Helsinki Bus Transportation Company uses big data and analytics to improve fuel economy, driver performance, and to save money.

HELSINKI , Finland — April 21, 201 4 — Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy (Helsinki Bus Transportation Co.), in Finland, has selected Microsoft Power BI for Office 365 to analyze operational data to improve business decision-making, fuel economy and customer satisfaction. Using a data warehouse solution developed with CGI (formerly Logica) and using Microsoft software, including Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Office and Power Map, Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy is able to track traffic data, driver performance and gas usage. Within the first two years of implementation, the company has been able to recoup its investment because of the entire solution, seeing as much as 5 percent savings in fuel costs due to more careful driving and improved maintenance. This is no small matter for a business that uses approximately 12 million liters (or approximately 3 million gallons) of gasoline per year, in a country where gas can cost up to three times as much as it does in the United States. There has also been a 7 percent increase in customer satisfaction since deployment.

In May 2013, the company added Power Map to the solution, providing a visualization of operational performance by a single driver or across the system. Mapping the data allows Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy to see which routes experience the most delays and breakdowns and to associate data on individual driver performance with specific traffic incidents or customer feedback. Supervisors can bring map data into conversations with drivers, making it easier to review performance and outline steps for improvement. Power Map visualizations also enable executives to more quickly understand the factors that contribute to cost or performance issues and make more informed long-term decisions.

“There are fleet tracking systems already in the marketplace, but they are only solving for the issue of tracking per vehicle,” said Michael Andersson, technical director at Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy. “Our data warehouse solution can combine the data across all buses and lines, which gives us snapshots of data that are easy to understand and helpful in solving business problems.”

Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy competes for transportation routes through a public tender process with the city. Once a seven-year contract is awarded, the company is not permitted to raise rates for its duration, meaning that any new revenue goals or unexpected expenditures must be offset with cost savings. To help streamline cost analysis, Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy established a data warehouse system to track financial and operational data; at the same time, the company installed sensors on its fleet of buses to capture real-time performance data such as geographic location, braking or accelerating, and fuel consumption. Working with CGI, Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy used Microsoft software to bring together the massive data being collected. The organization used analytics and visual tools to enable a nuanced understanding of fleet operations across the city and over time.

Helsinki Bus Transportation Company uses PowerBI for Excel to visualize emergency braking hotspots.

“For upper management, it is revealing to visualize the findings in map format,” Andersson said. “The analyst can concentrate on describing what’s behind the figures.”

Helsingin Bussiliikenne Oy has seen significant benefits from the solution, including the above-mentioned savings of as much as 5 percent in fuel costs, and customer satisfaction, measured through surveys and interviews, has increased by 7 percent. The company expects to be able to use the data to analyze and establish the specific details of traffic incidents — for example, whether a bus was in motion or whether the driver was braking at the time of a collision.

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

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

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REDMOND, Wash. — April 22, 2014 — Brown University has selected Microsoft Office 365 for its students, and is using the Microsoft Student Advantage benefit to extend the service to its student body at no additional cost using their existing Brown credentials. Available since Jan. 1, Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus gives Brown’s approximate 8,600 students the tools they need to complete coursework from any device while in school and compete in the job market after graduation.

Until now, students who wished to use Office had to purchase it for themselves or rely on third-party programs that didn’t always sync well with one another. Office on the Windows platform offers students a full enterprise experience, but many students use a variety of devices, such as iPhones, iPads, PCs and desktop computers, so Brown needed a unified solution that would provide students with the same, robust experience no matter what device they are using. Microsoft Student Advantage, which launched Dec. 1, 2013, enables academic institutions that license Office for staff and faculty to provide Office 365 ProPlus for students at no additional cost.

“When our chief information officer heard about Student Advantage, he wanted us to make it available to students as quickly as possible, and we were able to extend the service to students in about one month,” said Geoffrey Greene, director of IT Support Services, Brown University. “Students have been champing at the bit for this, and faculty have frequently asked us to help students get the solution, so it’s a great benefit for everyone. Plus, a lot of our students use laptops, iPhones and other devices, so Office 365 was the perfect solution for us.”

Extending the Office 365 service to students helps Brown ensure that students have the technical tools they need to succeed in their classes, and that their software is always up to date. The Daily Herald student blog helped alert students to the new offering in time for the start of the new semester.

“The Microsoft Student Advantage is an incredible opportunity for all students to gain access to the Office programs,” said Sazzy Gourley, student at Brown University. “Especially for incoming first-years, or for those who are purchasing new computers, Microsoft Student Advantage makes accessible the technology students need to be academically successful.”

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

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

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.