Case Studies > The Co-operative Group achieves a new desktop virtualization environment with AppSense

The Co-operative Group achieves a new desktop virtualization environment with AppSense

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

Europe

Country

United Kingdom

Product

AppSense Application Manager
AppSense Environment Manager
Citrix XenDesktop
Citrix XenServer
Microsoft Hyper-V

Tech Stack

Desktop Virtualization
Workspace Management
Virtual Desktops
Remote Desktop Access

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity Improvements
Employee Satisfaction

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

Applicable Industries

Retail
Consumer Goods

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Facility Management

Use Cases

Remote Asset Management
Remote Control
Remote Collaboration
Virtual Training

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

Based in Manchester, England, The Co-operative Group is the world’s largest consumer-owned business with over 4.5 million members and 123,000 employees. The Group operates a family of businesses led by its principles and owned by its members, who have an equal say in how the business is run and its social goals are achieved. The Group holds strong market positions in banking and insurance, and also operates the fifth largest food retailer, the third largest retail pharmacy chain, the largest independent provider of funeral services, and the largest independent travel business.

The Challenge

The Co-operative Group faced several challenges, including the need for a seamless user experience across all physical and virtual desktops, increased manageability of the desktop environment, support for remote workers, and a reduction in costs. The company was rapidly expanding and building a new state-of-the-art headquarters, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint through desktop virtualization. They conducted a successful 250-user pilot with Citrix XenDesktop and planned to roll out over 3,000 virtual desktops over the next two years. The company also needed a flexible working strategy to allow employees access to their desktops at all times and from any location, with over 1,000 virtual desktops dedicated to remote workers.

The Solution

The Co-operative Group chose AppSense as their comprehensive workspace management solution to complement Citrix XenDesktop. They had been using AppSense Environment Manager and AppSense Application Manager in their XenApp estate for six years and decided to extend this to their virtual desktops. AppSense Environment Manager allowed them to manage user profiles effectively and provide a consistent and reliable desktop experience at each logon. AppSense Application Manager increased security by allowing IT to lock down desktops and laptops of remote workers, preventing unauthorized installations. The Group planned to roll out AppSense workspace management technology to over 3,000 virtual desktops and continue this deployment as the company expanded.

Operational Impact

AppSense Environment Manager enabled The Co-operative Group to manage user profiles effectively and provide a consistent and reliable desktop experience at each logon.
The solution increased the flexibility and agility of remote workers, allowing them to access their personal desktops 24-7.
AppSense Application Manager increased security by allowing IT to lock down desktops and laptops of remote workers, preventing unauthorized installations.
The Group experienced increased desktop manageability and reduced management costs.
The deployment of AppSense and XenDesktop was successful, leading to plans for further implementation across other departments.

Quantitative Benefit