WHITE PAPER Dell Client Migration and Deployment Services Sponsored by: Dell Matt Healey October 2009 Katie Broderick IDC OPINION Global Headquarters: 5 Speen Street Framingham, MA 01701 USA P.508.872.8200 F.508.935.4015 www.idc.com Because the use of PCs is integral to the operations of many enterprises, a significant number of PCs are deployed each year to gain the benefits of technology upgrades. While PC prices continue to fall, the total cost of using PCs remains high, when the cost of the deployment activities themselves is considered. According to IDC research, deployment costs average over $500 per PC and can reach $700 or more due to time spent by IT staff on deployment and time lost by PC users during the process. The combination of the hardware costs and the associated deployment costs has made many companies put off upgrades of their IT systems during the economic crisis. As a result, many enterprises are long overdue for a technology refresh. In addition, the recession has driven reductions within IT departments, resulting in fewer disposable labor hours to handle IT needs, including PC deployments. IDC believes that as the economy begins to recover, organizations will again consider the benefits of upgrading technology. To help companies optimize their PC deployment process, Dell has developed a series of offerings that can be used to simplify the deployment process and reduce the time needed to deploy PCs. The Dell Service Framework offers these services within four stages: Assessment. The Dell Client Deployment Assessment is an ROI-based discovery process that helps customers define their current mode of operations and the hard and soft dollar value of transforming to an optimized deployment mode. Dell uses its PC Optimized Deployment Model to help customers define the maturity of their existing deployment practices, identify specific factors that can be improved, and estimate the cost savings of implementing a Dell Optimized deployment mode of operation for their PC deployments. Design and Planning. Dell's services enable customers to implement automated deployment solutions that have been customized to meet their technical and business requirements. As part of that service, Dell leverages the experience that it has gained while deploying millions of PCs per year to create a deployment plan that is based on each customer's unique requirements. Dell's optimized deployment practices can target specific areas of risk or can enable optimization through utilizing the full suite of Dell services.
Implementation. Dell's people, process, and service capabilities leverage the design and planning done to put the plan into action, including the use of the Dell Automated Deployment service for companies to fully implement best practices. Every implementation is led by a project manager skilled in the implementation of Dell's Optimized Deployment solutions. Management. Dell provides ongoing implementation and continuous updating of best practices in PC deployment. By fully utilizing these services and tools, companies can maximize their potential for reducing costs while deploying PCs to workers more quickly and with less disruption. Businesses can upgrade their PC environment without losing a step during such an economically crucial time, thus reducing the risks associated with new deployments. Early users will realize the benefits of new and improved technology before their competitors, thus gaining potential competitive advantages in terms of efficiency, cost reduction, and flexibility. SITUATION OVERVIEW IT is an essential part of operations for all enterprises. It is hard to imagine any organization being able to successfully operate in today's world without IT resources. As a result, the costs associated with deploying and maintaining IT resources have become a large portion of the enterprise's overall IT budget. In fact, due to the current economic climate, maintenance has taken an increasing share of the IT budget as executives focus on surviving in the short term and preserving cash instead of thriving in the long term. Generally, the majority of this budget and the majority of cost reduction efforts are focused on the corporate datacenter. However, customers can receive cost reduction benefits in other parts of the IT landscape, such as in the acquisition and deployment of PCs. Research conducted by IDC in 2007 within 200 large enterprises found that enterprisewide PC deployment costs on average about $527 per PC and can reach over $700 for companies that have very basic deployment practices. The deployment of PCs carries with it hidden costs and inefficiencies that could be reduced though better deployment practices. IDC found that most companies could improve their practices significantly and benefit from significant cost savings based mostly on less IT time spent on deployment and also less disruption to PC-using workers during the deployment process. In 2009, IDC conducted a series of customer interviews to assess the relevant metrics and cost structures used in our model. Indeed, economic circumstances and each company's state of affairs have changed since the survey was fielded; however, the underlying drivers in their IT decision making and the activities involved in the deployment of new PCs have not. Therefore, many companies can potentially save in the range of $250 400 per PC, or an average of 62%, through optimal PC deployment practices. In a large enterprise with thousands of PCs in use, this can result in savings at the bottom line or the opportunity to use IT resources for key initiatives. IDC also found that almost all companies could benefit from some improvement in their deployment practices. 2 #220444 2009 IDC
