1. Windows Azure
Customer Solution Case Study
Siemens Expands Software
Delivery Service, Significantly
Reduces TCO
Overview “Our first estimates show that we can
Country or Region: Germany
Industry: Professional services— reduce our TCO by a factor of 10. The
High tech
software distribution system we built with
Customer Profile Windows Azure is 10 times cheaper than
Siemens is a global powerhouse
in electronics and electrical our previous solution.”
engineering, operating in the Siemens—a global powerhouse in electronics and
industry, energy, and healthcare
sectors. The company has
electrical engineering, operating in the industry,
around 410,000 employees and energy and healthcare sectors—has built a
a worldwide reputation for
innovation and achievement.
worldwide reputation for innovation and technical
achievement. Siemens IT Solutions and Services
Business Situation
To deliver software more
developed a system for remote service of more
efficiently, reduce costs, and than 80,000 devices worldwide. An additional
get more complex software
packages to more devices,
service enables its users to distribute software
Siemens wanted to expand the packages to devices spread around the globe
capacity of its software
distribution system.
through virtual private network connections. To
make these software updates and installations
Solution
Siemens used the Windows
more efficient, reduce costs, and deliver more
Azure™ platform to deliver complex software packages to more devices,
software packages from a
central Internet-based storage
Siemens is now able to use the Windows Azure™
location to thousands of platform for devices directly connected to the
devices for many different
customers.
Internet. The company now can dynamically scale
its global software distribution, while reducing
Benefits
• Reduced capital risk
costs, enhancing services, and avoiding
• High scalability significant new capital investment.
• Reduced operating costs
• Enhanced customer
services
• Familiar development
environment

3. “From a technical
Situation centers around the world.
point of view, the With headquarters in Berlin and Siemens uses the cRSP to
primary challenges Munich, Germany, Siemens is a remotely support more than
global powerhouse in electronics 80,000 devices worldwide. The
we wanted to meet and electrical engineering, cRSP includes a software
operating in the industry, energy, distribution service that sends out
were smooth and healthcare sectors. The software releases and updates to
integration to the company has around 410,000 devices through virtual private
employees around the world. In network (VPN) connections,
existing platform, fiscal 2008, Siemens had revenue without requiring on-site
of €77.3 billion (approximately maintenance support.
scalability, reduced U.S.$113.8 billion) and a net
complexity, and income of €5.9 billion (IFRS). In the future, new fields of
application like video streaming
higher security. From Siemens IT Solutions and or large-scale software updates
Services is an internationally will necessitate a solution that is
a business point of leading provider of IT solutions easy to scale up and down in
view, flexibility and and services. It covers the entire response to traffic and demand
IT service chain from a single inside and outside of Siemens. To
the cost factor were source, from consulting to the meet these requirements with
management of IT infrastructures. cRSP in its own on-premises data
key drivers.” In addition, Siemens IT Solutions centers, Siemens had to build a
Elmar Stoecker, Director Portfolio and Services extends the range large server infrastructure to
Management, Siemens IT Solutions of offerings of the other Siemens handle peak loads. This large
and Services Sectors to include IT solutions. server infrastructure would be
Siemens IT Solutions and underutilized during period of
Services employs more than lower demand.
41,000 people and posts annual
sales of €5.3 billion (U.S.$7.8 “Having the whole system
billion), of which over 70 percent implemented in-house had made
are generated outside of the it expensive to distribute
Siemens Sectors. software,” says Elmar Stoecker,
Director Portfolio Management at
To help control costs and offset Siemens IT Solutions and
the decreasing availability of Services. “We wanted a solution
facilities and computing we could implement rapidly and
resources, Siemens IT Solutions that would give us more agility.”
and Services developed the
common Remote Service Up to now, the growing amount of
Platform (cRSP), a remote software which distributed to
services system managed devices around the globe caused
through a large server significant effort as software
infrastructure in three data packages had to be transferred

