“Serial numbers are being phased out and Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise offered wholesale changes in how we’re managing our software.”

Steven Bell
Discipline Lead Desktop, News Corp Australia

Finding a better way

Within every organisation, employees want fast and easy access to the applications they need to do their jobs. Putting in a request and waiting days or even hours before it is approved and IT get software installed is frustrating, not to mention the impact on productivity. For IT, deploying serialised licences to users who are approved for different combinations of software packages and then managing those licences across hundreds or thousands of users and computers, is typically time consuming and difficult.

News Corp Australia, one of Australia’s largest media brands and part of the global News Corp media and information company, is a long-time user of Adobe creative software. When the global company began to transition to Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise, News Corp Australia started thinking about a better way to manage deployment to its 2,000 users.

“Serial numbers are being phased out and Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise offered wholesale changes in how we’re transitioning to better manage our Adobe software,” says Steven Bell, Discipline Lead Desktop at News Corp Australia. “We wanted to help ensure what we’re doing is uniform and in step with other organisations.”

Back-end set-up for success

News Corp Australia is introducing the deployment of all Adobe applications throughout the organisation via ServiceNow catalogues feeding through to automated deployment workflows. Previously, users would select individual applications or packages that included Adobe design, web or video apps. These apps were still deployed with serial numbers and required IT to keep track of users, licences and versions, as well as manage licences when employees’ needs changed or people left the organisation.

With Creative Cloud for enterprise, News Corp Australia has designed a customised integration that provides entitlement once people sign in with their corporate credentials. To accommodate users with varying needs, the company set up different core groups. Users will be able to request access to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Acrobat DC only or they can request the Adobe Design, Adobe Digital or the Self-Managed Desktop App package.

The automated end-to-end deployment is initiated via the ServiceNow application catalogue available to end-users and integrated with Active Directory. Users are authenticated when they log in with their corporate credentials and can select the package they need from the catalogue. Following manager approval, employees will be placed into the appropriate group within Active Directory. The system syncs to a schedule and deploys and install software for new members or removes access for people no longer in the Active Directory.

“Providing self-service access to Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise means that we will realise reduced overhead in managing creative software on end-user machines.”

Steven Bell
Discipline Lead Desktop, News Corp Australia

Easy access and simplified management

Employees who have access to the Self-Managed Desktop App package can manage software updates and download the apps they need at any time, while employees with access to individual apps or other app packages will have their apps updated on an annual schedule. For many employees, this will enable them to access apps from home without worrying about software incompatibility.

The IT team can easily pull reports to see what applications and packages are deployed. IT also anticipates that enabling the Self-Managed Desktop Apps users, which account for approximately 5% of users, to manage their own access to applications will help to bring down support requirements and cost, especially after hardware is refreshed.

“Providing self-service access to Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise means that we will realise reduced overhead in managing creative software on end-user machines,” says Bell. “We can see from a single source what apps employees have access to and still maintain control of how software is managed. Across the board this will make a big difference because it is so much cleaner and easier to follow.”

News Corp Australia is leading the way for the global company with the gradual implementation of named-user deployment and automated access to Creative Cloud through ServiceNow. Other News Corp entities now have a blueprint to reduce the workflow for IT departments and give users what they want—fast and easy access to the creative applications they need to succeed.