Microsoft Premier Support Services
provides mobility and enhanced
capabilities through the seamless
introduction of Windows 8 tablets
Microsoft Services
Premier Support
Customer: Servier Pharma (Romania)
Website: www.servier.ro
Customer Size: 300 employees
Country or Region: Europe
Industry: Pharmaceutical
Customer Profile:
Servier Pharma is France's leading
independent pharmaceutical group,
operating in 140 countries with annual
revenues of EUR 4.2 billion. The
company has been active in Romania
since 1996. Servier Pharma is ranked
second in the top pharmaceutical
companies by revenue and is supported
by a team of over 300 employees.
Software and Services
■ Microsoft Premier Support Services
■ Microsoft Windows 8
■ Microsoft Systems Center
Configuration Manager 2012
Microsoft Services
Microsoft Services is a global team of
professionals who are dedicated to
helping customers maximize the value of
their investment in Microsoft software.
Microsoft Services touches customers
more than 715 million times a year,
helping them plan, deploy, support and
optimize our technologies. They also work
closely with Microsoft Partners by sharing
their technological expertise and product
knowledge on a regular basis.
For more information about
Microsoft Services, go to:
www.microsoft.com/services
“We analyzed the methods our health care
representatives were using and realized that operational
applications required too many ‘clicks’ to perform a
task. We knew we had to consider a project that would
enhance application usability and strengthen the
interaction among mobile team members."
Laurentiu Bogdan, IT Manager, Servier Pharma (Romania)
Servier Pharma is France's leading independent pharmaceutical
group, operating in 140 countries with annual revenues of EUR
4.2 billion. The company has been active in Romania since 1996,
and is ranked second in the top pharmaceutical companies by
revenue. Servier Pharma is supported by a team of over 300
employees, most of whom are health care representatives
dispersed nationally. As a company, Servier Pharma uses
technology intensively in its business operations; it operates in a
Windows environment with Active Directory and a suite of
business applications, as well as Microsoft Exchange with
location administration as an e-mail solution for its diverse team.
Business Needs
As part of its approach to modernizing the
mobile force, Servier Pharma, one of the
leading pharmaceutical companies in
Romania today, launched a project based
on Windows 8 tablets and the revolutionary
concept of "gamification". Windows 8 has
enabled their business applications to
migrate to touchscreen, and tablets to be
easily integrated into the existing IT
infrastructure. As a result of the project,
productivity and satisfaction at Servier
Pharma have been greatly improved. In
addition, employees now have ultimate
mobile capabilities and are pleased with
the usability of this new infrastructure.
In 2012, with the intention of modernizing
their mobile force, Servier Pharma provided
iPad tablets to 70 of its health care
representatives, to enable them to run
presentation applications. These tablets
were intended exclusively to support these
presentations, while the existing laptops
were to be used for remaining activities (email, document editing, etc.).
Laurentiu Bogdan, IT Manager at Servier
Pharma says, "However, we quickly realized
that the tablets were easier and more
convenient to use for our health care
practitioners, as most of them no longer
carried two devices. They preferred to keep
their laptops at home, to load information
and check e-mails at the beginning and end
of the day”.
However, this approach unproductive
because employees did not have permanent
access to e-mail or to the company VPN, in
order to retrieve documents stored at the
head office in Bucharest. Also, information
input into the system was time consuming
and error-prone, as it occurred at the end of
the day, rather than after every visit. The use
of iPads overall raised management issues
in the IT department due to the lack of
effective and centralized administration.
As part of the modernization approach,
Servier Pharma worked with Microsoft
Premier Support Services to examine their
existing business applications. Laurentiu
Bogdan explains, “We analyzed the
methods our health care representatives
were using and realized that operational
applications required too many ‘clicks’ to
perform a task. We knew we had to
consider a project that would enable us to
adapt CRM and eRequester applications for
tablet touchscreen and to use the concept
of ‘gamification’. This would ultimately
enhance application usability and
strengthen the interaction among mobile
team members". The IT Department of
Servier Pharma then took the next steps in
identifying a suitable partner and ideal
technology solution that would allow them
to meet these objectives.
Solution
Servier Pharma recognized that a more
high-level approach was needed, in order
to change the functionalities and tools
being used by its employees. They also
wanted to apply the concept of ‘gamification’
in order to enhance employee engagement
through the CRM solution. The release of
the Windows 8 operation system, available
on both traditional PCs and tablets, was
the ideal solution.
Laurentiu Bogdan says, "We tested
Windows 8 on a pilot group in order to
assess the functionalities of the operating
system, touchscreen ergonomics,
networking, and administration. The test
results exceeded our expectations. The
integration of Windows 8 into our tablets,
as part of our existing IT infrastructure, was
seamless, and resembled a simple
transition that would occur on a traditional
PC. We were grateful that it did not involve
any change in the Active Directory or VPN,
and our employees welcomed Windows 8
as a valuable tool".
One of the relevant factors that Servier
Pharma examined in selecting Windows 8
for its tablets was the possibility of
keeping the Microsoft System Center
Configuration Manager 2012, to ensure
single management of the entire
infrastructure. Microsoft Premier Support
Services ensured a smooth delivery of the
project, as well as support for the integration
of the various technologies used.
Guided by the recommendations of
Microsoft Premier Support Services, Servier
Pharma ultimately chose HP Elitepad
Windows 8 tablets for its 250 employees.
These devices met the project
requirements in all aspects, including
modern design, advanced stand-alone
features, easy field integration, strong
network control and security, and straightforward usability. “The implementation of
the project was greatly helped by the
support we received from Microsoft
Premier Support Services”, explains
Laurentiu Bogdan. In order to adapt
existing applications to the new
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published November 2013
touchscreen function, Servier Pharma also
established contracts with a series of
Microsoft partners, including TotalSoft for
CRM, Nigabit Software for eRequester and
Mobile Kinetics for eVA.
