PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Following the official launch of Windows 7around the globe, Microsoft Corp. announced that two Norwegian customers from the oil and gasindustry have successfully piloted the new Windows 7 platform. DeepOcean, a subsea services andconstruction support firm, and Statoil, one of the world's largest offshore oil companies, havedeployed or are piloting the Windows 7 operating system, improving employee productivity andincreasing overall business performance.
These developments come as further proofof Microsoft's continuing commitment to the oil and gas industry and its efforts to better meet theneeds of oil and gas enterprises globally. For example, on Feb. 10, 2009, Albrecht "Ali" Ferling,Ph.D., managing director of Microsoft's Worldwide Oil and Gas Industries, announced that theleadership for his organization is now located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. From Dubai, Microsoftwill be centrally located for ready access to its customers in the prevailing and emerging energycenters of the world. Future demand growth will come largely from countries such as China, India andthose in the Middle East.
Dubai, located midway between Central Europe and the Far East, is idealfor business travel to all oil capitals, from Houston to Beijing. And with the power ultimatelyshifting from consumer to producer in the global energy equation, the Middle East is an importantlocation for Microsoft and its partners in the global oil and gas industry.
Ferling said, "Ourindustry is facing unprecedented challenges, and doing more with less is a priority for many of ourcustomers. The role of IT as a key enabler to drive business efficiency is more important than ever,and Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 bring a powerful combination of cost savings, greaterproductivity and improved capacity for innovation to our oil and gas customers."
New WindowsDesktop and Servers Boost Oil and Gas Employee Productivity:
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2have been developed with today's economy in mind where long-term business success needs to be builton two things: innovation and productivity. Their main features allow employees easy access toinformation anywhere at any time while organizations can reduce risk through improved security anddrive cost savings through virtualization and streamlined management capabilities.
In 2000, forexample, DeepOcean was among the first in its industry to implement the Windows platform for itsonshore operations and offshore data processing, moving from a UNIX-based platform with flat filesbecause the UNIX technology was out of date and the company wanted to develop new applications onthe Windows platform. DeepOcean is now migrating from a UNIX-based platform to Windows 7 and WindowsServer 2008 R2 because of its need to support its sales force and engineers who travel betweenonshore and offshore locations. These mobile employees rely on portable computers that make up morethan 25 percent of the company's computer fleet.
When DeepOcean migrated to the Windows platform,it implemented the Windows NT 4.0 operating system on its 50 client computers and the Windows NTServer 4.0 operating system on its 10 servers, which it is gradually upgrading from Windows Server2003 to Windows Server 2008 R2. DeepOcean uses Microsoft Forefront Client Security to help protectits client and server environment from Internet-based threats.
In an effort to enhance securityfor its portable computers and to address challenges with its virtual private network solution, thecompany also decided to migrate to the Windows 7 operating system. As a result of the upgrade,DeepOcean has simplified IT management, enhanced IT security and improved employeeproductivity.
"Windows 7 has enabled our mobile work force to connect to the corporate networkand access all the resources they need faster and more easily," said Per Arne Stromo, IT manager atDeepOcean. "At the same time, Microsoft technology offers us a highly secure and reliable tool tohelp protect our confidential data and intellectual property even when on the road."
Statoil alsowanted to improve employee productivity by making sure that workers in its increasingly globaloperations could fully collaborate with their colleagues. To address remote access issues that couldhinder employee productivity and collaboration, the oil company intends to implement the Windows 7and the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems, which together offer features such as BranchCacheto improve data access at branch offices and DirectAccess to simplify remote connectivity. As aresult of the upgrade, Statoil will deliver seamless access to the corporate network for travelingemployees, improve information access at branch offices and enhance IT security.
"Using Windows 7and Windows Server 2008 R2, we'll be able to better support our strategy as a global company andmore easily share information no matter where our employees and consultants reside," said PetterWersland, leading advisor for IT Infrastructure, Statoil.
Building upon this core ITinfrastructure, Microsoft, together with its partners, is continuing to tackle the creation oftechnology solutions for some of the industry's top priorities -- better collaboration, unifiedcommunications and role-based productivity -- to fundamentally change the way people work byintroducing novel workflows and knowledge management capabilities that maximize scarce labor talentand bring business-critical information to workers wherever they are.