How a Fortune 500 Industrial Manufacturer Modernized 60,000 Endpoints with Windows 11 and Intelligent Device Management

Teceze completed a phased Windows 11 migration across 120 manufacturing sites with Azure Virtual Desktop for engineering workloads and Intune management, replacing legacy Windows 7 systems. Results: 85% legacy OS elimination, 24/7 operational uptime, and Industry 4.0 readiness.

About the Client

Manufacturing Conglomerate is a Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer operating 120 sites across 8 countries with a complex mix of office workers, production floor staff, and R&D engineers. The organization manages mission-critical 24/7 operations on production lines, serves defense and aerospace sectors with security requirements, and is transforming toward Industry 4.0 with digital tools and analytics. Legacy endpoint infrastructure constrained innovation and created security vulnerabilities.

At a glance

Industry
Industrial Manufacturing
Headquarters
120 manufacturing sites across 8 countries
Products & services
Industrial manufacturing, aerospace components, defense systems, process automation
Challenge
Legacy Windows 7 systems on production lines, varied endpoint types from rugged tablets to high-end workstations, air-gapped networks in some facilities, 24/7 operational requirements

Success highlights

  • 60K Endpoints upgraded
  • 120 Sites covered
  • 85% Legacy OS eliminated
  • 24/7 Ops maintained
  • 99.5% Uptime achieved

The challenge

Corporate meeting

Endpoint modernization at manufacturing scale: balancing security and 24/7 uptime

The bottleneck: Windows 7 end-of-life, heterogeneous device types, air-gapped networks, and production line dependency

Manufacturing Conglomerate operated production lines on Windows 7 and embedded systems with critical uptime requirements. Migrating 60K endpoints across 120 sites required surgical precision—any downtime affected manufacturing schedules and customer deliveries. Additionally, engineering teams needed modern development tools and R&D access to cloud applications, while production floor staff required rugged, locked-down endpoints.

The engagement demanded phased migration from Windows 7 to Windows 11 with ring-based rollout, unified management through Intune, support for heterogeneous devices including rugged tablets and high-end workstations, Azure Virtual Desktop for engineering workloads, air-gapped network support for isolated production systems, and zero impact on 24/7 operations.

Our approach

Phased Windows 11 migration with ring-based deployment and Intune unified management

Teceze designed a ring-based migration strategy: pilot sites first, then phased global rollout with automated Intune provisioning. Engineering workloads moved to Azure Virtual Desktop for cloud-first development, production floor devices received rugged form factors with locked-down profiles, and air-gapped sites maintained offline update capabilities.

From Windows 7 legacy to modern Windows 11, the transformation included:

Ring-based Windows 11 migration strategy

Phased rollout across pilot sites, regional clusters, and global facilities. Each ring monitored for issues before proceeding, eliminating risk of enterprise-wide disruption.

Azure Virtual Desktop for engineering workloads

R&D engineers access simulation, CAD, and design tools from cloud desktops, enabling design collaboration and licensing optimization. Rugged tablets on factory floor connect to AVD for on-site engineering support.

Intune unified device management

Single pane of glass for 60K endpoints across device types. Configuration profiles enforce compliance on office PCs, production floor devices, and bring-your-own devices.

Rugged endpoint standardization

Ruggedized tablets and devices for production floor staff with locked-down kiosk modes, single-app configurations, and humidity/temperature-resistant hardware.

Governance and Reporting Cadence

For a manufacturing firm with 24/7 operational criticality, migration governance prevents production disruption. A layered governance model tracks progress and manages risk:

Cadence Forum Focus
Daily Operational stand-up Migration blockers, production impact reports, device failure rates
Weekly Migration review Ring progression, Windows 11 adoption rate, driver compatibility issues
Monthly Governance call Site rollout status, Intune compliance, legacy OS remaining, cost tracking
Quarterly Business review Program health, Industry 4.0 readiness, AVD utilization, support cost reduction
The Results: June 2025 to August 2026

14 months in: Legacy OS eliminated, modern endpoints, 24/7 uptime maintained

60K Endpoints modernized
120 Sites successfully migrated
85% Legacy Windows 7 eliminated
99.5%Endpoint availability throughout migration
ZeroProduction stoppages caused by migration
45%Reduction in IT support costs

What the client says

“Pulling Windows 7 from 120 sites with production running 24/7 is not something you gamble on. Teceze understood that. The ring-based approach meant we stayed in control, pilots proved the path, and when we scaled, it worked. Fourteen months later, legacy OS is nearly gone, uptime never wavered, and support costs dropped. That is intelligent migration.”

— Manufacturing Conglomerate Chief Information Officer

Delivery partnership

How Teceze Executes on This Engagement

The engagement is delivered by Teceze as the primary migration partner. Teceze provides Windows 11 deployment strategy, Intune architecture and policy configuration, Azure Virtual Desktop design for engineering workloads, rugged device sourcing and configuration, air-gapped network management, driver validation, on-site support at pilot and critical facilities, and ongoing optimization.

Looking ahead

Sustaining modernization and enabling advanced capabilities

With the first 14 months establishing modern endpoint infrastructure and operational excellence, focus shifts to Industry 4.0 enablement and cost optimization.

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