This 62% savings is particularly relevant due to the recession and potential recovery of the world economy. Saving on costs, given the current market situation, could be a contributing or even a leading factor for a business to survive the recession and thrive during the recovery. Upgrading technology and realizing the benefits of the upgrades can help with cost reduction. A second reason why both saving on deploying PCs and launching them correctly are increasing is the availability of Windows 7. Windows 7 will enable end users to improve business processes and employee efficiency at work. Employing Dell services could enable early users to navigate the nuances of new software and effectively utilize all that it has to offer. Maturity of Deployment Practices To help companies understand and evaluate the maturity of their PC deployment practices and learn how they can improve their practices, Dell developed the Dell PC Optimized Deployment Model. As IT departments know, the successful deployment of a PC involves several factors, which the Dell model defines as six specific activities: Deployment management covers the planning and organization of deployments, including work instructions and scheduling. Staging and logistics include the purchase, shipping, storing, and staging of the PC. Image loading includes the loading of images onto new PCs. While the creation of image files is not included as a direct deployment activity (or cost) in the model, it plays a critical role in determining a company's optimization level for the image loading task. Application loading is the process of installing applications on the machines. User state migration is the process of moving each user's individual data and settings from his or her old PC to the PC being deployed. Post-deployment support is IT support that is provided to the end user in the first few days after he or she receives the new PC, including help desk and onsite support. It specifically targets the number of calls to the help desk, the amount of time spent with the help desk, and other related metrics. The model defines four categories of deployment practice maturity, as shown in Figure 1: Basic, Standardized, Rationalized, and Dynamic. Each level of maturity (or optimization) defines the practices that are employed by the six deployment activities. At the Basic level of maturity, for example, very little automation of the deployment process exists, while at the more advanced levels, many tasks are either automated or tightly controlled. 2009 IDC #220444 3
FIGURE 1 Dell Optimized Deployment Model for PCs Source: Dell, 2009 When reviewing the model, one should note that companies typically do not fall exclusively into a single maturity level for all of their deployment activities. Rather, companies often span two or even three maturity levels for the various activities. IDC's research on the PC deployment activities of 200 large enterprises in 2007 included an analysis of the costs associated with deployment activities by each level of maturity. Additionally, in a series of customer interviews conducted in 2009, these results were corroborated. Figure 2 summarizes the results of this research. IDC found that PC deployment costs of enterprises that are 100% in the Basic category are $678 per PC. For enterprises that are 100% in the Dynamic category, the costs shrink to $260 per PC. The majority of these costs are related to the time and cost of IT labor associated with the deployment of the PC. Due to reductions in workforces, IT organizations are stretched thin. With smaller staffs to perform all the necessary activities, the time spent by IT labor on PC deployment becomes even more valuable. To a lesser degree, the cost model also includes the cost of worker labor (lost productivity) when a user is without a PC during the deployment process. Companies may not really understand the costs of deploying PCs unless they have studied the time it requires; some have, but many have not. It is understandable then that many companies could be underestimating the true cost of PC deployment. This miscalculation has become more dangerous given businesses' position in the trough of a business cycle. 4 #220444 2009 IDC
FIGURE 2 Total Cost per PC Deployed 800 700 600 500 ($) 400 300 200 100 0 Basic (total = $678) Standardized (total = $522) Rationalized (total = $426) Dynamic (total = $260) User labor IT labor Logistics Source: IDC, 2009 By using the model or findings from the Dell Client Deployment Assessment, companies can identify what aspects of their PC deployment practices can be improved by moving to a higher level of optimization and focus their attention on improving in those areas. It is also most helpful if companies can determine where to focus based on maximizing their cost savings. To do this, companies can use the results of IDC's research on the costs associated with deploying PCs. DELL PC DEPLOYMENT SERVICES To help companies realize the benefits associated with higher levels of optimization, Dell has developed a suite of services that can enable customers to move their deployment activities toward the Dynamic level and can ultimately save up to 62% of these deployment costs. Services Details Dell starts with a framework for its services. This framework begins with services to assess the customer's current deployment requirements. As part of the assessments, Dell investigates the customer's current deployment strategy and application capability and also performs a readiness assessment for the new operating system. After the assessment, Dell designs an approach to optimize the customer's deployment strategy. This approach consists of building a single image that meets the customer's needs, preparing applications such that they can be incorporated into 2009 IDC #220444 5