4. “By temporarily via VPN connections and across
firewalls. Customer firewalls had Solution
storing software to be configured for VPN Siemens decided to develop a
connections by administrators, software distribution using a
packages on and Siemens IT solutions and “cloud computing” model. Now
Windows Azure, Services had to make sure VPN the company is able to store and
server capacity was available in manage its software packages
we have much less the data centers. Both efforts and distribution information using
increased the total cost of computing resources hosted on
expensive storage ownership (TCO) for the VPN the Internet (the “cloud”)
capacity than we based solution. through an external data center.
could maintain in Wanting to make software Siemens IT Solutions and
updates and installations more Services participated in a
our own data efficient, reduce costs, and Microsoft® Technology Adoption
center.” deliver more complex software Program so it could immediately
packages to more devices, begin using the Windows Azure™
Elmar Stoecker, Director Siemens IT Solutions and platform, an Internet-scale cloud
Portfolio Management, Siemens Services began to investigate services platform hosted in
new technology that would make Microsoft data centers, to
it easier to expand the capacity of transfer software packages from
the cRSP. It needed a solution a central storage location to
that would deliver the functionality thousands of devices for many
of the existing software different customers.
distribution mechanism, reduce
configuration effort for Siemens chose the Windows
customers, help prevent Azure platform because it offers
unauthorized changes to complex high availability, a scalable
software package orders, and be infrastructure with a pay-as-you-
supported by a reliable world- go pricing model, the Windows
wide communication Azure cloud services operating
infrastructure. system, and a set of developer
services that it can use
“From a technical point of view, individually or together.
the primary challenges we
wanted to meet were smooth Multicomponent Software
integration to the existing Distribution Service
platform, scalability, reduced The company can now replace
complexity, and higher security,” the existing software distribution
says Stoecker. “From a business system and VPN connections with
point of view, flexibility, and the a new multi-component software
cost factor were key drivers.” distribution service hosted on the
Windows Azure platform. Within

5. the Siemens intranet, a SAP customers can decide when to
system generates orders for download the software.”
software distribution. Based on
Microsoft SQL Server® data Data Storage
management software, Siemens Siemens stores its order-
IT Solutions and Services processing and management
developed an application called information in SQL Azure which is
Software Delivery Manager (SDM) synchronized with references to
that gathers orders from the SAP Windows Azure Blob Storage
system and coordinates the holding the software packages.
orders with software packages By separating management and
extracted from a repository. bulk data, Siemens can dedicate
load balancing of management
SDM then uploads the orders and Web roles. Load balancing of
packages to the Software Blob Storage is achieved
Delivery Service (SDS), which automatically by Windows Azure
uses Windows Azure Storage for Storage. The company uses
software packages and the Shared Access Signatures to
Microsoft SQL AzureTM database secure the access to software
as a service for management packages for customers without
data. SDS notifies the Software providing them the shared
Delivery Client (SDC) at the access key for the Windows
customer sites when software Azure Storage.
packages are available for
download. SDC downloads and “Developing the application
installs the software packages on management logic on SQL Azure
individual devices, and notifies allowed fast and seamless
SDS of completion status. migration and internal code
reuse. So we could use the same
Finally, SDS relays feedback to data model in the cloud as we do
SDM and the SAP system in our on-premises repository,”
regarding the download and explains Gerald Kaefer, Architect
installation processes and at Siemens. This enables Siemens
provides billing information, to use a single code base which
including the amount of Windows is easier for the company to
Azure capacity utilized. manage than two separate sets.
“With Windows Azure, we don’t Benefits
have to connect the end devices By taking advantage of the
to the data centers,” says Windows Azure platform,
Stoecker. “Now we have a Siemens IT Solutions and
central location where we store Services is developing globally
the information, and the available software distribution as

