Coraza Systems Migrates from Rival Platform to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Enjoys Greater System Stability and Gets Thumbs Up from Staff
“Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 has definitely improved the reliability of our email communications. However, it is more than just a good email solution. Its integrated functionalities help our staff become more productive and efficient in
their work.”
- CP Loh, Operations Director, Coraza Systems Malaysia
Coraza Systems Malaysia had been facing problems of instability and lack of support for its client-server based communications solution. Realising the need to migrate to a better system, Coraza Systems explored various options. It chose Microsoft
Exchange Server 2003 over the previous solution because of its user-friendliness, comprehensive functionalities and lower total cost of ownership.
With Exchange Server 2003, Coraza Systems is able to eliminate one of the bug bears of the previous platform – system instability. It is also able to tap on functionalities such as calendaring, contact lists, public folders and booking of
meeting rooms. Outlook Web Access allows its sales staff to access their emails from outside the office or when they are travelling. Situation Coraza Systems Malaysia is a global provider of high precision sheet metal fabrications and assembly works. Its specialty services ranges from initial product concept and design, to manufacturing prototypes to complete production, assembly and
integration. Coraza, a Spanish word which means “to protect”, aptly describes its products which serve as armor to protect the technology that they encase. The company has made its mark as a business partner for expanding global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Its clients can be found not only in Malaysia but also in the United States, Europe and United Kingdom. Coraza Systems was established in 2001 in Prai, Penang. With its impressive growth, the company relocated to its spanking new facility in Nibong Tebal in 2005. At Coraza Systems, email is an important means of communicating with its business partners who are located all over the world. The company had been using another client-server based collaboration platform as its communications solution for several
years. However, Coraza Systems was not totally satisfied with the solution as the server was prone to coming down once every two to three months. Getting support for the previous platform was also a problem as the number of service providers for the
platform was significantly less than for Windows-based applications. This problem was exacerbated when Coraza Systems shifted to Nibong Tebal, a small town about 45 minutes drive south of Penang island. “In Nibong Tebal there’s hardly anyone to provide support, so each time there’s a serious
problem we had to get a service provider from Penang,” says CP Loh, Coraza Systems’ Operations Director. The company had previously decided to handle support for the email system internally as it found the maintenance contract with principal of the previous platform to be too costly. The company explored the possibility of migrating to the latest
version of the previous platform but discovered that the licensing cost was between 20 and 30 per cent higher than Microsoft Exchange Server 2003.
Solution
The staff also found the email system to be less user friendly compared to competing solutions, he adds. The company conducted a survey among its users and found that a majority preferred to use Microsoft Outlook rather than the mail client of the
previous platform. “The staff felt that Outlook was more user friendly and had more useful features,” says Loh. So when Coraza Systems moved to its new facility, it decided it was time speed up the standardization of its key applications to the Microsoft Windows platform. It has earlier started the standardization process when it migrated a Linux-based FTP
(file transfer protocol) server to Windows Server 2003. In early 2006, Coraza Systems migrated to Exchange Server 2003 running on Windows Server 2003. The server was deployed over a weekend by General Computers (M) Sdn Bhd, a Microsoft Certified Partner based in Penang. The system caters to about 60 users who access their emails on Outlook clients. By leveraging on Outlook Web Access, the sales staff can access their emails from any Internet-enabled PC or mobile device when they are outside the office or
traveling. Coraza Systems is not only utilizing Exchange Server 2003 as a mail server, it is also tapping on functionalities such as calendaring, contact lists, public folders and booking of meeting rooms. Under the previous platform, such functionalities
could only be tapped by engaging a service provider to integrate specific features into the system. In contrast, such functionalities are tightly integrated into Exchange Server 2003. “For the previous platform, we would need to engage an external party to do the necessary customization but with Exchange Server 2003, these features are available out of the box at no additional cost,” says Loh. The user-friendliness
of Exchange Server 2003 meant that the IT team could easily set up the functionalities themselves. “Being able to easily take advantage of such useful features was a key reason we decided to deploy Exchange Server 2003,” he explains.
Benefits
Greater Stability
With Exchange Server 2003, Coraza Systems is able to eliminate one of the bug bears of the previous platform – system reliability. System reliability is a key consideration for Coraza Systems as it ensures uninterrupted communication with their
customers. Without a reliable email system, communication with clients would be cut off and the company would have to resort to alternative modes of communication such as telephone calls and faxes. Not only was this an inconvenience to customers, it also
adversely affected the image of the company. However, with Exchange Server 2003 Coraza Systems no longer needs to deal with this problem. Loh confirms that Exchange Server 2003 is “definitely more reliable and stable.” “Email is a critical application for our business because we use it to communicate with customers worldwide. Exchange Server 2003 enables us to keep our vital email link up and running virtually all of the time,” says Loh. Happier, More Productive Staff
When Coraza Systems polled its staff on which email system they wanted to replace the previous platform, Exchange Server 2003 was the unanimous choice because of its user-friendliness and integrated functionalities. Loh says the staff were naturally
pleased with the deployment of Exchange Server 2003. “They are happier because they find the new system much more easier to use. For example, Microsoft Outlook requires less mouse clicks to perform specific operations,” he says. “Unlike previously, users now have no complaints about the email system,” he adds. Their productivity has also increased by taking advantage of Microsoft Outlook’s functionalities such as calendaring, contact lists and public
folders, notes Loh. The company has improved the process of scheduling meetings and booking of facilities by making use of the meeting room booking functionality in Exchange Server 2003. Previously, there was no proper system for booking of meeting rooms. “It
was basically first come, first served! Now, the staff are informed of meetings via emails and room bookings are made through the system,” he adds. Exchange Server 2003’s support for web access and mobile devices enables its sales staff and managers to keep in touch with colleagues and customers even when they are traveling. Outlook Web Access allows them to access their emails,
calendars and contact lists from anywhere with an Internet-enabled PC, notebook or PDA. In addition, the Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) over HTTP functionality in Outlook 2003 and Exchange Server 2003 allows staff to use Outlook to access e-mail without needing a costly virtual private network (VPN). Lowers Support Costs
For small and medium-sized firms like Coraza Systems, having easy to maintain and cost effective IT solutions is a key advantage. Exchange Server 2003’s user friendliness, ease of maintenance and tight integration with the Windows Server
platform translates into significant cost savings for the company, which only has two IT staff. For example, by leveraging on the single log-on functionality of Active Directory in Windows Server 2003, Exchange Server 2003 greatly simplifies maintenance of the system. This means the IT department does not need to create and maintain two sets of user names and passwords. In addition, the single log-in is highly convenient for staff as they do not need to key in a separate user ID and password each time to access
their emails. Coraza Systems’ IT staff found Exchange Server 2003, and the Windows platform as a whole, much easier to manage. “Maintenance and trouble shooting is easier, especially with wizards-based help,” says Ethan Hau, Coraza
Systems’ IT Support Engineer. “There are also loads of resources available at the Microsoft website as well as the numerous online forums on Microsoft applications,” he adds. This enables the IT team to manage the Exchange server themselves. And this is significant
as it would otherwise need to get support from Penang-based providers, which is a costly affair. “Unless there are major issues, we don’t need to summon our service provider from Penang. This saves us a lot of money in the long run,” he explains. Loh concludes: “Exchange Server 2003 has definitely improved the reliability of our email communications. However, it is more than just a good email solution. Its integrated functionalities help our staff become more productive and efficient
in their work.”
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Coraza Systems Migrates from Rival Platform to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Enjoys Greater System Stability and Gets Thumbs Up from Staff