After deciding to adopt Windows 8 on its
tablets, Microsoft Premier Support assisted
the IT Department of Servier Pharma in
developing the new interface of the CRM
solution and migrating the existing
applications (eRequester and eVAElectronic Visual Aid) to the new operating
system. Additionally, the Microsoft System
Center Configuration Manager 2012 was
used to manage the entire Window
environment of desktops, laptops and
tablets – all in one step. The actual
migration to Windows 8 was managed
internally, while being supported by
Microsoft and the developers of TotalSoft,
Nigabit Software and Mobile Kinetics. This
allowed them to adapt and rewrite
business applications to be compatible
with Windows 8.
Integration of the HP Elitepad Windows 8
tablets into the Active Directory-based
domain at Servier Pharma was easy to
achieve with the help of Microsoft Premier
Support Services, and Check Point
applications were used to secure VPN
access. "Integration of the tablets with
Windows 8 into our domain—alongside
other desktops and laptops—was easy. We
were able to maintain our existing
functionality for how information on
servers was being accessed by VPN, as well
as our existing methodologies for
administering the IT environment. We have
also been able to maintain the same
structure in Active Directory, because the
Microsoft Systems Center Configuration
Manager 2012 provided us with full
control of devices, without sacrificing
security", Laurentiu Bogdan says.
In September 2013, the solution became
fully operational and plans have been
established to ensure extension to other
types of mobile applications, as well as the
migration to Windows 8.1.
Benefits
With the assistance of Microsoft Premier
Support Services, Servier Pharma experienced
a series of benefits from the adoption of the
Windows 8 tablets, including enhanced
mobility and streamlined administration.
Enhanced mobility for 250 health care
representatives and product managers by
using lightweight and extended standalone feature tablets
Windows 8 enabled the mobile team at
Servier Pharma to deploy all requirements
using tablets only, thus providing employees
with access to e-mail, Microsoft Office
programs, and the main business applications.
They enjoy virtually the same functionalities
of a traditional laptop, on a tablet weighing
only 650 grams while providing 7 to 8 hours
of stand-alone operation.
"Tablets are much easier to use for our
health care practitioners, and Windows 8
provides all the functionalities of a laptop,
like e-mail and SharePoint access. The
tablets are lightweight, have two to three
times higher stand-alone power and offer
instantaneous start-up, which enables
efficient facilitation of discussions with
doctors and provides for the possibility of
interaction—anywhere and anytime.
Mobility is the major benefit of this project,
and tablets with Windows 8 are ideal for our
industry", Laurentiu Bogdan explained.
Enhanced satisfaction among Servier
Pharma employees using the technology
The tablet is a useful and modern device
welcomed by an increasing number of
users. The applications developed for
touchscreen display are highly ergonomic
and truly intuitive, enhancing the user
experience. Laurentiu Bogdan says,
"Satisfaction is an important indicator of
success for Servier Pharma because we want
our employees to be satisfied and enjoy
fulfilling their requirements on a day-to-day
basis with minimal stress".
Improved quality of marketing services
provided in-house
Before using tablets, the presentations
delivered to health care practitioners were
prepared in the marketing department,
and distributed out via courier to the
representatives performing field work.
Now, they are distributed directly to
employee tablets via the Electronic Visual
Aids (EVA) dedicated application, which
eliminates costs incurred with paper and
provides for the correction of errors and
real-time distribution. Laurentiu Bogdan
explains, "The use of tablets with Windows
8 also provides major benefits to our
Marketing Department. Presentations are
now distributed in real time, errors can be
corrected instantaneously at no cost, and
marketing messages can be adjusted as
often as necessary.”
Enhanced productivity of the
mobile team
The enhanced productivity of the mobile
team at Servier Pharma is complemented
by various elements. The Windows 8
operating system is easy to use, and
streamlines business applications using its
touchscreen function. This makes our
employees available anywhere and
reduces the number of interactions
required to obtain information.
Additionally, the time required for
individual tasks is reduced through the use
of the tablets, and allows employees to
submit instant reports between visits. "The
employees at Servier Pharma are
unequivocally more productive:
applications are more intuitive, operations
requires less time, all information is
consolidated on a single device and
marketing materials are readily available.
These functionalities combine to help
employees be more efficient, especially
when delivering 10 to 12 presentations in
one day", Laurentiu Bogdan said.
Streamlined administration and
enhanced control of field devices
Servier Pharma’s tablets with Windows 8
are managed with Microsoft System
Center Configuration Manager 2012 in the
same way as traditional PCs, in that all
functionalities of the application are
available. "The iPad devices were difficult
to manage, because the Mobile Device
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published November 2013
Manager for iOS did not provide the
necessary control. As the tablets are
company property, it is imperative that we
have full control of them. With Window 8,
you do not need to change anything in the
IT infrastructure—even if you use tablets.
For us, this meant faster project
implementation, lower costs, and reduced
stress for our team, especially the IT
department", Laurentiu Bogda says.
For the IT department, the most important
aspect of Windows 8 is the fact that there
is no change in the functionalities or
behavior of the Windows environment,
despite the fact that it is housed on
tablets. Single administration is available
even with many devices. In this way, the
company added touchscreen function and
adopted a new so it is possible to add
touchscreen function and adopt a new
operational method without major
changes in infrastructure, security and
administration. For the organization, this
resulted in an easy adoption with
additional benefits of cost reductions and
enhanced productivity.