Palliser Furniture
Furniture Manufacturer Saves $200,000 Annually with upgrade to Windows Server 2003 R2
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Company Overview
Lower interest rates, a strong labour market and a healthy economy have sparked a housing boom in Canada. Palliser Furniture Ltd. is one company that is riding this wave of growth. Since 1944, Palliser has been manufacturing custom upholstered products and wholesaling them to retailers in Canada, the U.S. and South America. Employing over 3,500 people, the Winnipeg-based company also has a modern furniture line called EQ3, which is sold in its 18 retail outlets across North America.
Business Challenge
Like many manufacturers, Palliser ran mission-critical applications in a mixed environment of Linux and Windows 2000 servers. The majority of the company’s infrastructure ran on a Novell-based network with SUSE Linux Enterprise servers and eDirectory controlling user authentication, privileges and access to all corporate systems. However, the furniture manufacturer found this infrastructure tough to handle, and was looking to simplify server management.
“The Novell-based system required significant IT support. We had to devote two full-time IT staff to managing the Novell eDirectory system and the file shares to ward off issues,” says Jason Bergeron, IT Director, Palliser Furniture Ltd. “This put a significant strain on our IT resources, which were already pretty stretched.”
In addition, Palliser wanted to simplify login for end users. “With the previous system, users had to log into each application separately which was inconvenient,” says Bergeron. “We wanted to simplify this process by establishing a single sign-in for all applications.”
Palliser also struggled to handle IT management at remote locations in Mexico, Indonesia and Thailand. With limited on-site support, IT staff from Canada was often required to travel to these locations to handle IT issues, which proved to be a time consuming and expensive process.
Remote access to email was another challenge. The majority of Palliser’s salespeople traveled regularly, and had a tough time connecting to the corporate network using Novell GroupWise.
“When users tried to access their email, they would have to synch up with their GroupWise account before leaving, and again while on the road. We spent hours on the phone with our salespeople repairing their Mailboxes because they would get out of synch.”
When the company mandated a tighter IT budget, the IT team was forced to reduce head-count and needed a solution that would improve operational efficiency and allow the team to accomplish more with less.
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Solution
Palliser considered upgrading to newer versions of its Novell technologies, but opted to replace its Linux and Windows 2000 infrastructure with Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition with Active Directory® directory service. The Microsoft technology provides the IT infrastructure for powering applications, networks and Web services. R2 extends the Windows Server 2003 operating system, with features designed to increase the reliability scalability, security, and manageability of enterprise applications.
With a feature called Distributed File System (DFS) replication, Windows Server 2003 R2 makes branch office management easier and provides simplified access to geographically dispersed files between Palliser’s Winnipeg head office and its remote locations. DFS is a reliable, multi-master replicator that can scale to large deployments because it stores its configuration in Active Directory. The replication service allows Palliser to benefit from reduced WAN costs and provides consistent replication of files to remote offices.
In addition, DFS only replicates the differences or changes between the members. This allows remote offices with slow wide area network (WAN) connections to participate in replication using minimal bandwidth and removes the need for backup in branches.
Windows Server 2003 R2 also includes Shadow Copy Restore features that provide point-in-time shadow copies of the documents and folders stored on network shares. Bergeron says this has helped to reduce calls to the help desk.
“Now if someone needs to replace a lost or damaged file, they can recover their own files online through Windows Explorer or in Microsoft Word,” says Bergeron.
Palliser further simplified the IT environment by moving from 14 different Mail Servers to one email system running on Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 at the Winnipeg location.
Since moving from GroupWise to Exchange Server 2003, remote users no longer struggle with email access. Microsoft Outlook® Web Access, together with the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) over HTTPs, allows Outlook users to access their Mailboxes wherever they are located.
Business Benefits
Palliser standardized on Windows Server 2003 R2 in only three months. Since implementing the solution, Palliser has improved replication and storage management, reduced IT costs and improved the user experience.
Simplified IT management
An automated monitoring solution called File Server Resource Manager, which is provided in Windows Server 2003 R2 helps Palliser manage its network proactively by automating tasks and simplifying updates. For example, if users are over their disk size limit, they automatically receive an email prompting them to free up space. By reducing daily maintenance through this type of automation, Palliser has been able to work more efficiently on fewer resources.
“Because Windows Server 2003 R2 automated many tasks, we were able to streamline our desktop and server support team. By reducing our headcount, we saved about $200,000 a year,” says Bergeron. “We would have struggled to downsize our IT teams if we hadn’t standardized on Window Server 2003 R2.”
In addition, the reliability issues that plagued the remote offices in Mexico, Indonesia and Thailand have been greatly reduced. Now the Winnipeg-based IT staff can easily manage their networks and resolve any problems quickly. Bergeron adds that because Microsoft is the industry standard, finding knowledgeable staff is no longer an issue.
“The last time I tried to hire somebody, there were very few workers versed in Novell NetWare. In my experience, it is much easier to find a Microsoft skilled individual, than a Novell pro.”
Better user experience
Windows Server 2003 R2 integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office, giving users faster network access to familiar applications such as Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet software or Microsoft Office Outlook messaging and collaboration client. “Because Windows Server 2003 completely integrates with the applications we use each day, it is simpler to introduce new applications and features,” says Bergeron.
The user login experience has also improved. Employees no longer need to remember different usernames for each application. Active Directory provides simplified single sign-on capabilities, by passing through the initial authentication to all the different applications. “In the past, users had to wait 5 minutes to log into the network, whereas now it only takes 10 seconds,” says Bergeron.
To improve employee access to corporate information, Palliser has also implemented Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Portal Server 2003. SharePoint 2003 fully integrates with Active Directory, and allows users to manage their own profile information from the portal as well as create alerts to see when other users publish new documents or change information.
Greater Security
Windows Server 2003 R2 enables Palliser to manage offshore branches remotely from its headquarters in Winnipeg. With Active Directory, Palliser is able to enforce greater file and folder security, delegate rights and restrict administration privileges on Windows Server 2003 R2. “Using Active Directory, we can ensure our IT colleague in Indonesia responsible for desktop support has the appropriate level of access to the Winnipeg systems,” says Bergeron.
Lower Licensing Fees
The furniture manufacturer was also able to trim licensing fees considerably. When the company decided to upgrade its Microsoft Office suite it assessed the cost of purchasing Microsoft solution over Novell technologies, but found that Microsoft’s Enterprise Agreement offered a more affordable alternative.
The volume licensing program allowed the company to benefit from a volume-based licensing fee structure and the ability to lock in prices for a period of time. The program made it affordable for Palliser to upgrade its Microsoft Office suite and other Microsoft-based technologies.
“NetWare was approximately $150,000 more per year than the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. From a cost perspective, the choice was clear,” says Bergeron.
Windows Server 2003 R2
The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 family helps organizations do more with less. Now you can: Run your IT infrastructure more efficiently; Build better applications faster; Deliver the best infrastructure for enhancing user productivity. And you can do all this faster, more securely, and at lower cost.
For more information about Windows Server 2003 R2, please visit: www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003
For More Information
For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com
For more information about Palliser Furniture Ltd. products and services, call (204) 988-5600 or visit the Web site at: www.palliser.com
