TOKYO, April 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. has announced that Resona Holdings Inc. has migrated approximately 30,000 client terminals to Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013. Resona Holdings, which had been running on group client terminals, completed the migration in February 2014, well before Microsoft ends support for Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003 on April 9. This 30,000-unit deployment of Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013 is one of the largest ever made.

Resona Holdings, which oversees the operations of Resona Bank, Saitama Resona Bank, Kinki Osaka Bank and other group companies, intends to become a "true retail bank that is highly trusted by our customers and the local community." Its business revitalization plan prioritizes leveraging "All Resona" comprehensive capabilities, promoting cross-selling and reducing operational costs.

The key features of Resona Holdings' migration to Windows 8 and Office 2013 include the following:

• Significant cost savings by replacing approximately half the group's client PCs, and by upgrading the software on PCs used for less than two years.
• Utilization of BitLocker Drive Encryption in Windows 8 Enterprise to create a stronger security environment and maintain compliance.
• With desktop virtualization technology to migrate business applications and Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager to carry out Windows 8 policy design and system configuration, successful migration of approximately 30,000 clients was completed in less than two years.
• Adoption of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and Microsoft System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection at the same time as migration to Windows 8, use of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager to enable remote automated software installation and dramatically reduce the time required for large-scale upgrades. Also, after migration, use of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection for PC monitoring, software and patch distribution and security, enabling simple, low-cost client environment management.

"We needed to keep the costs of migrating to a new operating system down by making effective use of the latest system," said Tetsuya Shiratori, executive officer and general manager, Information Technology Planning Division of Resona Holdings. "We decided to migrate straight to Windows 8, and we had no opposition to taking advantage of the latest products to boost efficiency. In addition to the cost savings resulting from standard Windows 8 functions and the great usability, including boot speed, we also managed the whole migration operation with unprecedented speed through using System Center 2012 Configuration Manager."

Resona Holdings adopted the following Microsoft products during migration:

• Windows 8 Enterprise
• Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013
• Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
• Microsoft System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.