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Save Mart Reduces IT Overhead With Network Management System

Save Mart Supermarkets, which owns and operates more than 240 grocery stores in California and Nevada, said it has significantly reduced IT overhead using new systems that were developed to manage, monitor and secure all of its desktops, laptops, point-of-sale (POS) lanes and handheld devices.

The grocer accomplished this by implementing a combination of Novell ZENworks Configuration Management, ZENworks Asset Management and ZENworks Endpoint Security Management — all part of Waltham, Mass.-based Novell’s Endpoint Management solutions.

"The more we can streamline our IT processes and lower our overhead costs, the better value we can offer to our retail customers," said James Sims, CIO at Modesto, Calif.-based Save Mart. "Our IT department is now running at half the cost, as a percentage of revenue, of many of our retail peers. Employing high-value solutions like Novell ZENworks Configuration Management is one key way we achieve this."

Save Mart has doubled in size over the past two years, placing significant constraints on the company’s 12 system administrators who manage 1,200 desktops, 1,000 servers and 2,500 POS lanes across multiple operating systems and more than a dozen offices. The retailer needed a more efficient way of managing its numerous IT assets, distributing applications and patches, updating handheld devices, and quickly resolving system issues and provision desktops. Further, when system issues arose at remote locations, technicians often had to spend time traveling to the site to troubleshoot.

With the ability to centrally distribute new applications, updates and patches with ease, Novell ZENworks Configuration Management helped Save Mart cut desktop provisioning time by 75 percent, according to the vendor. The solution also allows support personnel to take over a user’s machine and swiftly resolve any issues.

Additionally, to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements such as PCI and HIPAA, Save Mart has deployed Novell ZENworks Endpoint Security Management. The software locks down USB ports, thumb drives and other portable devices to prevent users from downloading sensitive information to removable storage devices, all without limiting user functionality. Finally, Save Mart has implemented Novell ZENworks Asset Management to ensure software compliance and identify opportunities to reclaim or redistribute underused software licenses.
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