Microsoft SQL ServerCustomer Solution Case Study

Greek Oil Company Gets Help Upgrading IT Infrastructure, Saves $500,000 Annually

OverviewCountry or Region: GreeceIndustry: Oil and gas

Customer ProfileHellenic Petroleum is a Greek oil company whose three refineries account for 73 percent of the refining capacity in Greece. The Athens-based company also operates 1,750 gas stations in the region.

Business SituationA series of acquisitions left Hellenic Petroleum with a diverse IT infrastructure that was redundant and expensive. It wanted to create a centralized IT model that would be more secure and easier to manage.

SolutionHellenic Petroleum engaged Microsoft Services consultants to guide it through the process of centralizing and modernizing its data center and also upgrading its desktops and productivity software.

Benefits Deployed new infrastructure with

minimal risk Reduced IT costs Enhanced security and availability Improved employee productivity

“With the help of Microsoft Services, we deployed a host of new software programs with little risk to our environment…. This has been a huge change… and Microsoft Services has made it easy.”

Christos Katharios, Head of Network, Telecom, and Office Department, Hellenic Petroleum

Hellenic Petroleum, a major oil refiner in Greece, grew quickly after several acquisitions. However, this growth strategy resulted in a decentralized IT infrastructure that was redundant, difficult and expensive to manage, and poorly secured. Hellenic hired Microsoft Services to help it centralize, modernize, and better protect its sensitive corporate data using the latest Microsoft software. As a result of the six-month engagement, Hellenic Petroleum was able to refresh its entire data center infrastructure in record time while minimizing risk to daily operations. It also reduced costs by more than US$500,000 annually by consolidating data center locations and improving management efficiency. Network security is greatly enhanced by the virtualized, fault-tolerant infrastructure and more secure PCs. Employees are more productive with modern desktop software and application streaming.

SituationHellenic Petroleum S.A. is a leading oil refining company in Greece. It is a consortium of nine subsidiaries that collectively employs about 5,000 people and whose three refineries account for 73 percent of the refining capacity in Greece. Hellenic also operates more than 1,400 gas stations in Greece and about 350 gas stations in Albania, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro, and the Republic of Macedonia. Hellenic Petroleum is headquartered in Athens and had 2010 revenues of €8.477 billion (US$11.2 billion). Hellenic has grown chiefly through a series of acquisitions and mergers. With each acquisition, the IT department inherited a new data center, application portfolio, and policies and procedures. The jumbled IT infrastructure bred redundancy, high costs, and security vulnerabilities. It also frustrated employees’ ability to communicate and work productively.

Most of the acquired companies used Microsoft software in their data centers and on desktop computers, but they all ran different, older versions of the software, which increased maintenance and management work and complicated daily tasks. There was a variety of security policies across the company, which left the environment poorly secured and made the IT department’s work more challenging. Users were able to download music and other unauthorized files that compromised the safety of their PCs and the company network.

There was also redundancy, such as IT staff members supporting messaging servers in multiple locations. Availability was another

problem. Not infrequently, a server or network connection would fail, which left a Hellenic office without access to email, file servers, or server-based applications. It could take a full business day to return that office to service.

Hellenic wanted to consolidate its data center infrastructure from six locations to two main sites—Athens in the south and Thessaloniki in the north—and limit its IT department to the 10 people already on staff. To do that, it needed to consolidate and virtualize servers, introduce automated management tools, and standardize its software portfolio.

“We wanted to implement the latest technology and have consistent software across the organization,” says Christos Katharios, Head of Network, Telecom, and Office Department at Hellenic Petroleum. “We also wanted to better use our Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, which gave us access to programs that we weren’t using―such as Microsoft Lync Server 2010.”

However, in order to make such significant changes to its data center infrastructure, Hellenic Petroleum needed outside help. “We had neither the staff nor the expertise to fix this complex infrastructure on our own,” Katharios says. “We were afraid that we would have had to bring in many different experts, for security, core infrastructure, communications and collaboration, and so forth, and were worried about the cost and time that the project would take.”

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“We had neither the staff nor the expertise to fix this complex infrastructure on our own.”

Christos Katharios, Head of Network, Telecom, and Office Department, Hellenic

Petroleum

SolutionHellenic Petroleum called in Microsoft Services. As most of the software that Hellenic was using came from Microsoft, the natural choice was to fully use its Enterprise Agreement.

Additionally, Hellenic Petroleum was impressed with the breadth of services and depth of expertise in the Microsoft Services organization. “This was such a big undertaking for our company; I needed to work with a trustworthy vendor that could mitigate the risk we faced,” Katharios says. “We believed that Microsoft best understood how to deploy and use Microsoft software. And we would only have to deal with one organization, rather than multiple partners.”

