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Company Success Stories - McDonald's McInternet
McInternet Project Unlocks Access to Internet in Brazil with HP Desktop Computers Powered by AMD Athlon™ 64 Processors
Profile
McDonald's McInternet
"McInternet is fast becoming synonymous with access to the World Wide Web in the country, as it has unlocked access to information, online services and global communication for so many.”
—Mario Anseloni, President of HP Brazil
"With McInternet covering the entire country, we are able to significantly extend our contribution to digital inclusion in Brazil and skill development of our employees.
—Flávia Vígio, Communication Director of McDonald’s Brazil"
Challenge:
- In 2001, only 12 percent of Brazilian households had computers and only eight percent of those could access the Internet, severely limiting entry to a worldwide network of information and fueling a digital divide.
- McDonald’s saw an opportunity to significantly expand Internet access in Brazil by leveraging its large footprint of 554 restaurants in the country. Thus, it launched an unprecedented initiative to install desktop computers at its sales points to provide Internet access.
- A few years later, when McDonald’s was seeking to broaden the program, the company sought highly dependable, user-friendly systems delivering the best price/performance, so that a consistent software image and user interface could be deployed reliably, efficiently and cost-effectively throughout the country.
Solution:
- McDonald’s teamed with technology veteran HP and with Bank Itau to launch an unprecedented initiative: McInternet. After a trial period in March of 2003 the service of access to the World Wide Web was extended to people throughout the country. Today, the program is already present in 88 percent of the chain’s restaurants and continues to expand.
- Each McDonald’s restaurant that becomes part of the McInternet network is outfitted with HP Compaq Business Desktop dx5150 computers powered by AMD Athlon™ 64 processors.
Impact:
- In September 2006, the number of McInternet users soared to 4.3 million with approximately 600 thousand monthly sessions, making it the largest private Internet access network in Brazil.
- Today, more than 480 McDonald’s restaurants in Brazil have McInternet, with AMD processor-based computers at each restaurant. There are approximately eight million pages visited every month and 160,000 new users every 30 days.
Organizational Profile
McDonald’s is the biggest and most famous fast-food service company in the world. Present in 118 countries, the chain has more than 31 thousand restaurants, which employ over 1.5 million people. McDonald’s arrived in Brazil in 1979 and, since then, it has served more than 4.5 billion clients.
Currently, it has more than 1,100 sales points, including restaurants, kiosks and McCafes, distributed among all regions in the country. The chain’s restaurants serve 1.5 million people each day. The company also employs approximately 34 thousand people and collects around R$250 million in taxes per year. In the international market, Brazil is among the corporation’s top eight markets.
Challenge
As a customer-focused restaurant chain, McDonald’s mission is to be its customers’ favorite place to eat. One of the company’s top priorities is promoting experiences that make that place even more special. In Brazil, the company saw the opportunity to provide access to the World Wide Web to its customers, stimulating them to visit the restaurants more often.
As the project grew, McDonald’s needed to choose a highly reliable, robust personal computer with a consistent and stable software image across the network. It should also be easy to deploy and maintain and minimize energy consumption and IT resources. Yet none of this could be possible without a cost-effective solution.
Solution
McDonald’s teamed with technology veteran HP and with Bank Itau to launch an initiative without precedent:
McInternet, in March 2003, to bring access to the Internet to the far reaches of Brazil. At a time when only 12 percent of Brazilian homes had computers, and only eight percent of those had Internet access, McDonald’s and its technology partners invested approximately US$20 million to establish a private Internet access network in the company’s restaurants in 134 cities, 21 states and in the Federal District.
HP was in charge of designing and integrating the entire network of desktop computers, as well as developing the communications infrastructure with investment protection in mind. The new technology would be required to affordably scale up to meet future needs, but also withstand the rigors of constant use. As the program expanded and older systems needed replacement, McDonald’s chose HP dx5150 desktop systems powered by AMD Athlon™ 64 processors for the latest update of McInternet’s equipment. The transition to the HP dx5150s was seamless thanks to the AMD64 architecture and a stable software image. The latest AMD processors provide excellent performance on today’s software with readiness for the coming wave of 64-bit computing. The AMD Athlon 64 processor also gives users full-throttle performance to go wherever the digital world takes them, while minimizing noise, heat and energy consumption.
Each McDonald’s restaurant in the McInternet network is outfitted with two to eight HP computers. Users can surf for 15 minutes to one hour, depending on user demand at each site. Today, to gain access, customers need only present their McDonald’s receipt, confirming the purchase of any product on that same day.
Impact
After only one year, 750,000 Brazilians have registered in the program with 26 percent of those surfing the Web for the first time.
In September 2006, the number of McInternet users soared to 4.3 million with approximately eight million pages visited every month, making it the largest private Internet access network in Brazil. Today, more than 480 McDonald’s restaurants have McInternet, with each hosting an average of more than 1.9 computers. There are approximately 600,000 monthly sessions and 160,000 new users every 30 days.
Tutorials to guide first-time users were developed to explain how a computer works, simplify the Web and provide instruction on how to create and send e-mails. A survey carried out in 2005 indicated that approximately 18 percent of McInternet users had their first contact with computers at a McDonald’s restaurant. Of those users accessing the Web for the first time, 30 percent took advantage of the online tutorials offered by McInternet. The tutorials—about computers, e-mail and the Internet—were designed to present the technologies of the digital world to beginners. In addition to the benefits and the service provided to the chain’s customers, McDonald’s employees are also using McInternet’s resources for their own professional improvement.
“McInternet is fast becoming synonymous with access to the World Wide Web in the country, as it has unlocked access to information, online services and global communication for so many.”
—Mario Anseloni, President of HP Brazil
“With McInternet covering the entire country, we are able to significantly extend our contribution to digital inclusion in Brazil and skill development of our employees.”
—Flávia Vígio, Communication Director of McDonald’s Brazil
About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics and consumer electronics markets. AMD is dedicated to driving open innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions that empower consumers and businesses worldwide. For more information, visit www.amd.com.
About HP
HP believes that the true value is not only in technology, but also in how people and companies use it to reach their aspirations. As a company that has always, since it was founded, delighted customers with its creativity, HP’s solutions provide more reliability, flexibility and simplicity, which result in a better customer experience. Currently, HP is one of the leading global IT providers, offering a complete portfolio, with solutions for enterprise clients, small and medium businesses and consumers. The dynamic company has a competent team of 150,000 professionals around the world at locations in 160 countries. For the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2006, HP revenue totaled US$90.0 billion. HP reproduces in Brazil the success of its world corporation model, taking the second place among technology companies with national presence, a history that began in 1967. HP expresses its commitment to Brazil in many ways. The company produces servers, PCs and notebooks locally, as well as ink jet and laser printers, with as much as 60% of its components produced in the country. Investments in research and development in Brazil totaled R$175 million over the last five years, and the country works together with the world’s global laboratory network. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.br.
© 2007 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Athlon, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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