METRO TRAINS SYDNEY

Building a custom VMware profile to lock-down Metro Trains devices

12 Oct 2022

OUTCOME

Metro Trains Sydney had strict criteria for a rugged field force device locked down to corporate use. MobileCorp sourced CAT phones with customised accessories, built a custom VMWare Workspace ONE profile, project managed the deployment and provides ongoing management of the instance.

Metro Trains Sydney operates Sydney Metro, Australia’s biggest public transport project. When completed the new standalone railway will deliver 31 metro stations and more than 66 kilometres of new metro rail.

Sydney’s first metro line, the Metro North West, opened on 26 May 2019. Services at the 13 metro stations operate every four minutes in the peak in each direction on Australia’s first driverless railway. The line is being extended into the Sydney CBD and beyond, to open in 2024; with three more lines planned.

Sites: 1
End Users: 150

Challenge

Metro Trains required a rugged mobile phone for 150 field force staff. The device had to meet industry standards being heavy duty, waterproof, dustproof, shock resistant and temperature-proof, with a long-lasting battery life.

Metro Trains required the ability to remote manage the devices in the field, and to lock down each device to corporate-approved apps to ensure it was only used for work purposes.

Solution

The strict criteria for procurement of a rugged device was unable to be met by the carrier. MobileCorp secured an Android device outside normal supplier channels from CAT, who also manufactured a customised protective cover and belt clip.

MobileCorp MDM engineers built a custom VMWare Workspace ONE profile which locked the Metro Trains' devices down to ten approved Applications. Other built-in software and bloatware was removed and access to social media and non-work-related websites was blocked. These measures were taken to prevent employee distraction and assist work safety, as well as to control data use and prolong battery life.

A test profile was built on Telstra’s VMWare Workspace ONE platform (T-MDM) as a proof of concept, and tested by several staff in the field. MobileCorp engineers then developed a cloud-based algorithm to deliver the profile to multiple devices simultaneously.

The MobileCorp project team were stationed on-site for the duration of the rollout to rapidly fix any unexpected issues and ensure a seamless implementation.

MobileCorp provides ongoing management of the Metro Trains VMware instance to ensure devices remain compliant, secure and optimised.

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Outcomes

Custom device sourcing for prolonged lifecycle: Sourcing the CAT device from outside Australian telco supplier channels delivered a device that could withstand the rigours of field use and protect Metro Trains’ hardware investment.

Custom VMware Workspace ONE profile to protect field workers: Building a custom VMWare profile to protect field workers from distractions which could be life-threatening.

Smart cloud-based algorithm to speed profile push: Developing a script to push the MDM profile to 20 devices in 12 minutes allowed the project to be delivered weeks earlier than anticipated.