Scope the ProjectIn February 2011, Hellenic began working with the design and deployment team in Microsoft Services to create a scope document. Through a series of workshops with Hellenic IT staff, operations staff, and business users, Microsoft Services consultants became familiar with the Hellenic environment, began to formulate the design for a new centralized infrastructure, and explained the benefits of the various solution components. Microsoft Services also helped the IT staff determine application compatibility for a planned upgrade of the company’s 3,000 PCs from the Windows XP operating system to the Windows 7 operating system. Performing the scoping research took about three months, and coming up with an infrastructure design took another two months.

Upgrade and Secure the Core InfrastructureWith an infrastructure design document in hand, Hellenic and Microsoft consultants began replacing the company’s core data center infrastructure. Hellenic purchased new servers and installed the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system on them. Using the Hyper-V virtualization technology built into that software, Microsoft Services consultants created a virtualized infrastructure whereby each host server runs multiple virtual machines.

Hellenic then deployed Microsoft System Center data center solutions to automate the monitoring and management of the core infrastructure. Microsoft Services consolidated and upgraded Hellenic’s directory and authentication services using Active Directory Domain Services in Windows Server 2008 R2 to give the company a single directory infrastructure.

Next came the important task of securing the infrastructure. The specialized security staff at Microsoft Services implemented Active Directory Certificate Services in Windows Server 2008 R2 to create a public key infrastructure (PKI). Hellenic uses PKI to provide strong authentication, such as smart card authentication, for internal and external users of its network. Microsoft Services worked with the IT team to set up the security policies and procedures for the organization’s 3,000 users.

Microsoft Services then deployed the Microsoft Information Protection solution to protect Hellenic data wherever it resides, wherever it goes, and wherever it is used—on servers, in email, or on a user device such as a smartphone. The products

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“Microsoft knows the best practices about using its software to organize and implement an enterprise security system. Its expertise was invaluable to us.”

Christos Katharios, Head of Network, Telecom, and Office Department, Hellenic

Petroleum

comprising this solution include Microsoft Forefront Unified Access Gateway, Active Directory Rights Management Services, Active Directory Federation Services, and Windows Identity Foundation.

“Microsoft knows the best practices about using its software to organize and implement an enterprise security system,” Katharios says. “Its expertise was invaluable to us.”

The Hellenic Petroleum team completed its core infrastructure refresh in March 2012, after just six months of work. During this same period, Microsoft consultants began laying the groundwork for a complete upgrade of the company’s desktop computers.

Upgrade and Secure Desktops Microsoft Services recommended that Hellenic upgrade all of its 3,000 desktop and portable computers to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010, both to better secure these computers and to boost employee productivity. Microsoft Services used the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit to upgrade the first 200 PCs to both Windows 7 and Office 2010 as part of training and knowledge transfer to the Hellenic IT staff, and the Hellenic staff will upgrade the remaining 2,800 PCs through the remainder of 2012.

Microsoft installed Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption on all PCs and required that users create and use complex passwords. “By using Windows 7, we were able to lock down our desktops so that employees can no longer run games or download unauthorized software and music,” Katharios says. “The upgrade to

Windows 7 was easy from a technical perspective but not from a user acceptance perspective, because employees did not like the new security precautions. We are resolving this with workshops and self-paced training. However, users do like the new interface of Windows 7 and roaming profiles, which enable them to access their desktop environments from any computer.”

To overcome application compatibility issues with Windows 7, Microsoft Services recommended that Hellenic use Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) to stream older applications that could not run under the newer operating system. Microsoft Services also provided Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), another desktop virtualization technology, to run an older Oracle application that could only run under Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. Both App-V and MED-V are licensed through the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance.

Most recently, Hellenic has begun to deploy Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2010 to give employees consistent and modern email messaging, instant messaging, and videoconferencing capabilities. Microsoft Services deployed Microsoft Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange and Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 to secure these productivity programs.

Provide Tailored Technical SupportThroughout the Microsoft Services consulting engagement, Hellenic relied on Microsoft Premier Support services to provide technical support along the way. Microsoft Services kept the Premier

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“Because we are longtime Premier Support users, our Premier Support team was able to share information about our existing environment with the Microsoft Services consulting team, and the consulting team was able to keep the Premier Support team apprised of the changes to our infrastructure.”

Christos Katharios, Head of Network, Telecom, and Office Department, Hellenic

Petroleum

Support professionals apprised of the evolving changes in Hellenic’s infrastructure so that they would be able to provide prompt assistance if problems arose.

“Because we are longtime Premier Support users, our Premier Support team was able to share information about our existing environment with the Microsoft Services consulting team, and the consulting team was able to keep the Premier Support team apprised of the changes to our infrastructure,” says Katharios. “Once the Microsoft Services engagement is over, Premier Support will be more important to us than ever because our staff is still being trained on the new environment.”

BenefitsBy renovating its IT landscape with guidance from Microsoft Services, Hellenic Petroleum was able to deploy an entirely new data center infrastructure in just six months with minimal risk to the business. With its new technology setup, Hellenic estimates that it will save US$500,000 annually in data center costs, improve employee productivity, and enhance infrastructure security and availability.

