Deeper Search Capabilities and Productivity Tools of Windows 7 Professional Add Value to Amexus Informationstechnik (an IT Developer Partner)

1. Windows 7
Customer Solution Case Study
Deeper Search Capabilities and Productivity
Tools Add Value to IT Developer-Partner
Overview “Federated Search now provides a single interface to
Country or Region: Germany
Industry: IT Consulting, Professional
search deep into SharePoint sites, something that
Services was not possible before. Windows 7 adds value to our
Customer Profile
SharePoint users.”
amexus Informationstechnik GmbH & Co. Markus Bütterhoff, Consultant, amexus Informationstechnik GmbH & Co. KG
KG is an IT consultant in the Ahaus,
Germany area. It has 10 employees and is
the small business consulting unit of its
parent company.
amexus Informationstechnik is an IT consultant and software
Business Situation developer located in Ahaus, Germany. Its small business consulting
amexus’ three main business challenges
include getting work done faster, having unit services businesses in Austria and Switzerland as well. As a
more reliable technology and discovering
better search solutions that enhance Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, it has been invited to participate
development services.
in an invitation-only Windows® 7 Professional pre-launch program
Solution called Ignite. The purpose of Ignite is to provide early feedback from
Windows 7 features, such as Federated
Search, add value to amexus SharePoint amexus and selected customers. amexus looks to new technology
development offerings. Navigation and
connection tools speed workflow and to help address its three main business challenges: getting work
overall productivity.
done faster, having more reliable technology and discovering better
Benefits search solutions that enhance development services. The IT firm is
 Deeper Searches Supports SharePoint
Development discovering vigorous new features such as Federated Search, Aero®
 Better Navigation, Fewer Clicks desktop experience, Bluetooth® Pairing and IE 8 translation
 Faster Network, Bluetooth, Presentation
Connections capabilities that are adding value to its core business while
 IE 8 Supports Efficient Finding and enhancing workflow.
Translation Needs
 Solid Windows 7 Sales Expected

2. Situation
Started in 1992, amexus Informationstechnik Mobility Center
is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner located When amexus users click the Windows key
in Ahaus, North Rhine Westphalia (Germany), +P, they can quickly choose several
with two branch offices that service a 50 km presentation options that rapidly connect a
area around Ahaus. Its small business computer with a projector or meeting room
customer unit services clients located in display.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The firm
delivers IT solutions based on Microsoft Resume, Boot
products, especially Microsoft SharePoint®, In most cases, Windows 7 delivers faster boot
Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Windows® and resume times from sleep mode,
Server. The amexus small business unit has decreasing amexus user wait time. Trigger
10 employees and a like number of PCs. Start Services in the underlying technology
allow for efficient invoking of a variety of
The company’s main business challenges fall features and services.
into three areas: speed, reliability and
searching. “Getting work done more quickly Bluetooth Pairing
means more profits and satisfied customers,” This wizard makes finding and connecting
comments Markus Bütterhoff, consultant, with a Bluetooth device easier. Windows 7
amexus Informationstechnik GmbH & Co. KG. also supports Bluetooth 2.1 and Ultra
He adds, “Having computers and Wideband (UWB).
infrastructure that can be counted on is
critical to amexus’ business. Finding files in Federated Search
previously unsearchable locations such as This functionality enables users on the
SharePoint, for example, has been impossible amexus network to find information—
in the past.” including pictures and videos on local
computers, as well as the local network and
In addition, amexus’ customers have been Internet. Search capabilities are deeper and
slow to adopt new operating systems like more comprehensive.
Windows Vista® because of the hardware and
deployment costs. A few clients tried Internet Explorer 8
Windows Vista but soon became frustrated Accelerators, Web Slices and the Translation
with features like User Account Control (UAC), capability in Internet Explorer 8 allow amexus
which they viewed as interrupting workflow. users to more efficiently research websites
and blogs from different countries.
Solution
amexus is finding several features in Benefits
Windows 7 that are helping it operate more Deeper Searches Supports SharePoint
efficiently. Development
One of the specialty development areas for
Network Connection Wizard amexus is creating powerful SharePoint sites
Network Connection Wizard provides easier for its customers. According to Bütterhoff,
desktop connection to wireless, VPN and LAN because Federated Search can now search
networks. For amexus, this means engineers SharePoint sites, the custom development
can more quickly identify all network work amexus does for clients using
connection options within a single window. SharePoint has become even more valuable.
“Federated Search now provides a single

