BKW uses Windows 365 to build a reliable, secure and flexible virtual PC to enable hybrid working

“At BKW, we see ourselves as an enabler within the energy and infrastructure sectors. For us, this means one thing: that we must provide the right technology, in the right location, at the right time.”

Thomas Zinniker, CIO at BKW, is explaining why the service provider has been embracing digitalization over the past few years, and the technology powering its ambitions. 

“We have people working in tens of locations across the globe,” says Zinniker, “from city offices to offsite areas, they all need to be able to do their job to a high standard, wherever they are.”

Empowering its employees to work in a flexible, hybrid and efficient way is something that BKW sees as essential to its success. But in recent years, the company was facing challenges in scaling its infrastructure. 

Favoring a cloud-first approach, BKW decided to retire their on-prem solution and deploy Windows 365 to build a new modern workplace. 

"Creating a new environment has been a game-changer for us and our environmental ambitions,” says Zinniker, “we’re excited to see how it enables BKW to evolve and grow even further.”

Rapid growth signals the need for change

A Switzerland-based international energy and infrastructure company, BKW offers integrated solutions in the fields of energy, buildings and infrastructure. A key goal for the organization is to find efficient ways to produce, distribute and use energy while working to overcome the global decarbonization challenges.

The company, which operates in the public sector, has long been leading the way with sustainable innovations. However, internally its processes and operations were in need of some improvement. 

“Over the past five years,” begins Zinniker, “we’ve experienced rapid growth, acquiring around 100 companies. Now, the BKW portfolio is very diversified, and we must keep adapting to the demands of the many markets we are part of. 

“At the same time, scaling has proved difficult with our on-prem solution.”

Aside from growth, another main consideration for BKW was the ability to facilitate hybrid working. “We aren’t just sitting in a workshop making products,” says Zinniker, “we are out in the field, with our boots on the ground, helping customers solve their problems. It’s crucial that our tech solution enables end users to work from anywhere, anytime, so they can connect and collaborate with each other.”

So, BKW began to evaluate its future vision against the technology that was in place. Realizing it was time for change, the organization opted to transition from its end-of-life, on-prem solution to a cloud-first approach. 

An easy-to-use solution is deployed

Upon deciding to embrace the cloud, the company began integrating various Microsoft Azure services whilst searching for the right virtual desktop infrastructure. Then, in mid 2021, BKW started to test Windows 365, which they saw as a simple, easy to use environment with outstanding software as a service benefit. BKW just needed a license to access the technology.

“As a company, we’re always keen to be as innovative as possible and usually customize all of the products and solutions we deploy,” says Luca Noah Caprez, a Modern Workplace Specialist at BKW. “But this sort of development takes time and we needed to work at speed. So, we went with an out-of-the-box approach to using the technology.”

The solution was initially built in a test environment and took two months to complete. From there, the development team were able to migrate the userbase from the previous solution. To ensure the new modern workplace was secure and properly managed, BKW decided to use a suite of solutions such as Microsoft Autopilot and Microsoft Intune. 

Once deployed, it didn’t take long for BKW’s employees and end users to adapt to the solution. “A great thing about this project,” says Caprez, “was that there wasn’t much training required to use Windows 365: with everyone already familiar with using Microsoft technology, integrating the solution was really smooth and seamless.”

The new environment proves advantageous

Months after implementing the workplace solution, BKW claims that the benefits go well beyond minimal training. “Thanks to the ease of integration, we’ve been able to keep scaling at pace,” says Karin Niggli, Head of Workplace and Collaboration at BKW. “In just four months, we’ve added 350 end users to the solution which takes 20 minutes each time – a massive reduction from the four hours it took with our previous infrastructure.”

Using Windows 365 is also cost-effective for the organization as everything is now handled by Microsoft data centers. “The license structure of the solution helps to manage costs as we can calculate it monthly,” says Niggli. “End users have told us they’re seeing up to 60% reduction in what they’re paying without compromising the great services.

“It’s great to see big results coming from a product with low investment, enabling end users to do more with less” 

The new solution has also had a big impact culturally. “End users are now able to access Windows 365 in any location,” says Niggli. “They can have remote meetings, share data and access applications wherever they are. This self-service approach empowers them to reach their full potential in their day-to-day work.”

Powering a sustainable future

In the years ahead, the organization is looking to further enhance its hybrid working approach so that as it continues to grow, it can enable acquired companies to work efficiently and flexibly, helping them to meet market demands.

“Microsoft technology such as Windows 365 is a toolbox that we can rely upon,” says Zinniker. “When we have an idea for a new solution, we can build it quickly, knowing the end result will be reliable, secure and flexible for our end users.

“Using technology to drive growth and enable hybrid working is a vital part of our current and future company strategy.

“It allows us to focus on providing sustainable energy and infrastructure services to help build solutions today – for the global challenges of the future.”