Deployed New IT Infrastructure in Six Months with Minimal Risk With help from Microsoft Services, Hellenic Petroleum was able to upgrade, centralize, and strengthen the security of its entire data center infrastructure in just six months. “We did not have the expertise internally to do an infrastructure upgrade of this scope on our own, nor would we have had the assurance that our design was correct,” says Katharios. “With the help of Microsoft Services, we deployed a host of new software programs with little risk to our

environment. We migrated 3,000 mailboxes to Exchange Server 2010 without users noticing anything. We had zero downtime during the deployment. This has been a huge change, technologically and culturally, and Microsoft Services has made it easy.”

Reduced Costs by $500,000 AnnuallyHellenic was also able to achieve significant savings by centralizing and streamlining its distributed IT infrastructure. “We estimate that we saved $500,000 annually by consolidating servers from six locations to two locations and from 30 standalone servers to six host servers that can support 25 virtual machines,” says Katharios.

Hellenic also reduced its data center administrative costs by as much as $70,000 annually. Instead of having IT staff distributed in six server sites, the IT staff is now centralized in Athens and supports just three sites. “The same number of administrators is supporting a larger environment and also a more secure environment, so we have fewer incidents and less work overall,” Katharios says. “We are providing world-class services at a reduced cost to the business.” The Hellenic IT staff now has one set of IT policies and procedures, including security policies, across the entire company, which are more easily monitored and enforced. With a unified infrastructure, the IT staff is able to resolve problems faster, whether in the data center or on user desktops, and often do so behind the scenes, without interrupting business operations or user productivity. The staff can deploy and upgrade operating systems and applications faster by using automated efficiencies and because of their training

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“Our team worked very closely with the Microsoft Services consultants to transfer skills throughout the engagement. Today, we are able to support the new environment ourselves and to work more efficiently and effectively.”

Christos Katharios, Head of Network, Telecom, and Office Department, Hellenic

Petroleum

they received from Microsoft Services on industry and Microsoft best practices.

“Our team worked very closely with the Microsoft Services consultants to transfer skills throughout the engagement,” Katharios says. “Today, we are able to support the new environment ourselves and to work more efficiently and effectively.”

Enhanced Security and Availability of Business SystemsOf enormous value to Hellenic Petroleum is a far more secure IT infrastructure that keeps business data safe and does not cause Katharios and upper management to lose sleep at night. “We can now control our new environment completely—who gets in, who gets out,” says Katharios. “Our executives can send top-secret emails with complete confidence in their security. Previously, we had six different email environments in six different locations. Today, we have standardized on Exchange Server 2010 and we have fault tolerance between email server locations, so if one server fails, another picks up the workload without interruption. And with our infrastructure virtualized, it’s very easy to bring up new servers; our restore time is now two to three hours, versus six to eight hours.”

Improved Employee ProductivityHellenic business workers are more productive with a more secure, available infrastructure and from new productivity-boosting software on their PCs. Their modern messaging and collaboration tools give them new ways to communicate with one another and with people outside the company to speed up daily tasks.

Productivity also receives a boost from application streaming and tighter desktop security. Because employees can no longer install any software themselves and use standard applications, they have what Katharios calls a cleaner, simpler environment. “When employees need new applications, we simply stream the applications for them and can do it centrally, from Athens,” says Katharios. “Employees don’t have to wait for applications to be installed on their PCs. Additionally, all employees have the same software installed, so they don’t waste time learning new programs and translating files. Efficiencies from standardized, secure desktops ripple throughout the company and make us more productive and more successful.”

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“Efficiencies from standardized, secure desktops ripple throughout the company and make us more productive and more successful.”

Christos Katharios, Head of Network, Telecom, and Office Department, Hellenic

Petroleum

Microsoft ServicesMicrosoft 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 aboutMicrosoft Services, go to:www.microsoft.com/services

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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 Hellenic Petroleum products and services, call (30) (210) 553-3805 or visit the website at: www.hellenic-petroleum.gr

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

Document published April 2012

Software and Services Microsoft Services− Microsoft Consulting Services− Microsoft Premier Support

Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter− Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

Enterprise− Microsoft Lync Server 2010− Microsoft Forefront Endpoint

Protection 2010− Microsoft Forefront Protection 2010

for Exchange Server− Microsoft Forefront Unified Access

Gateway− Microsoft System Center

Configuration Manager 2007

− Microsoft Operations Manager 2007 R2

Windows 7 Technologies− Active Directory Certificate Services− Active Directory Domain Services− Active Directory Federation Services

Active Directory Rights Management Services

− Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption− Hyper-V− Microsoft Enterprise Desktop

Virtualization (MED-V)− Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack

for Microsoft Software Assurance− Windows Identity Foundation