uncommon for

our computers to stop responding or close

the application during a test,” says Michael

Childs, Data Center Facilities Manager for

the Washington Department of Licensing. “A

citizen who was trying to get a license to

drive a commercial vehicle could have

invested 45 minutes in taking a test and

have to start over because of a computer

Customer: Washington Department of

Licensing

Web Site: www.dol.wa.gov

Customer Size: 2,200 employees and

contractorsCountry or Region: United States

Industry: Government—Regional/state

Customer Profile

The Washington Department of Licensing

licenses drivers, registers vehicles, issues

professional certifications, and provides

other licensing-related information to

citizens of Washington State.

Software and Services

Windows Vista®

For more information about other Microsoft

customer successes, please visit:

www.microsoft.com/casestudies



This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published June 2007

crash. That’s a frustrating experience. We

needed to do something about it.”

The department has approximately 2,200

employees and contractors, spread across

more than 250 sites. Most of those workers

used computers that ran the Windows 2000

operating system. “Upgrading our desktop

and portable computers is significant because

of our small IT staff and distributed environ-

ment,” says Jim Henly, Chief Technology

Officer for the Washington Department

of Licensing. “Therefore, we wanted to

make sure that our next operating system

could bring us enough benefit to make an

upgrade worthwhile.”

SolutionThe Washington Department of Licensing

chose to move to the Windows Vista®

operating system to increase the reliability

and manageability of its environment. The

department elected to start by upgrading its

239 publicly available ATS testing computers

and 34 computers running the automatedlobby management queuing system because

they run a limited number of applications and

thus require less compatibility testing.

Before conducting the upgrade, IT staff

considered using deployment and

management tools, such as Microsoft

Systems Management Server 2003 and the

Microsoft Solution Accelerator for Business

Desktop Deployment 2007. In the end, the

department decided to use its disk-imaging

methodology to deploy the operating system

upgrade. “We were worried that using

deployment tools would adversely affect the

network bandwidth of some remote sites and

would cause the upgrade process delays,”

explains Mark Kennedy, Windows Vista

Project Technical Lead for the Washington

Department of Licensing. “However, we plan

to use those tools to streamline the

deployment process when we upgrade our

internal administrative computers. These are

mostly at sites with high-speed network

connections.”

Even without the advantage of an automated

deployment, the department has found the

Windows Vista upgrade process to be

smooth. “Our IT personnel are flying through

it,” says Kennedy. “They upgrade all the ATS

computers at a location in less than two

hours—it takes just eight minutes to load the

image and restart the computers.”

As of May 2007, the department had

upgraded 150 ATS and 30 automated lobby

management system computers, and it adds

approximately 20 computers each day. The

department also is planning the operating

system upgrade of 2,500 desktop and

portable computers. As part of planning,

the department is using the Microsoft

Application Compatibility Toolkit as a

repository for information about necessary

steps to take before the upgrade is deployed to a group of computers.

BenefitsThe operating system upgrade at the

Washington Department of Licensing has

yielded significant reliability, security, and

manageability improvements. “We want to

do all we can to make the public’s

experience a positive one,” says Henly.

“Upgrading to Windows Vista helps us

maximize our ability to provide excellent

customer service to the citizens of

Washington.”

Increased uptime. The department found

that its computers running the Windows

Vista operating system are far more

reliable than those on earlier operating

systems. “The stability improvements

we’ve already experienced are

tremendous,” says Childs. “For instance,

we had nine ATS computers in one field

office freeze three or four times per week.

In the months since the upgrade, that

office has had only one incident with one

computer—that’s a 95 percent change for

the better.”

Enhanced security management. The

department looks forward to the added

protection of a local firewall as part of its

Windows Vista upgrade. It also plans to

make the most of Windows User Account

Control to prevent users from

unintentionally introducing malicious

software into the environment. “Several

users have ‘local administrator’ status,”

says Kennedy. “With Windows User

Account Control, they’ll be prompted when

there’s suspicious activity, which helps

them to better avoid malware.”

