Case Study: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Sales and department heads at Düsseldorf’s trade fair company work with iPhones as if they were at their desks thanks to Cortado MDM.
Like many other companies, Messe Düsseldorf used BlackBerry smartphones and BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server). The desire to replace the Canadian manufacturer’s devices with iPhones eventually became clear according to Tim Poluzyn, at the G2-IT-SP / Strategic Projects department at Messe Düsseldorf. The company’s IT department was on the lookout for an enterprise mobility solution that could securely and productively integrate iOS devices into the corporate environment. Following the recommendation of another business, Cortado MDM was evaluated in addition to a number of other solutions and was found to be by far the most convincing.
In addition to mobile device management for securely administering devices, the solution also offers mobile application management for the provision and administration of the software used in the company. Cortado’s solution also offers mobile content management to access corporate servers as well as for editing and sharing files. This allows employees to work the same way on their iPhone as on their desktop PC or Mac.
One of the key arguments for our purchase decision was the ease of configuration and Active Directory integration. After 2 hours of configuration, the Cortado solution was ready to use.
250 iPhones are now in productive use with Cortado MDM. Sales employees and department managers use their devices on the go for file access, file storage, e-mail and access to intranet programs. This includes access to event data, dining options and important company announcements. Access to CRM (Customer Relations Management) is in the planning phase. In parallel, mobile approval processes are also being evaluated.
To roll out the devices, the IT department relied on the Apple Device Enrollment program, which is fully supported by the Cortado solution. This device registration program simplifies the initial setup with automated MDM registration and management of devices during the setup process. This allows the devices to be managed remotely. Provisioning a device, according to Tim Poluzyn, is possible within about 10 minutes. Although the iPhones are provided by the company, employees can also use them privately.
We notice that employees are increasingly using and working with the devices.
According to the IT employee at the trade fair organization, the introduction of further iOS devices and extended use of the Cortado solution is currently planned.
No difficulties were experienced when implementing the solution, reported the IT expert. Everything went smoothly, thanks also to Cortado’s consulting services.
Mobile use to improve our workflows is far from being completed. There are always new and creative ideas about what can be done with the Apple devices and Cortado’s solution.
ABOUT THE MESSE DÜSSELDORF GROUP:
With a turnover of EUR 302m in 2015, the Messe Düsseldorf Group maintained its position as one of Germany’s most successful trade fair companies. 25,800 exhibitors presented their products to 1.1m trade visitors at events in Düsseldorf that year. Moreover, conventions attracted over half a million visitors. About 50 trade fairs were held in Düsseldorf, including 24 global leaders in five areas of expertise: machinery, plants and equipment, trade and services, medicine and healthcare, fashion and lifestyle, and also leisure.
In addition, it held some 80 to 100 proprietary, joint and contracted events outside Germany, demonstrating that the Messe Düsseldorf Group is a leading global export platform. Messe Düsseldorf GmbH is the trade fair company with the highest level of internationalism in capital goods exhibitions. Its proprietary events in machinery, plants and equipment had approximately 64 per cent international exhibitors and attracted 54 per cent trade visitors from other countries.
In all, Düsseldorf trade fairs were attended by customers from 180 countries. The Group runs a global network of sales offices in 132 countries (71 international representations) as well as competence centers in 8 countries.