optimized processes, and training the IT staff on how to best utilize the new deployment services. The next step in the Dell framework is to implement the deployment strategy. The final stage of the framework is to provide lifecycle management for the image and the applications. Dell defines the framework as shown in Figure 3. FIGURE 3 Dell Framework ASSESS DESIGN IMPLEMENT MANAGE Strategic guidance to make informed decisions about the scope of your deployment requirements and the benefits of an optimized approach. Preparation of detailed plans for optimized deployment of customized hardware including ongoing management and support designed to ensure achievement of your business objectives. A managed deployment, delivered on time and within budget, ensuring mitigation of risk achievement of business objectives and an enhanced user experience through training for both support staff and users. Lifecycle management of services based on industry best practice, delivering a stable and responsive service that accurately addresses business needs, with a focus on continuous improvement. CLIENT DEPLOYMENT ASSESSMENT APPLICATION COMPATIBILITY REPORTING IMAGE BUILD APPLICATION MIGRATION DEPLOYMENT DESIGN SERVICES END USER TRAINING HARDWARE CUSTOMIZATION PC REFRESH OR IN- PLACE MIGRATION APPLICATION MANAGEMENT IMAGE MANAGEMENT ONGOING TECHNOLOGY REFRESH WINDOWS 7 READINESS ASSESSMENT IT TRAINING SERVICES ASSET RECOVERY SUPPORT ONGOING TRAINING PROGRAM AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT Source: Dell, 2009 To support the approach, Dell has designed a suite of services ranging from loading and customizing the image over the network to loading the image in the factory and customizing it anywhere in the customer's environment using the Dell Automated Deployment (DAD) service. Of these offerings, the "load in factory customize anywhere" option provides customers with the greatest degree of flexibility and thus the greatest return. The benefits of this offering are described in Figure 4. 6 #220444 2009 IDC
FIGURE 4 Dell's Common Deployment Models Load and Customize over Network Load and Customize in Staging Center Load and Customize in Factory Load in Factory Customize Anywhere Server-based approach Staging approach Factory integration approach Dell Automated Deployment (DAD) Flexible Logistics Minimal User Disruption Minimal Infrastructure Highly Scalable Minimal Network Impact Supports Remote Users Supports Branch Users Supports Last Minute Real Time Exception Changes Management Source: Dell, 2009 The "load in factory customize anywhere" option is based on several patented processes and provides the customer with the greatest benefits, which are described below: Flexible Logistics. Customers that are using the DAD offering can have their new PCs shipped directly to the location where they are needed. This eliminates the need to stage and configure the PCs at a centralized location, thus accelerating the deployment of the PCs. Minimal User Disruption. Deploying a new PC often results in some disruption to the end user as the user waits for the new PC to have the image and the application loaded and then needs to spend time migrating personal settings to the new PC. All of this time is lost productivity for the customer. Minimal Infrastructure. Because the DAD process is loaded in the factory rather than over a server and network, the customer does not have to invest in additional IT infrastructure to deploy PCs. Highly Scalable. Because the Dell factory is used to load the image, the offering is highly scalable. Therefore, customers do not need to worry about spikes in PC deployment needs. 2009 IDC #220444 7
Minimal Network Impact. Similar to the minimal infrastructure requirements, loading images at the Dell factory reduces the impact on the customer's data network and thus does not degrade the performance of that network. Remote and Branch User Support. By using the factory loading, customers are in a better position to be able to provide support for both remote and branch users. Support for Last Minute Changes. Because the automated process is centrally located, any last minute changes to the image or applications can be incorporated into the DAD process, thus ensuring that any last minute changes are incorporated into the deployment activity. Real Time Exception Management. One of the most difficult and timeconsuming tasks associated with PC deployment is managing the exceptions. The DAD service provides customers with the ability to manage exceptions in real time, thus reducing the difficulty in managing these exceptions. Features of the Service Dell developed the DAD service specifically to support and optimize the deployment process. This process starts with Dell preloading content onto the new PC at the Dell factory. During this process, Dell loads the image, OS security patches that are not included with the image, common applications, and the deployment automation image onto the new PC. Loading the Dell solution combined with the customer's OS image and applications involves prestaging of a cache of approximately 20GB of information onto the PC. Once this has been accomplished, the new PC is shipped to the technician's site. Once at the technician's location, the PC is ready to be deployed. For content changes that may have occurred between the time the process was loaded in the factory and the time the PC is actually deployed, the automated deployment process is able to dynamically update itself to incorporate critical changes as defined by the customer. By staging the deployment in two phases, Dell has reduced the impact on the corporate network, thus allowing the business processes that rely on that network to operate more efficiently. Dell Deployment Containers are an integral portion of this process. An overview of these containers