Bell Canada began an initiative to provide desktop solutions at reduced costs. With 8,000 call center agents, Bell Canada faced hardware attrition and rising costs. Streamlining systems, facilitating outsourcing and increasing capabilities to telecommute would reduce costs while improving service. This would require creating customized workstations for users. Bell Canada approached VMware Partner CGI Group Inc., which provides end-to-end IT and business process services, for a solution.
BELL C ANADA & CGI Group
c u s t o m e r s u c c e s s s t o r y
VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Connects
Bell Canada for Optimized Customer CareBell Canada Uses VMware Software to Provide 1,700 Customized Desktop Environments
A Solution to Echo Growth Calling on VMwareR e s u l t s Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) is Canada's largest Quigley explains that Bell Canada needed a communications company. The main subsidiary, Bell lockdown environment that would accommodate Canada, provides local telephone, long distance, "fat clients." For example, if a bank needed to change . Lowered TCO wireless communications, Internet access, data, its phone lines, Bell Canada would extend its LAN to the building, and enable a few people to work in a . Enabled company agility to satellite television and other services to residential manage workforce locations and business customers through some 27 million locked room because of security requirements.customer connections.. Deployed more than 1,700 hosted "Bell Canada utilized multiple protocols for security, desktop environments In October 2004, Bell Canada began an initiative to so it was a complex environment," Quigley explains. provide desktop solutions at reduced costs . With "It was a lockdown environment. You couldn't install . Optimized development 8,000 call center agents, Bell Canada faced hardware programs; you couldn't install anything on the hard environment attrition and rising costs. Streamlining systems, drive because they used file sharing. So they had to . Centralized, simplified facilitating outsourcing and increasing capabilities keep it in a locked room. It was difficult to manage, management using VirtualCenter to telecommute would reduce costs while improv- and it was expensive." ing service. This would require creating customized . Gained ability to deploy 60 new workstations for users. Bell Canada evaluated other possible solutions along desktop environments in two days with VMware software. Bell Canada considered Bell Canada approached VMware Partner CGI Group getting 400 desktop computers, power feed and . Enabled hardware independence; allows development partners to Inc., which provides end-to-end IT and business data connections to reside in the datacenter on choose any type of hardware process services, for a solution. CGI is Bell Canada's racks. But it would have been difficult to manage preferred solutions provider. CGI has been partner- and maintain. Also, with shared services software, ing with Bell Canada since 1993, when Bell Canada terminal-server testing revealed that the applications made the decision to outsource its IT operations. would not behave correctly."Bell Canada came to us with a project to provision, VMware, on the other hand, seemed to bring connect and securely deploy 400 desktop environ- multiple advantages. Quigley explains, "The beauty ments within three weeks," says Martin Quigley, CGI of VMware virtual desktop infrastructure solution is senior technical consultant to Bell Canada. "Because that it makes everything so easy. To build an envi-of the space restrictions and the security restrictions, ronment, we take the CD used to build the desktop, we knew that the complexity of their needs ruled load it onto VMware software, update the drivers out several other solutions, so we said, 'why not use and we're done. Then to deploy, it's simple. We have VMware?'" everything in a file that we can copy. Now we just use VirtualCenter to push out the images. Everything is easier to maintain because it's centralized in the datacenter."
"With VMware virtual desktop infrastructure, we are able to manage com-plex, secured desktop environments from our datacenter. This has made it easy for Bell Canada to create and manage more than 1,700 desktop environments for call center agents. We will continue to utilize the solution because it gives us the flexibility to easily and cost-effectively provide customized desktop environments." Martin QuigleyCGI Senior Technical Consultant to Bell Canada2-Sided Success Story Back
BELL C ANADA & CGI Group
c u s t o m e r s u c c e s s s t o r y
Resonating Success . Centralized, simplified management. Bell Canada is able to manage thousands of desktop Bell Canada also knew the VMware solution would environments from its datacenter. "We are able lower TCO while maximizing efficiency. "Bell Canada to ... [download for more]
