Citrix cloud deal with LeasePlan will save fleet firm €40k per office per year

20 Aug 2013

Citrix Ireland country manager Grace O'Rourke Veitch with Aiden McEvoy, sales director Zinopy, and Ronan Murphy, infrastructure manager, LeasePlan

Virtualisation software player Citrix has deployed a global cloud infrastructure for the world’s largest fleet management company LeasePlan. The deployment, it claims, will save LeasePlan about €40,000 per office per annum.

LeasePlan intends to transform its workplace environment by creating a more flexible, secure and cost-effective IT operation by removing duplicate and unwarranted IT costs.

“We have 2,900 users running on Citrix with a further 1,200 users to be rolled out in 2013 and 2014,” explained Ronan Murray, infrastructure manager at LeasePlan Information Services.

“Citrix technology, combined with Zinopy’s expertise, has proven to be a great enabler for our global strategy; it has allowed us to consolidate data and applications from across the business into central data centres and deliver it back out to almost 3,000 users as a service.

“We now have an IT team of six supporting thousands of end users all over Europe. We’ve seen significant efficiencies by transitioning to this model and the deployment and management of applications is far easier. Our users see a benefit because they can work whenever and however they like,” Murray explained.

LeasePlan Information Services, a subsidiary of LeasePlan that operates as an internal shared service provider to all LeasePlan Group companies globally, is working with Zinopy, a Platinum Citrix Solutions Provider, to deliver a private cloud service, based on Citrix XenApp, Citrix Netscaler, NetScaler Gateway and Citrix Receiver.

Transforming the workplace environment

The intention is to create a centralised, virtual desktop that can be delivered to a variety of workers in LeasePlan offices across Europe, accessible via any device.

“LeasePlan’s decision to transform its workplace environment will invariably have a positive impact on employees and the business,” said Grace O’Rourke Veitch, Ireland country manager with Citrix.

“By providing the technology to break the shackles of office life, employee productivity and satisfaction will increase, while the business will reap the rewards of a more flexible, secure and cost-effective IT operation,” O’Rourke Veitch said.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com