ThinKiosk - Software defined Windows Thin Clients

A software-only solution that repurposes existing Windows devices into secure, fully-featured, centrally managed Windows thin clients.

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Key Benefits

  • Repurpose existing hardware
  • Familiar Windows interface
  • Centralized management
  • Maximise your VDI investment
  • Support for Citrix, VMware and Microsoft

Secure Remote Worker - Secure connectivity from a personal Windows device

A software-only solution that turns a personal Windows device into a secure software defined thin client enabling secure remote access and BYOD.

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Key Benefits

  • Connect from Personal Devices
  • PCI Compliance
  • End Point Validation
  • Easy Deployment
  • Remove logistical complexities

IntelliPerform - Powering the optimization of desktop performance

A software optimization solution that maximizes the performance of desktop infrastructure resources.

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Key Benefits

  • CPU Optimization
  • Memory Optimization
  • Advanced rules-based engine
  • Comprehensive reporting tools
  • Centralized management
Willis Towers Watson

Customer

Willis Towers Watson

Sector

Financial Services

Region

The USA

Company Size

39,000 employees

Willis Towers Watson

The Background

Willis Towers Watson is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 39,000 employees in more than 120 countries.

They embarked on a pilot programme to look into the feasbillity of delivering remote workspace environments based on multi-tenancy virtual servers. At that stage, business users were using Microsoft Excel and servers were stretched to capacity, resulting in various operational and resource-intensive IT challenges. Willis Towers Watson’s IT team needed to be able to control and manage how much CPU Excel was using.

Financial Services

The Challenges

As a risk management and financial advisory company, Willis Towers Watson makes extensive use of Microsoft Excel.

As they embarked on their pilot program to look into the feasibility of delivering remote workspace environments based on multi-tenancy virtual servers, they realized that their usage of Excel did not fit with multi-tenancy ‘out of the box’.

Business users are required to operate Excel in multi-threaded calculation mode, which meant that servers were quickly suffering from horrific resource contention.

As the company wanted to grow and scale, this would have meant increased investment in hardware infrastructure and additional management for the IT department.

“We love how easy IntelliPerform is to set up. Using our software deployment services we push the agent with configuration. It is ready and controlling CPU threads in seconds.”

Matt Pinnell - End User Computing - Virtualization Specialist

The Solution

Resource Management and Optimization

IntelliPerform enables IT teams to intelligently manage and optimize desktop infrastructure resources. This enables resources to be delivered when they are needed and manages resource hungry apps.

For Willis Towers Watson, they were able to control the amount of CPU threads per server Excel was consuming. This allowed for a greater user density and in turn a reduced per seat cost.

Centralized Management and Reporting

IT administrators can monitor resource usage in real-time. They can then quickly and easily configure and deploy optimization rules from a centralized management console.

IntelliPerform was easy to set up using Willis Towers Watson’s existing software deployment services. IntelliPerform was ready and controlling CPU threads in seconds.

End User Experience and Performance​

IntelliPerform enabled Willis Towers Watson’s business users to continue using Microsoft Excel. There was a key difference: huge efficiencies were achieved by eliminating slow performance.

Whilst originally only intending to use IntelliPerform to control Excel, the IT team found they could further increase user density by controlling additional applications such as Internet Explorer.

Willis Towers Watson: Short-Term Benefits of IntelliPerform

windows

Software Based

IntelliPerform is a software solution that requires no additional hardware. It simply installed inside Willis Towers Watson's existing Windows infrastructure.

Lower Infrastructure Costs

Lower Infrastructure Costs

Intelligently managing and optimizing both Excel and additional apps allowed the IT team to reduce costs of infrastructure and management.

Maximize Performance

Maximize Performance

Willis Towers Watson's desktop infrastructure was stretched to the limit. IntelliPerform's dynamic rules targeted delivery to the right places as and when required.

Enhanced End User Experience

Enhanced End User Experience

Optimized resources based around essential apps (Mircrosoft Excel in this case) were key. IntelliPerform ensured end users had the right resources to aid productivity.

Advanced Reporting and Analytics

Advanced Reporting and Analytics

IntelliPerform delivers advanced reporting and analytics. These showed the Willis Towers Watson IT team where desktop resources were being consumed.

computer

Centralized Management

The IT team optimized their entire desktop infrastructure resources from a single management console. They also dynamically configured rules, polices, and actions.

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Willis Towers Watson: Other IntelliPerform Benefits

IntelliPerform reduced Willis Towers Watson's cost per seat by increasing user density.

Windows Based & Vendor Agnostic

IntelliPerform is windows based and vendor agnostic. It works with all VDI vendor solutions simultaneously, meaning there was no need for Willis Towers Watson to abandon their use of Microsoft Excel.

Extended device life cycle

Existing IT infrastructure and hardware no longer has to be replaced or upgraded every few years. CPU threads can be managed at the server level. Performance benefits have extended beyond the original remit of Excel.

Improved end user experience

Willis Tower Watson’s end users were becoming increasingly frustrated with variable IT performance whilst using Microsoft Excel. IntelliPerform ensured these end users remained motivated and productive.

CPU Priority Management

IntelliPerform now enables the IT team to put in place process priority protocols. Microsoft Excel can be prioritized to support the end user productivity which underpins company performance.

CPU Core Selection

IntelliPerform allowed Willis Towers Watson to allocate critical resources like Microsoft Excel and Internet Explorer to specific CPU cores. The IT team could therefore accommodate exact end user requirements.

Maximum Memory Working Set Size

Willis Towers Watson had IT infrastructure issues around other processes slowing down essential apps. IntelliPerform allowed the IT team to eliminate poor desktop performance and system hangs.

In Summary

With IntelliPerform, Willis Towers Watson has been able to reduce the impact of heavy users of Excel. Server performance has been improved, and the IT team can now offer business users increased performance without additional investment.

In Summary

“Today, we continue to scale our environment. IntelliPerform is a crucial part of our service standard and we continue to find new ways it can help us achieve our global business agility needs.”

Matt Pinnell - End User Computing Virtualization Specialist

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