1. “By making the Surface Pro 3 the only computer that
mobile employees need, we eliminate the need to buy
two or three devices per employee, savingus
thousands of dollars a year.”
Lawrence Brown, Vice President of IT, AssistRx
After years of rapid growth, AssistRx decided to replace its
mixed IT environment with an all-Microsoft setup to achieve
greater consistency and reliability. It gave Microsoft Surface Pro
3 devices to all mobile employees, which eliminated the need for
multiple devices for each person and saved time and money.
Standardizing the use of Microsoft products also helps AssistRx
safeguard its data, which can travel across multiple devices while
remaining secure.
Technology Barriers
Getting a patient on the correct specialty
medications regimen is typically a long,
document-heavy, manual process
involving many steps. iAssist®, the
flagship product of AssistRx, improves
speed to therapy and enhances the
patient’s journey, while engagingall
healthcare stakeholders. UsingiAssist,
healthcare practitioners can accurately and
efficiently help patients receive specialty
medications, insurance providers can
receive the information they need, co-pay
assistance can be readily dispersed,
pharmacies can triage the medication, and
manufacturers can receive the
documentation they need for heavily
regulated medications. With iAssist, the
amount of time that a patient has to wait
for a specialty medication is reduced from
a couple weeks to just a few days.
When AssistRx created iAssist in 2009, it
was a startup company using a mix of
technology. Employees used either Apple
Mac computers or Windows-based
laptops, depending on individual
preference, as well as a mix of productivity
applications ranging fromMicrosoft Office
to cloud-based apps such as Google Docs,
EverNote, and Dropbox.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Customer Solution Case Study
Technology Solutions Firm Standardizes the Use
of Portable Devices to Enhance Productivity
Customer: AssistRx
Website: www.assistrx.com
Customer Size: 80 employees
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Professional services—
IT services, Healthcare
Customer Profile
AssistRx develops configurable, state-of-
the-art technology that streamlines
processes related to prescribing,
distributing,and administering specialty
medications. The company is based in
Orlando, Florida.
Software and Services
 Windows 8.1 Pro
 Microsoft Office 365
Hardware
 Microsoft Surface Pro 3
For more information about other
Microsoft customer successes, please visit:
customers.microsoft.com

2. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published March 2015
After five years of rapid growth, AssistRx
knew that it was time to grow up—to
transition from a startup to a midsize
enterprise. “We were having challenges with
technology scalability, performance, and
reliability,” says Lawrence Brown, Vice
President of IT for AssistRx. “It was not
always easy to work together, and our
support costs were high.” Employees might
take an Apple iPad into meetings for note
taking, and then have to transfer those
notes to their Mac computers or Windows-
based laptops when back in the office. It
was a hassle and a big drain on productivity.
In addition, with the use of public cloud
apps such as EverNote and Google Docs,
Brown’s teamdidn’t have control over the
company’s intellectual property, which was
a big concern.
IT Grows Up
In late 2013, AssistRx standardized the use
of Microsoft Office 365 for cloud-based
productivity tools and also decided to
standardize on Windows-based servers,
development workstations, and desktop
and portable computers. “We thought that
Microsoft had better enterprise-grade
software, better support, lower costs, and
greater uniformity from desktop to
datacenter than other companies,” says
Adam Stotts, Vice President of Business
Strategy at AssistRx.
AssistRx bought four Microsoft Surface Pro
3 devices for executives. “We found that the
Surface Pro 3 was not only viable for us as
portable tablets but an easy replacement
for our existing laptops,” Brown says.
The company decided to give all mobile
employees a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 as
their one and only device. Surface Pro 3
runs the Windows 8.1 Pro operating system
and was fully compatible with all the
Microsoft software used throughout the
company. AssistRx appreciated the full
laptop functionality in a lightweight tablet
form factor that had built-in networking
and security features, a great keyboard,
and remarkable handwriting recognition.
Multitask Throughout the Day
Gone is the hassle of bouncing between
multiple computers and transferring
information between devices. Managers
can collaborate in a much more dynamic
environment. They can easily carry their
Surface Pro devices to meet with team
members at various workstations,write
and send notes in real time, and join
impromptu client conference calls to meet
the demands of the industry.
“I’m a big Microsoft OneNote user and
love the linkage between the Surface Pro 3
pen and OneNote,” says Stotts, referring to
the Microsoft Office note-taking program.
“With two clicks of the top pen button, you
can launch OneNote and start taking
notes. I write notes on the Surface Pro 3
with no need to transfer those notes to
another document on a laptop when back
in the office.”
AssistRx salespeople perform
demonstrations of web-based iAssist using
their Surface Pro devices, which connect
easily to most projectors. They could not
do the same with iPads, which did not
connect to projectors.
AssistRx plans to replace all of its laptops
with Microsoft Surface Pro devices.
Demonstrate Innovation
The Surface Pro devices help improve the
company’s image. “We’re a technology
company, and customers expect us to use
the latest and greatest gear,” Stotts says.
“When I walk into a drug manufacturer
with a Surface, I get questions right away.
People say they wish they had one. There’s
a ‘wow’ factor to the Surface Pro, no doubt
about it.” The ‘wow’ factor is important to
employees, too. “The Surface Pro helps us
hire and retain good people by providing
them with the latest technologies,” says
John Prescott, Director of IT at AssistRx.
“It demonstrates that they work for a
company that’s progressive.”
Enhance Security, Save Money
“By making the Surface Pro 3 the only
computer that mobile employees need, we
eliminate the need to buy two or three
devices for each employee, saving us
thousands of dollars a year,” Brown says.
Standardizing the use of Microsoft
software, hardware,and cloud services,
AssistRx has enhanced the security of its
intellectual property. “By using Microsoft
SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business,
and OneNote instead of Google Docs and
EverNote, we keep documents within our
Microsoft network and strengthen
enterprise security,” Brown says.
The ability to run the Windows 8.1
operating systemwith BitLocker Drive
Encryption is another security plus.
“Windows 8.1, the Surface Pro 3, and
Microsoft applications are a very secure
combination,” Prescott says.
The local Microsoft Store acts as the
company’s Surface Pro service center. “The
Microsoft Store knows that we’re a
corporate customer and takes great care
of us,” Prescott says. “At the Apple Store,
you mingle with consumers and don’t get
priority as a business.”
The speed of daily operations affects
speed to therapy for the people AssistRx
serves—patients on specialty medications.
“Technology is the key means by which we
succeed at this task,” Stotts says. “Doing
that better than anyone else is how we
prosper. Our partnershipwith Microsoft
helps us do just that.”