Bay Business Group wanted to make it easier for staff to access the tools they need from anywhere while simplifying IT management and reducing infrastructure costs. The firm chose to adopt nFinity Desktop, the hosted desktop solution from nGenx.
Now, Bay Business Group has increased operational efficiency by 30 percent and estimates hardware savings of US$100,000.
Business Needs
For accounting firm Bay Business Group, remote access to technology is crucial. “At the heart of our value proposition is our ability to provide efficient, results-driven service—from anywhere,” says David Bradsher, President of Bay Business Group.
For years, the company used separate hosting providers to deliver the financial management, communication, and productivity tools it needs to run its business. For example, Bay Business Group relied on one provider to access Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
and Microsoft Office 2010, and another hosting vendor for
Intuit QuickBooks accounting software. It also uses nearly a dozen specialized applications for such tasks as managing online bill payment and billable hours.
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We used to maintain three servers onsite. Now, we don’t have any servers in our offices, and we gained a fully integrated set of applications delivered as a subscription through a single provider: nGenx. We are saving $100,000 in infrastructure
costs alone. |
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David Bradsher
President, Bay Business Group |
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Bay Business Group faced several challenges with its existing IT environment. First, its financial applications were not linked, so staff needed to manually transfer information from one system to another, which hampered productivity and introduced opportunities
for error. Additionally, it made it more difficult to provide clients with access to current information about their accounts. Dependence on disparate applications and the need to maintain on-site servers also complicated IT management. “As we started to grow,
I had less time for troubleshooting technology problems,” says Bradsher.
Solution
The company selected nFinity Desktop, a hosted desktop solution from nGenx. “nGenx spent the time to figure out how our business works and understand our goals for connecting all of the different applications we use,” says Bradsher.
nGenx worked with Bay Business Group to tailor a solution that links QuickBooks with subsidiary applications for bill payment, time tracking, and other business functions. It also incorporates Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 for email service and Microsoft
Office Professional 2010. nFinity Desktop provides application delivery through Citrix XenApp which runs on the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system. The solution uses Hyper-V, the virtualization technology included in Windows Server 2008 R2, to render
virtual desktops that offer a true Windows 7 experience. nGenx hosts its nFinity Desktop service in a Tier III SSAE 16 certified data center facility, which guarantees 99.99 percent availability.
As part of a phased implementation process, a team of three Bay Business Group employees tested the nFinity Desktop solution for one week before Bradsher approved the rollout to all 18 employees. The deployment process took two weeks to complete.
Bay Business Group uses nFinity Desktop to provide employees with the ability to maximize productivity from the company’s office or home, depending on their individual schedules. This flexibility is especially important during tax season, when employees
need to work longer hours. Through the Citrix CloudPortal Services Manager console, Bradsher can work with administrators from nGenx to quickly configure employee account profiles. Bay Business Group can also offer hosted desktop instances to clients so that
they can view their financial information from any Internet-connected device.
Benefits
By using the hosted nFinity Desktop solution from nGenx Bay Business Group anticipates the following benefits.
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Hardware savings of $100,000. By eliminating the need to upgrade physical servers, Bradsher estimates that his company has avoided substantial capital costs. “We used to maintain three servers onsite,” says Bradsher. “Now,
we don’t have any servers in our offices and we gained a fully integrated set of applications delivered as a subscription through a single provider: nGenx. We are saving $100,000 in infrastructure costs alone.” By transitioning its IT function to a predictable
expense in its operating budget, Bay Business Group no longer needs to set aside capital for IT infrastructure purchases.
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Efficiency boosted by 30 percent. Bay Business Group relies on a single service to provide staff with the business tools they need. This means employees spend less time moving between applications and no longer need to manually
reenter data from one system to another. “By accessing all of the applications we need through a centrally managed service, powered by Citrix XenApp, Windows, and Hyper-V, we’ve increased efficiency by 30 percent. All of our systems are linked together now,
so we never have to manually move data back and forth,” says Bradsher.
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More flexible work environment.
Now, the company provides a consistent hosted desktop experience, with access to the applications employees need regardless of location or device. Employees are better able to balance work and home schedules and still be productive. “With the nFinity Desktop
solution from nGenx, our people can access the applications they need from our office, at home, or wherever they happen to be,” says Bradsher. “As a company owner, it’s very rewarding to offer that kind of flexibility to employees. And, it helps us recruit
the best talent, too.”
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Strengthened data security. Bradsher also appreciates solution helps his company protect sensitive client information. “Instead of storing all of our information in our office, it is now stored in an off-site
data center that meets the highest industry standards―we’ve practically eliminated our security risk,” says Bradsher.
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Improved work-life balance. Bay Business Group can outsource management of its IT infrastructure to nGenx, which saves Bradsher approximately seven hours a week. Now, he can spend more time on business development and personal
activities. “I finally feel comfortable enough to take a vacation without worrying about IT because I know nGenx has it covered,” says Bradsher.
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