The Warranty Group Implements Desktop Transformation Strategy With RES PowerFuse

RES Software, the global leader in user workspace management software, today announced that the world’s leading single-source provider for the underwriting, administration and marketing of service contracts, The Warranty Group, is deploying its user workspace management software to propel the rollout of the company’s desktop transformation strategy across its European operations.

The Warranty Group is the largest single-source provider of extended warranty programmes and related benefits for the auto, home, consumer goods and travel industries and has operations in 33 countries worldwide. The company is using RES PowerFuse to support and deliver a complete, single desktop strategy, creating a unified user workspace environment across 500 remote and local desktops, located in eight different European regions.

With RES PowerFuse, employees’ personal desktop configurations are captured, managed and deployed centrally from the UK head office in line with the company’s centralised, Citrix thin client IT infrastructure. The user workspace management solution separates individual user settings from the underlying desktop operating systems being used. This enables the IT team to ensure the look and feel of a user’s desktop environment or workspace remains consistent, regardless of how they are connecting to the network.

The Warranty Group’s remote and thin-client desktops have the appearance and performance of a local desktop environment due to RES PowerFuse’s ability to optimise remote user sessions over a wide area network. The use of RES PowerFuse Workspace Extender also enables the company to reverse publish any local desktop applications back into its remote desktop environment, retaining the benefits of centralised management.

"Prior to RES PowerFuse, we had five different desktop environments in place and our number one goal was to have a single desktop strategy. We have now achieved this working with RES Software," said Anil Sakaria, Infrastructure Manager, Europe, for The Warranty Group. "Our users feel in control of their PCs, and my team is able to centrally manage the entire desktop environment, accommodating every type of application deployment need. Even our users are championing RES PowerFuse because of the difference it has made to the performance of their desktops."

Prior to the introduction of RES PowerFuse, Sakaria’s team had on average 200 support calls a day. Following the deployment of the RES Software solution, this has now hit an all time low with only 40 open calls a day registered; none of which are related to the thin-client user experience.

The Warranty Group is currently evaluating Windows Server 2008 for the company’s back-end infrastructure and trialling Windows 7. If the Windows 7 trial is successful, The Warranty Group will migrate to the new system using RES PowerFuse.

Ronnie Khan, UK country manager at RES Software, commented, "Most large organisations have seen their desktop strategies evolve over time, and are now supporting a wide mix of different end-user and business requirements. This often leads to problems with desktop management, as IT resources are split across all these different approaches. This challenge is forcing IT to look at how they can transform their desktop estates, retaining the flexibility and user experience that is currently in place, but reducing the management headaches that exist around user profiles, managing operating systems and delivering applications. RES PowerFuse provides a simple, effective approach to splitting the user’s experience and settings away from the underlying hardware. This provides IT with the ability to create a unified desktop experience, whether users are based on thin-clients, traditional PCs or virtual desktops."

To read more about the implementation please visit
http://www.ressoftware.com/2/75/Reference/detail/the-warranty-group.aspx

About RES Software
RES Software, the proven leader in user workspace management, is driving a transformation in the way organisations manage and reduce the cost of their PC populations. The company empowers customers, from SMBs to global enterprises, to manage an increasingly complex desktop ecosystem and meet the essential needs of a dynamic workforce that requires on-demand access to their personalised workspaces. Designed for physical or virtual desktop platforms, RES Software’s award-winning, patented technology enables IT professionals to address this shift by managing, automating and delivering secure, personalised and more productive desktop experiences to any user. For more information, follow updates on Twitter @RESSoftware and visit www.ressoftware.com.

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Media contacts:
Mark Kember / Claire Chapman
Goode International
Tel: +44 (0) 1491 873 323
Email: mark.kember@goode.co.uk / claire.chapman@goode.co.uk