Windows 7Customer Solution Case Study

Equipment Retailer Boosts Efficiency with Powerful Operating System and PC Pairing

OverviewCountry or Region: United StatesIndustry: Building and construction materials retailing

Customer ProfileThis veteran design and construction company provides a full range of services that cover all aspects of layout, engineering, construction, and maintenance needs for businesses.

Business SituationThe company needed to streamline communications, information storage, and mobile efficiency to increase productivity.

SolutionWith Windows 7 Professional, Goebel experienced improved efficiency, greater reliability of wireless connections, better organization, and less time spent on IT support.

Benefits Saved five minutes per day per user

with faster restarts Saved five hours per week with

mobility functionality Saved five hours of weekly IT support Fifty percent faster document

retrieval

“Windows 7 Professional running on the Dell E6400 is definitely a better match for how my team and I work. Tasks are just easier, more fluid.”

Ken Larson, Network Administrator, Goebel Fixtures

Launched in 1935, Goebel Fixtures provides premium fixtures and interiors for retail businesses. Goebel's computing needs included a platform that would enable it to work more efficiently, increase productivity, and enjoy more reliable performance. Goebel sought an operating system that would offer improved responsiveness and wireless network performance, enhanced mobile capabilities for laptop users, and better data organization and accessibility. After rolling out the Windows 7 Professional operating system with the Dell Latitude E6400, Goebel was able to overcome all of its operational and performance-related challenges. Users reported faster restarts, expedited data access, more efficient mobile functions, and quicker problem resolution.

Works the way you want

SituationBased in Hutchison, Minnesota, Goebel Fixtures provides premium services for all aspects of retail interiors. The company’s services include space planning and layouts, construction management, value engineering, budgeting, maintenance, and general contracting worldwide. Goebel Fixtures serves high-end retailers such as Nordstrom and other well-known names, with a focus on solid quality and impeccable service. After 75 years in business, Goebel Fixtures has earned a stellar reputation as an industry veteran with state-of-the-art expertise.

The company currently has a staff of 120 employees using approximately 75 computers. The previous operating system met its basic requirements, but was lacking in some performance-related areas. PCs were often slow to start up and sometimes failed to connect to off-site wireless networks, posing a problem for mobile employees and contractors who needed to access data while working at a customer’s location. Lack of organization and sluggish response times have also been challenging.

Goebel needed to increase the speed of starting up the computers and overall responsiveness, achieve better organization and data retrieval, and work more productively from mobile locations. The company’s main priorities included improving everyday efficiency, both in the office and off-site, as well as reducing the amount of time spent on technical support.

SolutionWindows 7 Professional is designed to accommodate many of the challenges

Goebel Fixtures was facing, making it an ideal match for the company’s situation and goals. After pairing the new operating system with the power of the Dell Latitude E6400, Goebel immediately noticed dramatic improvements in the speed and ease of data searches, mobile connections, and resolution of customer issues.*

Benefits

Speed and EfficiencyGoebel's IT team was impressed by the quicker startup times and improved responsiveness of Windows 7. Everyday functions, such as resuming from standby mode and launching applications, were noticeably faster.

“Windows 7 Professional running on the Dell E6400 is definitely a better match for how my team and I work," says Ken Larson, Network Administrator and Computer Support Manager at Goebel Fixtures. "Tasks are just easier, more fluid.”

Larson was especially impressed with the speed and efficiency of restarts. Before Windows 7, Goebel's staff complained about sluggish starts that slowed office productivity. The operating system saves anywhere from 5 to10 minutes with each restart, giving the 75 collective users as much as 6 extra hours per day, or 1,560 hours each year. Reduced downtime also saves the company in terms of electrical usage and energy bills.

“Restarts are so much easier now," Larson says. "Windows 7 Professional immediately finds my wireless network. I haven’t once

24Works the way you want

“Windows 7 Professional running on the Dell E6400 is definitely a better match for how my team and I work. Tasks are just easier, more fluid.”

Ken Larson, Network Administrator and Computer Support Manager, Goebel

Fixtures

lost a connection. I’m saving up to 10 minutes per day! It’s a huge difference.”

Document Retrieval and Data AccessLarson also lauds faster response times in the programs he uses every day, and the greater ease of access afforded by the new Windows 7 features and the computing power of Dell.

Document retrieval is about 50 percent faster, while features like Snap and Jump Lists make it easier to access, compare, and organize data.

“The new Snap desktop customization has made document comparison an automatic process," Larson says. "No more stress and aggravation—it’s so easy to use. It even works for dual monitors."

Jump Lists alone saves users up to 5 hours a week by allowing for seamless access to commonly used files and programs. This substantial time savings allows Goebel to improve its internal communications and ease of networking with clients.

IT SupportWith the greater accessibility provided by Windows 7, Goebel’s IT team now has an extra 5 hours each week to use for other tasks. “Features like DellConnect have greatly streamlined our support functions," says Larson. "All those saved minutes add up quick. Suddenly, we’ve got more time and happier users.”

Mobility FunctionsOne of the most important improvements has been in mobile networking and usability. With instant wireless network recognition and advanced mobile technologies—such as projectors, Bluetooth setup, and the Windows 7 Professional Location Aware Printing feature—the team is effortlessly saving time and increasing productivity, both onsite and off-site.

“I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to synch up my Bluetooth to Windows 7 Professional on my Dell E6400,” notes Larson. “Boy, that really simplified a few things; it was just a few simple steps, and it just worked.”

Dell ProSupport Mobility Services provide peace of mind while on the road, helping mobile users protect essential files and data.

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“Features like DellConnect have greatly streamlined our support functions. All those saved minutes add up quick. Suddenly, we’ve got more time and happier users.”

Ken Larson, Network Administrator and Computer Support Manager, Goebel

Fixtures

*As part of the solution deployment through the Windows 7 SMB Evidence Program, the customer received complimentary notebooks and technical support from Microsoft and Dell.Windows 7Works the way you want: Windows 7 will help your organization use information technology to gain a competitive advantage in today’s new world of work. Your people will be able to be more productive anywhere. You will be able to support your mobile workforce with better access to shared data and collaboration tools. And your IT staff will have better tools and technologies for enhanced corporate IT security and data protection, and more efficient deployment and management.

For more information about Windows 7, go to:www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7

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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 in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. 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 Dell Latitude E6400 products and services, call (800)-456-3355 or visit the website at: www.dell.com

For more information about Goebel Fixtures products and services, call (320) 587-2112 or visit the website at: www.gf.com

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

Document published September 2010

Software and Services Windows 7 Professional

Hardware Dell Latitude E6400

Partner Dell