EUC Managed Service
Case Study
The client required an EUC managed service so that a recently deployed Windows 10 estate was kept up to date and secure.
A dedicated service desk was established to provide 3rd line support, augmented by 24/7 out-of-hours support for high priority escalations. Standardised application packaging and deployment processes were implemented, leveraging automation tools to streamline operations and ensure compatibility.
Remote hardware integration capabilities were deployed to enable rapid provisioning of standardised desktop and laptop images, while VMware Horizon VDI was leveraged to deliver a secure and flexible non-persistent desktop environment accessible from any device, anywhere. Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM) was utilised for centralised patch management, ensuring timely deployment of security updates, patches and 3rd party software updates.
Furthermore, advanced threat protection (ATP) solutions were deployed to fortify endpoint security, alongside the enforcement of group policies and Active Directory management to maintain consistency and enforce security policies across the network infrastructure. Regular feature updates were implemented, following structured release cycles with thorough testing to ensure compatibility and stability.
HRP worked with the business to safely move over 170 web applications away from Internet Explorer to Chromium Edge. Supporting the business throughout the entire process, supplying vendor engagement where system upgrades were required.
The implementation of this managed end-user compute service yielded significant benefits for the client. Users experienced enhanced productivity and reduced downtime, leading to improved overall satisfaction. The organisation’s security posture was strengthened, mitigating the risk of cyber threats and data breaches. Operational efficiency increased through automation and standardisation, while the scalable nature of the solution facilitated seamless expansion to accommodate future growth.
HRP provided the Northern Care Alliance with End User Compute services for several years and played a key role in deploying Windows 10 across a complex NHS environment.
Throughout our partnership, HRP brought expert knowledge, a forward-thinking approach, and invaluable assistance, enabling us as a Digital Service to deliver a reliable, high-performing desktop experience for our end users.
Working with HRP has been a pleasure.
Richard Nuttall
Senior Manager, Digital Service Delivery
Digital Services
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
HRP’s knowledge of the desktop estate and their expertise in the Cyber security domain have been invaluable in helping secure the trusts 10,000 devices. Remembering the days of WannaCry; HRP implemented an on premise kill switch server to remove the reliance on any external factors. Looking at today their evergreen solution helps us manage and quickly patch 3rd party applications. Their proactive approach to security, coupled with streamlined support processes and round-the-clock assistance, has significantly enhanced our organisation’s productivity and resilience against cyber threats.
Mark Taylor. CISSP, CRISC, SCF (SABSA), MCP, CIPR.
Head of Cyber Security Operations
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Windows 10 Migration
Case Study
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust are located in Greater Manchester and include Rochdale Infirmary, Fairfield General in Bury, Royal Oldham and North Manchester hospital sites. The trust have 6500 physical devices and a VDI estate of 3000 all running Windows 7.
HRP were engaged to migrate all physical devices to Windows 10, whilst replenishing and repurposing old equipment. The estate comprised of circa 13,000 users and a VMware Horizon virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) providing 3000 non persistent desktops.
We faced many challenges, such as the aggressive timescales, the geographic spread of the Trust over 4 sites, an unrationalised and largely unmanaged application portfolio, manual and undocumented installations, increased home-working due to Covid-19 and the criticality of healthcare service availability in general.
As part of the solution HRP produced a Windows 10 build and integrated/tested over 20 hardware models. We performed in-person site audits to identify accurate machine locations. We rationalised a list of over 1,000 applications down to 555 based on usage metrics and business criticality, of which 302 were packaged. From this rationalised list we identified the core business applications and thoroughly tested each of them on the target operating system.
We developed a Power BI dashboard combining data from multiple sources (LanSweeper, App-V Reporting, SCCM, Active Directory, ManageEngine and more) to produce a data-driven rollout plan and assembled a project team of over 50 people including deployment engineers, build engineers, support technicians, project coordinators, application packagers and stock controllers.
We provisioned a new VDI environment for Windows 10, set up clinics for end-user support and device swap-outs.
The output of this project provided the NHS Trust with a fully documented application portfolio, a managed hardware estate and an optimised VDI environment with virtualised clinical applications. HRP implemented one of the fastest and most successful Windows 10 migrations in the healthcare sector.
With a highly complex programme to run in a very challenging set of circumstances it was clear that the Trust would need external capability and capacity in order to stand a chance of hitting demanding timelines.
HRP’s knowledge of the environment and experience in the desktop domain, made them the logical choice. Their professionalism, technical expertise, and ability to scale good quality engineering and deployment resource rapidly meant that the internal project team were quickly able to turn what had been a badly failing project into an exemplar of great agile delivery within an astonishingly short timescale
Howard Bethell
Head of Transitional Service & Stabilisation
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust