New scalable office automation for BNN-VARA
NEP handles the new office automation (OA) for BNN-VARA based on a completely new virtual and hence scalable Microsoft Hyper-V platform. This infrastructure is intended to form the foundation for BNN-VARA, with everyone being able to work independent of location and system.
BNN-VARA is an independent, socially responsible, and progressive public broadcasting company. This progressiveness also includes the introduction of the new way of working.
The solution
For reasons of flexibility and management, the decision was made to host the infrastructure and data storage at NEP. The back-office consists of a VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) service. The process with regard to software packaging, migration of user data, user support, and logistics roll-out have been thoroughly tested by NEP. The application landscape has also been cleaned up and rationalized.
BNN-VARA will not only replace the desktop by a laptop, but the newest operating system, the new application suite and IP telephony based on Microsoft Lync will also all be implemented in one fell swoop at the application level. This new environment requires ‘adoption’ in the workplace, which is why lots of attention is being paid to the initial instructions and follow-up by ‘floor walkers’, for example.
Result
The solution runs at NEP’s own data center in the Hilversum Media Park, as well as in a back-up data center location. The platform will be built as a replacement of the existing OA environment. Thanks to the shared virtual platform, scaling server power and storage capacity will be simplified. Where a server expansion may have taken days in the past, expansion on the new virtual platform is possible within just a few minutes. This makes investing in overcapacity on hardware a thing of the past. Using a shared virtual platform decreases an IT department’s costs and makes them predictable and controllable. One’s own virtual environment is extensively monitored, supported by a 24/7 Service Operations Center.
