Case Study
Speeding the way forward for employees at this global travel company
At a glance
Kuoni, a leading travel management company, sought ways to reduce IT costs and eliminate software service delays to better serve their customers globally. After finding their existing solution unsatisfying, Kuoni turned to Flexera and Flexera partner redtoo to update old tools, as well as create a tailored solution to address automation issues. Flexera’s solutions provided a more efficient way to manage access to software for thousands of employees across the world.
The Challenge
Finding the right solution required outside help
Kuoni is an award-winning company in the travel services industry. The Switzerland-based organization has been named the world’s leading tour operator more than a dozen times at the annual World Travel Awards, which celebrates excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.
Kuoni’s IT staff struggled with high costs, an excessive service desk workload and delays in delivering software to users. About 10,000 employees in hundreds of Kuoni offices around the world rely on IT to provide business applications needed for exceptional customer service.
10,000 Kuoni employees worldwide needed better access to apps
The IT organization had implemented an enterprise software deployment tool. But the software was problematic, required frequent manual intervention and lacked the robust functionality Kuoni needed.
The company wanted to streamline and automate the process of improving IT productivity. IT staff also needed to support an increase in the number and types of business applications used by employees, as well as an expansion of their user base due to mergers and acquisitions.
The Solution
Automate an outdated, inefficient process
Switching to Flexera’s application management solution fixed Kuoni’s massive fulfillment challenge. Kuoni changed from its previous deployment system to Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and implemented Flexera's App Broker to enable users with self-service software requests through an enterprise app store.
With App Broker and SCCM, Kuoni automated their request and fulfillment process. This process ensures users can quickly and easily access the software they need while maintaining compliance with the license contract terms. Kuoni also replaced its outdated packaging tool with Flexera’s AdminStudio to automate and streamline the creation of application packages in MSI and virtual formats.
“When redtoo showed us App Broker,” said Steven Eschinger, Kuoni’s head of client services and integration for global IT infrastructure, “we could easily see that this self-service approach would help us get rid of all those routine service desk calls where users need applications pushed out to them. That reduces our costs and resource requirements."
“We’re finding that App Broker is a big help in handling the SCCM rollout,” Eschinger said. “What’s more, it helps us be very efficient in dealing with emergency projects that come up—for example, the large integration project that we needed to do as a result of an acquisition.”
When redtoo showed us App Broker, we could easily see that this self-service approach would help us get rid of all those routine service desk calls for applications. That reduces our costs and resource requirements.
Steven Eschinger Head of client services and integration Global IT infrastructure, Kuoni
The Results
Employees now have seamless access to applications
Automation proved to be key for increasing efficiency. With App Broker, Kuoni has an automated, self-service approach for handling a variety of scenarios related to deploying applications, operating systems and services.
Employees worldwide gained easy access to more than 200 business applications, along with productivity-enhancing services that included shared folders, distribution lists and group mailboxes. App Broker also provided the IT staff with effective tools for taking on unanticipated projects, such as a virtual desktop infrastructure rollout and the rapid onboarding of users at a newly acquired company.
More than 200 business applications are now easily
available to employees