Improved customer service. Windows

Vista already is having a positive effect on

the department’s ability to provide faster,better service to the public. “With these

more reliable systems, citizens are less

likely to encounter interruptions and can

complete the testing process more

quickly,” says Childs. “Thanks to things

like Windows Vista Instant Search

capabilities, our employees will be able to

do their jobs more efficiently, which

ultimately means better service

throughout the Department of Licensing.”



Forward-Thinking County GovernmentEnhances IT Security and Manageability

“We have reduced help-desk calls from an averageof 20 per day for a user group of similar size downto just 5 per day—a 75 percent improvement.”

Robert E. Taylor, CIO/Director of Information Technology, Fulton County

The Fulton County IT department is responsible for thousands of

computers across dozens of government departments. Having

faced network disruptions in the past due to noncompliant

computers, the county needed a new security solution. In

response, it is deploying Windows Server ® 2008 to take

advantage of Network Access Protection (NAP). After an initial

deployment, help-desk call volume decreased by 75 percent, for

a projected annual savings of more than U.S.$150,000 in maintenance costs.

Business NeedsThe government of Fulton County serves a

population of nearly one million in

northwest Georgia. Its IT department

supports 5,000 employees in 400 buildings,

dozens of agencies, airports, fire stations,

police stations, courts, public-health clinics,

and libraries. Its mixed IT infrastructure

includes mainframes, clustered servers,

workstations, desktop computers, multipleoperating systems, dozens of vertical

applications, and a sophisticated network

encompassing multiple topologies and

protocols.

For Fulton County IT executives, such an

infrastructure poses major challenges in

terms of security and standards

compliance. IT security was complicated by

the sensitive nature of public-health and

court documents, and was especially

difficult within the libraries, whose 600-

plus Internet-facing computers were

vulnerable to outside attack. Even with a

desktop firewall enabled, the county

needed greater protection, as evidencedby virus attacks in 2003 spread via county-

owned mobile computers.

“The Blaster virus brought the network to

its knees,” according to Robert E. Taylor,

CIO/Director of Information Technology,

Company: Fulton County, State of

Georgia

Web Site: www.co.fulton.ga.us

Customer Size: 5,000 employees

Country or Region: United StatesIndustry: Government

Company Profile

Through a workforce of 5,000 people in

agencies, airports, fire stations, police

stations, courts, and libraries, Fulton

County serves nearly one million people

in northwest Georgia.

Software and Services

Windows Server® 2008

Windows Vista®

Windows® XP Professional SP3 Microsoft® System Center Operations

Manager 2007

Microsoft System Center Configuration

Manager 2007

Hardware

HP ProLiant DL340 servers

Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors

For more information about other

Microsoft customer successes, please

visit:

www.microsoft.com/casestudies




Document published January 2008

Fulton County. “For four days nobody could

get any work done, including jail

administrators, who were unable to book or

release prisoners. This led to a serious PR

situation and the threat of a major lawsuit.”

Standards compliance was also a problem

because Fulton County relied on a paper

policy. “Standards enforcement and policy

compliance were practically impossible

without tying them into the larger

administration of systems,” Taylor explains.

SolutionFulton County IT executives researched a

more effective way to enforce client security

and compliance policies, and found the

Network Access Protection (NAP) solution.

They saw that with NAP, administrators

could tackle three vital challenges: One,

they could customize health policies to

validate computers’ health before allowing

them to access the network. Two, they could

automatically update policy-compliant

computers. Three, they could confinenoncompliant computers to a restricted

network until they become compliant.

Once they decided to investigate a NAP

solution, Fulton County IT executives

needed to evaluate the technologies that

can be used to enforce NAP. They started by

evaluating NAP with Dynamic Host

Configuration Protocol (DHCP) – based

enforcement, because they were using a

DHCP server to manage their IP addresses.

But DHCP enforcement did not meet the

security requirements of the networkbecause of the possible use of static IP

addressing, which can bypass a DHCP

deployment. They also evaluated 802.1X-

based enforcement, but decided against it

as well.

Then they evaluated NAP with IPsec

enforcement, a solution that is built into

the Windows Server® 2008 operating

system. They liked the support of IPsec for

isolation of problematic clients and for

encryption that is compliant with HIPAA

regulations. Fulton County decided to

deploy NAP to all clients on its IT

infrastructure. To support NAP, the County

is deploying Windows Server 2008 on its

servers, and the Windows Vista® or

Windows® XP SP3 operating systems on

desktop and notebook computers.

As part of the project, Taylor and his team

developed and deployed a Domain

Isolation solution that put all clients into a

single logical network domain. Next, they

deployed Windows Server 2008 and

Windows Vista to a test bed of three

servers and 300 client systems,

respectively. Taylor and his colleagues

intend to deploy Windows Server 2008 to

all the county’s 200 servers by the second

quarter of fiscal year 2009. They also willdeploy Windows XP SP3, to the 90 percent

of clients that run Windows XP SP3.

To help enforce security updates on the

Windows XP SP3 clients, they will use

Microsoft® System Center Operations

Manager 2007 management packs and

System Center Configuration Manager

2007 reporting tools. As Taylor says, “We

anticipate that System Center

Configuration Manager will help us

implement NAP very smoothly.”

BenefitsAfter six months of the test deployment of

NAP, Windows Server 2008, and Windows

Vista, Taylor and his colleagues have

observed an improvement in security

standards compliance, an easier approach

to standards enforcement, and an increase

in system uptime that helps to maintain

their focus on business deliverables.

Stability up, help-desk calls down.

Among client users, stability is noticeably

higher, with fewer problems caused by

malware attacks. “We have reduced help-

desk calls from an average of 20 per day

for a user group of similar size down to

just 5 per day—a 75 percent

improvement,” says Taylor.

Automated compliance. Instead of the

cumbersome, paper-based policy of the

past, Fulton County is using NAP to

enforce standards, policy, and system-

health compliance. As a result, the county

has been able to reassign two full-time

maintenance staff members to new

technology initiatives, resulting in IT

maintenance cost avoidance of

U.S.$157,000 annually.

Real-time reporting. The county will

further automate compliance with the

reporting tools in System CenterOperations Manager 2007, which will be

built on top of the NAP platform. “Using

System Center Operations Manager 2007

reporting tools, we will know immediately

whether a client is in compliance,” Taylor

says. “This will help us save money and

improve the level of service we can offer to

users and citizens.”

A powerful and agile platform. For

Taylor and his team, the impressive gains

of the NAP test deployment mark the start

of something much, much bigger. “WithWindows Server 2008 and the integrated

System Center technologies, we will

achieve a more integrated, manageable,

and available infrastructure,” Taylor says.

“This will bring us not only cost-control

and productivity advantages, but also the

agility necessary for building innovative




Document published January 2008

solutions, such as a countywide migration to

VoIP that is already underway.”



DESKTOP OPTIMIZATI

P a g

Enhancing State & Local Government

through Desktop OptimizationState and local governments are under constant pressure to improve service

to citizens while at the same time maximizing efficiencies within budgetconstraints. IT departments, in particular, feel the squeeze between being

asked to do more with the same or fewer resources.

With PCs now the primary tool for a host of citizen-facing applications and

services, the efficient use and management of desktops and laptops can makea major contribution to the quality of an agency’s constituent services and to

its overall cost-effectiveness.

Microsoft’s Desktop Optimization strategy can help government agenciesmeet their objectives of improved services and greater cost-efficiency bysimplifying PC management, improving access to information, supportinggreater collaboration, increasing the reliability and usability of devices such as

desktop PCs, laptops and mobile devices, and expanding the use of productivity-enhancing applications.

