Lionbridge Reduces Costs, Enhances Security With Microsoft Virtualization

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 23, 2009 — By deploying Microsoft virtualization and infrastructure software, Lionbridge Technologies Inc., a $461 million (U.S.) translation, development and testing services company, was able to save more than $200,000 last year, enhance security and accelerate the use of customer services, Microsoft Corp. announced today.

Lionbridge services enable global organizations to develop and release products and content in international markets. In today’s challenging economic environment, companies are relying on Lionbridge outsourcing services to reduce costs and optimize their operations for long-term efficiency. In addition, many of Lionbridge’s customers derive more than half their revenue from international markets with continued growth in emerging economies. To help meet these customer demands, Lionbridge created and deployed Virtual Cloud Lab, a globally accessible datacenter that is shared by engineers in any of the company’s sites, as well as by the company’s independent network of 25,000 partners who are located in more than 100 countries.

Virtual Cloud Lab is an internal, cloud computing-based datacenter. Lionbridge uses Microsoft’s server and presentation virtualization software, and systems management tools for centralized control of both physical and virtual assets, and directory and remote desktop computing services for more secure access to internal data and resources. The virtualized infrastructure and centralized management enables all workers to access vital internal resources, and the 100 percent virtual footprint has completely removed all physical hardware requirements from branch office sites. Lionbridge has replaced hundreds of servers and desktops with virtual machines hosted in its internal cloud computing datacenter.

“Most of the Lionbridge core infrastructure has been migrated to Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V technology. Moving our local labs onto Hyper-V and the Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager-based cloud platform has saved us time and money,” said Oyvind Kaldestad, vice president of Corporate IT for Lionbridge Technologies. “We chose the Microsoft solution versus others in the market because it was the most affordable, met the existing skills of our employees and was enterprise ready. Moving to a virtualized environment enabled us to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2008 alone due to reductions in hardware costs, as well as associated power, cooling and manual labor costs.”

The Virtual Cloud Lab enables Lionbridge to provide more secure, global access via software built into Windows Server 2008 with Terminal Services Gateway with Terminal Services RemoteApp network software. The flexibility allows Lionbridge managers to use experts who are not located in a particular office, and contractors can work more securely from their homes at any time of the day or night. By also deploying FalconStor Network Storage Server software with the failover clustering capabilities built into Windows Server 2008, Lionbridge can use different storage area networks between the primary and disaster recovery site, achieving instantaneous disaster recovery in both physical and virtual server environments.

“With Microsoft virtualization in both the server operating system and in the holistic management tools, we’re able to remove the barriers to enterprisewide virtualization,” said Zane Adam, senior director of virtualization strategy, Microsoft. “Customers like Lionbridge receive a cost-effective, easier to deploy, use and manage solution that gives them valuable business agility.”

Virtualization software allows businesses to pool computing resources to drive down information technology (IT) costs, increase IT efficiency and be more responsive to business needs. Virtualization enables enhanced IT delivery models that businesses can use to create new modes of computing management and delivery, and can fundamentally change how IT is managed and accessed. According to Gartner Inc.*, “by 2012 at least 14 percent of the infrastructure and operations architecture of Fortune 1000 companies will be managed and delivered much like a cloud computing provider, internally.”

More information, including the Microsoft case study, can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000003267.

About Lionbridge

Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:LIOX) is a $461 million leading provider of translation, development and testing services. Lionbridge combines global onshore, near shore and offshore resources with proven program management methodologies to serve as an outsource partner throughout a client’s product and content lifecycle — from development to translation, testing and maintenance. Global organizations in all industries rely on Lionbridge services to increase international market share, speed adoption of global products and content, and enhance their return on enterprise applications and IT system investments. Based in Waltham, Mass., Lionbridge has 4,600 employees and maintains solution centers in 26 countries. To learn more, visit http://www.lionbridge.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Thomas Bittman, 27th Annual Data Center Conference, Dec. 2–5, 2008

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