3. interface to search deep into SharePoint money and have a familiar interface,” said
sites, something that was not possible Bütterhoff.
before. Windows 7 adds value to our
SharePoint users.” Another type of connection that is faster with
Windows 7 is linking a computer to a
Better Navigation, Fewer Clicks projector. “Mobility Center allows us to
One of the capabilities amexus computer quickly extend the desktop to a projector in
experts look for in new software is its ability staff or client meetings. Simply clicking on the
to save time and deliver more productivity. Windows key +P enables the feature,” said
“Better navigation is about fewer clicks,” Bütterhoff. “It’s simple and fast.”
noted Bütterhoff. “Shake, Snap, Jump Lists
and Taskbar Pinning are small Windows 7 Internet Explorer 8 Supports Efficient
features with big benefits. We are more Finding and Translation Needs
productive with these new tools.” According to Bütterhoff, the new IE 8
Accelerator and Web Slice features help
The Windows 7 feature that also delivers on amexus users as they research products and
the productivity promise is Trigger Start information on websites and blogs. “The IE 8
Services. It is responsible for faster computer translation feature is very helpful since the
availability. “Trigger Start Services in information can be in several different
Windows 7 means faster boot, resume and languages.”
shut down times. On other machines, I
sometimes skipped finishing up projects Solid Windows 7 Sales Expected
because it took too much time to boot up “We think the acceptance of Windows 7
again,” said Bütterhoff. among our customers will be high. This
wasn’t the case with Windows Vista,” said
Faster Network, Bluetooth, Presentation Bütterhoff. “There are so many time-saving
Connections features in the new OS that we are expecting
Windows 7 Network Connection Wizard saves most customers won’t be able to resist
the connection credentials of every network migrating.”
amexus users need, noted Bütterhoff. “It
speeds up the connection process so I don’t
have to think about it anymore. It lets me
focus on the customer’s problem rather than
a connection problem.”
Faster Bluetooth connections are also now
possible. In previous operating systems, it
often took Bütterhoff a long time to connect
wireless devices. “For example, a simple
wireless mouse could take one to two
minutes because of a number of dialog
boxes. Now, with Windows 7 this task takes
perhaps 20 seconds to complete.”
“Another benefit of better built-in Bluetooth
capability is that we don’t have to use a third-
party software tool any longer. We save

4. For More Information Windows 7
For more information about Microsoft Faster and more reliable: Windows 7 will help
products and services, call the Microsoft your organization use information technology
Sales Information Center at (800) 426- to gain a competitive advantage in today’s
9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft new world of work. Your people will be able to
Canada Information Centre at (877) 568- be more productive anyway. You will be able
2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of- to support your mobile work force with better
hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone access to shared data and collaboration
(TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in tools. And your IT staff will have better tools
the United States or (905) 568-9641 in and technologies to enhance corporate IT
Canada. Outside the 50 United States and security, data protection, and more efficient
Canada, please contact your local deployment and management.
Microsoft subsidiary. To access information
using the World Wide Web, go to: For more information about Windows 7, go to:
www.microsoft.com www.microsoft.com/windows/business
For more information about amexus
Informationstechnik products and services,
call 025 61/93 030, or visit the Web site
at:
www.amexus.com
Software and Services Hardware
 Products  Lenovo
− Microsoft Windows 7 Professional  HP
− Microsoft Windows Vista Professional
− Microsoft Office® 2007 Professional
− Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer
− Microsoft Office Communicator 2007
− Microsoft Windows Live Messenger®
− Microsoft Windows Live Writer
− Microsoft ForeFront™ Virtual PC 2007
− Microsoft Virtual PC vNext
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published May 2009