6. “Most of our a service, while reducing its packages for its industrial
operating costs and avoiding appliances around the world.
developers are significant new capital Then it can scale down, using and
investment. paying for fewer computing
experienced with resources during periods when
Visual Studio tools. The company can scale its demand for processing capacity
solution dynamically to meet is low. Overall distribution time
That was a good demand and pay only for the could be reduced significantly.
computing and storage capacity
argument for using it needs, only when it needs it. “By knowing how many orders
the Windows Azure Now, Siemens IT Solutions and we have to send, we could derive
Services can serve its customers the number of Windows Azure
platform, because better by introducing enhanced computing resources we need in
solutions and services in less advance,” says Kaefer.
we can use the time and at less cost. “Transferring the data directly
same development from Windows Azure Blob
Reduced Capital Risk Storage allows automatically
environment.” Siemens has reduced its risk on seamless scaling and avoids
infrastructure investment in a costs for additional façade Web
changing market by using the services hosted in Web roles.”
Windows Azure platform. By not
having to invest up front in a Reduced Operating Costs
physical infrastructure capable of By replacing its physical
meeting peak demand, Siemens infrastructure with Windows
is on track to lower its TCO and Azure computing and storage
create economies of scale. resources that can be managed
flexibly, Siemens will reduce its
“Our first estimates show that operating costs significantly. By
we can reduce our TCO by a no longer relying on VPN
factor of 10,” says Stoecker. connections, it can spend less on
“The software distribution system administration and
system we built with Windows licenses for system management
Azure is much more scalable and tools over time. Siemens can also
cost efficient.” use pay-per-use pricing to gain
flexibility and maintain cost
High Scalability transparency across orders and
Now Siemens can quickly and customers and reduce the cost of
easily scale its software maintaining the capacity it needs.
distribution system up or down. It
can use the storage and “By temporarily storing software
processing power it needs when packages on Windows Azure, we
it needs it, to store, distribute, have much less expensive
install, and monitor software storage capacity than we could

7. maintain in our own data center,” and Visual Studio Team
says Stoecker. Foundation Server.”
Enhanced Customer Services
With its new delivery model
based on the Windows Azure
platform, Siemens IT Solutions
and Services can offer improved
services and quality to its
customers. For instance, it can
offer cost flexibility and save
customers money with fast, easy
software trials and quick
responses to increased demand.
The company anticipates
introducing new services more
often, based on its new software
distribution system.
Familiar Development Environment
According to Stoecker, “The
solution we built with the
Windows Azure platform is not
only more cost-effective, but also
has been much simpler to
implement than our previous
system.”
Siemens IT Solutions and
Services is familiar with the
Microsoft Visual Studio®
development system, and it used
that technology to deploy its
Windows Azure–based software
distribution system. “Most of our
developers are experienced with
Visual Studio tools,” says
Stoecker. “That was a good
argument for using the Windows
Azure platform, because we can
use our known development
environment based on SQL
Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008,

8. For More Information Windows Azure Platform self-managed database
For more information about The Windows Azure platform service built on Microsoft SQL
Server 2008 technologies.
Microsoft products and provides an excellent foundation
services, call the Microsoft for expanding online product and
To learn more about the Windows
Sales Information Center at service offerings. The main
Azure platform, visit:
(800) 426-9400. In Canada, call components include:
www.windowsazure.com
the Microsoft Canada • Windows Azure. Windows Azure
Information Centre at (877) is the development, service
568-2495. Customers in the hosting, and service
United States and Canada who management environment for
are deaf or hard-of-hearing can the Windows Azure platform.
reach Microsoft text telephone Windows Azure provides
(TTY/TDD) services at (800) developers with on-demand
892-5234. Outside the 50 compute and storage to host,
United States and Canada, scale, and manage Web
please contact your local applications on the Internet
Microsoft subsidiary. To access through Microsoft data
information using the World centers. In addition, Windows
Wide Web, go to: Azure serves developers’
www.microsoft.com connectivity needs through
the following services.
For more information about 〉 The Service Bus connects
Siemens IT Solutions and
services and applications
Services products and services, across network
visit the Web site at: boundaries to help
www.siemens.com developers build
distributed applications.
Additional Resources: 〉 The Access Control Service
Download: Windows Azure provides federated,
Tools and SDK claims-based access
View: Architecting and control for REST Web
Developing for Windows Azure services.
• Microsoft SQL Azure. Microsoft
SQL Azure offers the first
cloud-based relational and
Software and Services • Microsoft Visual Studio
• Windows Azure Platform − Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
− Windows Azure • Microsoft Server Product
− Microsoft SQL Azure Portfolio
− Windows Azure Tables − Microsoft SQL Server 2008
− Windows Azure Storage
− Blob Storage
This case study is for informational
purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO
WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN
THIS SUMMARY.
Document published November 2009