is shown in Figure 5. By using the deployment containers, users realize five critical benefits: One Touch GUI. The one touch GUI allows the technician to configure a new PC by selecting the characteristics of the PC from a customizable menu. For example, the technician can develop drop-down menus for the end user's LOB, location, and operating system. Further, the technician can establish defined text entry for fields such as username and email address. By establishing these forms, Dell has developed a system that reduces the potential for deployment errors that result in lost time. Deployment Automation Engine. During a typical deployment, the technician must enter selected information at various times throughout the deployment process. This leads to wasted time as the technician often has to wait for the next step. Using the Dell solution, the technician can enter all the information that will be needed over the course of the deployment in one step, start the deployment, and move on to the next PC. 8 #220444 2009 IDC
Configuration Manifest. Once the deployment has been completed, the deployment containers provide the user with a manifest of the configuration information. As a result, customers are in a better position to be able to provide support for the PC once it has been deployed. Deployment Database. The process also enables the development of a deployment database that contains information on PCs for a variety of LOBs, locations, and configurations. PC Migration Automation. PC migration automation enables the technician to automatically migrate the end user's data and settings or digital identity to the new PC. FIGURE 5 Overview of the Dell Deployment Containers Deployment Container OS Image 1 App Cache One Touch GUI OS Image 2 Other Content OS Driver files Content Updates Deployment Automation Engine Configuration Manifest Deployment Database PC Migration Automation Source: Dell, 2009 CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES IDC believes that Dell continues to face two challenges with its PC deployment offerings. The first is convincing customers of the value of the offerings. The majority of the benefits take the form of cost savings due to reduced time demands placed on IT staff. Customers generally have a harder time seeing the benefits associated with these savings. Hard cost savings are easier for customers to understand because they are 2009 IDC #220444 9
more visible. IDC has noticed an increasing emphasis on ROI and bottom-line measures of value due to the recession. It is difficult to incorporate measures of opportunity lost, particularly time lost, into these calculations. IDC believes that as the recession subsides, companies will lessen their focus on cash conservation and consider the benefits associated with upgrading technology. IDC also believes that there will continue to be more scrutiny and greater demands to prove the benefits of services procured. Due to the conceptual nature of the savings, IDC believes that Dell will need to continue to emphasize the benefits of these offerings. This is particularly important given the lack of IT support available internally due to workforce downsizing. Lost IT time may be more significant than more traditional concrete measures of cost. The second challenge is continuing to meet and exceed customer expectations. With all services offerings, if customer demand dramatically increases, there is a risk that the provider will not be able to deliver against expectations due to the amount of labor required. Traditionally, Dell has not devoted as many resources to services as other technology vendors and as a result may face execution challenges if there is significant demand for these offerings. Dell has positioned itself well to be able to handle this challenge by automating much of the process. This automation should be valuable if Dell is able to convince a wide range of customers to adopt these offerings. However, Dell will need to ensure customers that it is delivering on its commitments. CONCLUSION In conclusion, enterprises face a challenge in deploying new PCs. Often, this challenge and the costs associated with these deployments are not readily apparent; however, they can be significant. Dell's services allow companies to upgrade to Windows 7 or other operating systems with less technician time invested and lower costs overall. With Dell's help, businesses can upgrade with fewer chances for unsuccessful deployments. Dell can assist organizations with fully utilizing their new operating systems, including Windows 7. Therefore, Dell can increase the benefits of deploying new operating systems due to its specialized skill set and training with Windows 7. Further, by developing a robust deployment strategy, backed by a highly automated process, enterprises can dramatically reduce the costs associated with deployment. Dell has developed an approach that meets these requirements. By using the DAD process, customers can reduce the amount of time required to successfully deploy new PCs. Additionally, because the process is based on robust tools, the deployments are more consistent, which reduces the probability of unsuccessful deployments. All of these features enable customers to reduce the total costs associated with PC deployments. Copyright Notice External Publication of IDC Information and Data Any IDC information that is to be used in advertising, press releases, or promotional materials requires prior written approval from the appropriate IDC Vice President or Country Manager. A draft of the proposed document should accompany any such request. IDC reserves the right to deny approval of external usage for any reason. Copyright 2009 IDC. Reproduction without written permission is completely forbidden. 10 #220444 2009 IDC