2 page Case Study - Posted 5/12/2008
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IT Services Company Shines Light on Its Network with Remote Access to LOB Software
Business Needs
Since 1995, Beacon Technologies has delivered on-site, remote, and in-shop computer, server, and network technical support services to customers around southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. Its services include preventative maintenance, emergency response, consulting, and repair. The company also provides server co-location in its two data centers, Web design, Web and e-mail hosting, and Internet connections, including digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber, T1, and T3 circuits.
Beacon employs a staff of 16. Approximately 42 servers and 16 desktop computers compose its network. Although Beacon was able to resolve its customers’ network issues efficiently and successfully, its technicians struggled to cope with limited access to customer history records. It wanted to serve customers better and more efficiently by providing technicians with real-time access to LOB software. Without real-time access, a technician’s tasks were not logged into the service management software until the end of the day. This resulted in delays if a customer had a question about work performed immediately after a technician left the customer site. It also meant that technicians did not have instant access to the latest schedule changes that the technical service manager made in the LOB software.
Productivity was lost because technicians did not have the latest service history and dispatch information. As a result, they were forced to call the office and have the dispatcher read the information to them. Beacon wanted an affordable solution that could provide a platform for integrating with its existing applications and service management software—without compromising system performance.
Solution
Before making its final decision, Beacon weighed factors such as cost of software and hardware, third-party skills, interoperability capability, and performance. It also considered a Citrix solution, but found that Windows Server 2008 offered all the features that it needed most at a lower cost.
Beacon’s own IT staff designed and implemented the server installation project, and it provided preventative maintenance services to maximize network availability and productivity. The company’s highly skilled staff smoothly completed the project from planning through post-installation maintenance and support.
The IT technicians deployed one manually built Intel-based, multi-core processing server running Windows Server 2008, and the entire deployment process lasted only a few days. Multi-core processing enables more concurrent Terminal Services sessions per server, while providing fast response times for each user. To resolve some migration issues, the IT staff customized some security settings to attain full functionality of its LOB application.
The new Terminal Services features were the driving factor for this solution, in addition to integration with Beacon’s existing applications. For example, the company’s LOB software for tracking service history had a Web interface that was inadequate. Terminal Services enabled Beacon to make the all of the features of the application more securely available everywhere through an Internet connection. This method proved to be a more logical solution than the previous pared-down, feature-limited Web edition. The company was also able to provide full access to its LOB application through smartphones running the Terminal Services client on Windows Mobile® 6 software, empowering its technicians to be truly mobile. Beacon found that overall, the Terminal Services features worked well without customization and did not require any third-party licenses, such as Citrix.
Benefits
Prior to installing Terminal Services, dispatchers and technicians spent significantly more time on the phone with each other to relay information. With Windows Server 2008, dispatchers and technicians have access to the same information in real time, making the workflow processes more seamless. Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services features were installed easily with no need for special redundant array of independent disks (RAID) drivers. By using Terminal Services RemoteApp (TS RemoteApp), Beacon staff can now deploy applications with very complex installation procedures to new users with speed and ease. Terminal Services Easy Print is also valuable, because it enables Beacon’s users to print to any printer they choose without the need to load drivers in advance.
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008, with built-in Web and virtualization technologies, enables you to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure. New virtualization tools, Web resources, and security enhancements help you save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and optimized datacenter. Powerful new tools like IIS 7.0, Server Manager, and Windows® PowerShell, allow you to have more control over your servers and streamline Web, configuration, and management tasks. Advanced security and reliability enhancements like Network Access Protection and the Read-Only Domain Controller option for Active Directory Domain Services harden the operating system and help protect your server environment to ensure you have a solid foundation on which to build your business.
For more information, go to:
www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008
