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CLIENT CASE STUDY

Windows 10 at Accenture

Digitally enabling Accenture people

Seizing the opportunity


One of the ways Accenture is driving its own internal agenda is to digitally enable Accenture people with the ability to work productively and collaborate across the globe. A major component of this program is equipping employees with the latest Microsoft tools, through the deployment of Microsoft Windows 10.

IT, together with Accenture leaders, also wanted to capitalize on the benefits offered by Windows 10 along with Microsoft Office 2016 and Microsoft OneDrive for Business. This combination offered significant business value in new capabilities, enhanced security and as-a-service model; it also supported Accenture’s “cloud-first” strategy. Both business and IT leadership wanted to seize the benefits of upgrading as quickly as possible—for nearly 400,000 employees.

How we are doing it

In September 2015, a global Windows 10 project team began the upgrade project. The team’s high-level approach was to first test all business applications and validate that they were capable of running on Windows 10, and second, proceed with deployment to employees. Given that nearly all of Accenture’s applications are browser based and platform independent, IT was able to move Accenture’s business applications with no impact, and move to production ready in a very short window.

Eight months later, by April 2016, initial deployment of PCs loaded with Windows 10 began. The project team set up a “two-lane” deployment approach. The first was to deploy all new PCs with Windows 10 and give a manual upgrade option for early adopters. The second lane, which began in August 2016, addressed existing PCs running Windows 7 and enabling employees to use an In-Place Upgrade tool and process that uses OneDrive for file distribution to perform the upgrade to Windows 10.

This innovative In-Place Upgrade tool has been key to enabling deployments at scale and pace. The tool validates whether an employee’s computer meets the necessary criteria to receive Windows 10. This approach is fast, and eliminates the need to come into an Accenture office to have the upgrade performed by internal IT.

Throughout the Windows 10 Upgrade project, rigorous project management, robust methodology and priority setting were important factors to achieving results at speed and scale.

Employees continue to execute in-place upgrades to Windows 10 at a regular cadence, with Accenture on track to complete upgrades by August 2017—with a few exception areas.

Enhancing ways of working

Migrating from Office 2013 to Office 2016 is providing a refreshed set of features to employees and will provide a foundation for supporting new ways in which Accenture people will work in the future. Accomplishing the upgrade to Windows 10 in a span of two years will provide a robust foundation in digitally enabling Accenture people.

From a business standpoint, Accenture is benefiting in a number of ways: through simplified imaging, as-a-service model, use of the cloud for Windows 10, and enhanced security with Secure Boot and Device Guard.

Windows 10 at Accenture

Accenture managing directors Jason Warnke and Brad Nyers discuss how Accenture is digitally enabling our people with the ability to work productively and collaborate across the globe with Windows 10.











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