DESKTOP OPTIMIZATIONThe goal of Desktop Optimization is to help agencies realize the value of their investments in IT infrastructure bymaking that infrastructure a strategic asset that increases agility and enables workers to achieve more. TheDesktop Optimization strategy is built upon five practices that have been identified as critical to moving IT

infrastructure toward the goal of optimization. These best practices – which help drive down total cost of

ownership (TCO), improve service levels and increase agility – are:

Standardize desktop strategy and minimize images

Implement comprehensive security and compliance tools

Automate software distribution

Centrally manage PC configurations and settings

Virtualize applications and deliver as streaming on-demand services

Government agencies that adopt these practices may be able to reduce complexity in their IT infrastructure, and

free up IT staff to perform higher-value activities.

Microsoft offers a comprehensive set of solutions for Desktop Optimization

to help enterprises implement these five best practices. These solutions are:

Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/enterprise/default.mspx

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP)

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/enterprise/benefits/tools.mspx

Microsoft System Center http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/default.mspx

Microsoft Office 2007 http://www.microsoft.com/office

Microsoft Forefront Client Security http://www.microsoft.com/clientsecurity

Benefits of Desktop Optimization

state & local government can incl

Streamlined document hand

Enhanced communication w

and between agencies

Improved constituent servic

Greater data security

Lower costs for PC managem

Better use of IT staff



DESKTOP OPTIMIZATI

P a g

IMPACT OF DESKTOP OPTIMIZATION ON STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The various elements of a Desktop Optimization strategy can benefit state and local governments in several ways.Among them are these:

Working More Efficiently

Windows Vista® and Microsoft® Office 2007 canhelp achieve several important benefits in thedocument-management process, such as time savedin searching for documents, coordinating andorganizing group work, categorizing documents bysecurity level, and managing documents with bothstructured and unstructured information. With the

increased capabilities in Microsoft Office 2007,

employees spend less time looking for the right dataand more time creating value-added information.Employees are able to store requests for informationthrough InfoPath forms and easily reuse theresponses when needed. Office Groove® 2007,Windows Meeting Space, and the enhanced file-

sharing capabilities in Windows Vista streamline thesharing of information between government,business and the public through effectivecollaboration. Office InfoPath® 2007 helps controlgovernment spending and reduce the cost of doingbusiness with the government by the use of

electronic forms offered through websites orinformation kiosks.

Improved Inter-Agency Communication

Windows Meeting Space improves collaborationamong small groups of Windows Vista users virtuallyanytime, anywhere. Office Communicator 2007provides easy access to rich presence, IM, and otherreal-time communications capabilities to enable

workers to communicate more easily.

Improving Document Security

Microsoft Office 2007 improves document security

by enabling access controls, a classification system,and Information Rights Management. Users can

increase document security based on the sensitivity

of the information contained and provide access to a

selected set of reviewers or readers depending onthe group or management level to which theybelong. Microsoft Office 2007 also offers theDocument Inspector functionality to detect andremove unwanted comments, hidden text, orpersonally identifiable. Office SharePoint® Server2007 helps improve document security with features

that help define document management and

compliance policies through access rights at a per-item level.

Simplified Software Management Windows Vista Enterprise, Microsoft DesktopOptimization Pack (MDOP) and Microsoft SystemCenter can make it easier for central IT staffs todeploy and manage software, enabling employees to

use them more easily and effectively.

Strengthened Data Security Agencies must closely protect citizen privacy and

government data, and be constantly on guard

against outside threats. Windows Vista Enterprise hasnumerous security enhancements, includingBitLocker Drive Encryption and Windows SecurityCenter. Data security is also strengthened throughfeatures in Microsoft Forefront™ Client Security,

Microsoft Office 2007 and MDOP.

Centrally Managed PC Settings Centralized management of desktop PCs and otherdevices leads to greater stability, faster problem

resolution and fewer issues with softwaredeployments. Features such as User Account Control

in Windows Vista and Advanced Group PolicyManagement in MDOP support consistent policy

enforcement throughout an agency.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Strategy

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/infrastructure/default.aspx



DESKTOP OPTIMIZATI

Microsoft Solutions for State and Local Government

http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/state/default.mspx

best practices government

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