adidas Group Case Study

Standardising global workplace services, strengthening client infrastructure management and driving technology optimisation to improve operational consistency and deliver significant cost savings.

At a Glance

• Global scope — Leading global workplace and client infrastructure initiatives supporting adidas Group employees worldwide

• Standardisation — Global device lifecycle management and standardised client environments

• $9 million — Annual savings through PC hardware vendor consolidation

• Enterprise transformation — Global workplace technology, infrastructure and service optimisation

The Challenge

Supporting a global enterprise requires workplace and infrastructure services that are consistent, manageable and cost-effective across different countries, business functions and user environments.

At adidas, workplace and client infrastructure services needed to support a geographically distributed organisation while evolving alongside changing business requirements and technology platforms.

Managing different client environments, hardware arrangements and technology standards introduced opportunities to simplify operations, improve consistency and reduce costs.

The challenge was to establish more globally consistent workplace capabilities while maintaining the flexibility and reliability required by an international business.

My Role

During my time at adidas, I worked in global workplace and infrastructure management, focusing on the standardisation, lifecycle management and optimisation of enterprise client environments.

My responsibilities and initiatives included:

• Global Workplace Management — Supporting workplace and client infrastructure capabilities across an international enterprise.

• Technology Standardisation — Establishing consistent client environments, including standard Windows and MacOS images.

• Device Lifecycle Management — Developing a global framework for managing client hardware throughout its lifecycle.

• Client Management Capabilities — Supporting the use of global client management tools to improve consistency and manageability.

• Hardware Vendor Optimisation — Contributing to vendor consolidation initiatives designed to improve commercial efficiency and reduce costs.

The focus was on creating a more standardised, manageable and cost-effective global workplace environment.

The Transformation Approach

1. Standardising the Global Client Environment

Consistent technology standards help global organisations reduce complexity and improve the supportability of workplace services.

Work on standard Windows and MacOS images helped establish more consistent client environments, reducing unnecessary variation and supporting a more structured approach to workplace management.

Standardisation also provided a stronger foundation for managing technology changes across the enterprise.

2. Establishing a Global Device Lifecycle Framework

Effective device lifecycle management is essential when supporting workplace technology at enterprise scale.

A global framework provided a more structured approach to managing client hardware, helping align device management practices and improve consistency across the organisation.

This supported a more systematic approach to workplace technology management rather than relying on fragmented local practices.

3. Strengthening Global Client Management

Global client management tools supported more consistent management of workplace devices and client environments.

The objective was to improve manageability and operational consistency while establishing a stronger foundation for ongoing technology maintenance, support and change.

Combined with standardised client images and lifecycle practices, this work helped support a more coherent global workplace environment.

4. Optimising Hardware Procurement and Vendor Relationships

Hardware procurement represented a significant opportunity to improve commercial efficiency.

Vendor consolidation reduced fragmentation in the PC hardware supply landscape and created opportunities to improve purchasing leverage and commercial terms.

This initiative delivered a measurable financial result, demonstrating how technology standardisation and supplier optimisation can generate tangible business value.

Business Impact

The work at adidas combined global workplace standardisation with a strong focus on commercial optimisation.

Key contributions and outcomes included:

Global Workplace Standardisation

• Development of a global device lifecycle management framework.

• Standardisation of PC and Mac client environments.

• Support for global client management capabilities.

• A more consistent foundation for managing workplace technology across an international enterprise.

Commercial Optimisation

• $9 million in annual savings through PC hardware vendor consolidation.

• Reduced fragmentation in hardware sourcing.

• Improved purchasing efficiency through a more consolidated vendor landscape.

These initiatives illustrate how global workplace management can contribute not only to operational consistency but also to significant and measurable financial benefits.

The Outcome

The work helped establish a more structured approach to global workplace and client infrastructure management, combining technology standardisation, lifecycle management and commercial optimisation.

The vendor consolidation initiative demonstrated the financial value of addressing technology procurement and supplier arrangements as part of a broader infrastructure strategy.

The experience reinforced an important principle of enterprise technology leadership: sustainable improvements in workplace services come from combining sound technical standards, effective operational management and disciplined commercial decision-making.

Global Standards. Operational Efficiency. Measurable Value.

At InfraXon, I bring experience in global workplace and infrastructure management, technology standardisation and supplier optimisation.

I help organisations simplify complex technology environments, strengthen operational capabilities and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Looking to optimise your workplace technology or infrastructure services?

Let’s discuss how experienced technology leadership can help your organisation deliver measurable business value.