CASE STUDY: Industrial and Mechanical Contractor

Executive Summary

This case study reports the summary of a project undertaken by SafetyNets Inc. for a local client business*, from proposal to completion, from 2002 to 2003.  As of 2004, this customer is now an ongoing client of SafetyNets Inc., and is currently in the planning stages of several much larger projects, including a relocation of their headquarters to a new larger facility, and storage area network design.

Network upgrade from peer to peer, to single server domain...

Customer profile...

• Customer headquarters housed approximately 10 employees in 6 office areas and 4 cubicle spaces.
• IT spending budget included large software license costs including custom project management software and servers.  IT staff did not exist however.
• Remote offices needed to have access to headquarters database over the internet for project management database access, for printing, and file storage.
• Continued site growth indicated need for immediate domain server, with account management, and ability to add new computers and accounts easily without degradation of network performance.

Needs analysis and RFP...

• SafetyNets Incorporated met with the company president, and began a thorough interview with the client company representative who would act as the prime contact.
• Company premises were surveyed, and an audit of all available currently owned computer and networking hardware was performed.
• Spending budget was established, simultaneously with realistic goals of the project.
• A formal proposal with fees to SafetyNets Incorporated and exact costs for all project hardware and software were documented and submitted to the client.

Solution design and implementation...

• Upon negotiated final costs being agreed upon, work began that same week, with the first task being a schedule with target deadlines for project milestones.
• All hardware and software was ordered immediately, including:  small computers which were to serve as the domain controller server, and an additional webserver, 24-port switch with gigabit ports for servers, VPN/firewall device, VPN software licenses for remote office, multiple operating system licenses for Microsoft XP pro (previously, most systems were XP home or Windows 98).
• Hardware which was already owned, and which could continue to be used were; 2 routers, one switch, one KVM, all client computers, and one server computer.
• The client contact was involved at every stage of the project, at a minimum with daily progress reports, and often directly assisting SafetyNets incorporated with less technical duties, in order to reduce project costs in time and labor.
• Current network wiring was utilized, and new cabling ran in addition to new servers and client PCs
• SafetyNets staff worked closely with Time Warner to establish security settings and pass through of needed traffic at their business class cable internet connection at the home office and with Sprint to setup DSL at the remote office.
• Server software arrived and was installed, all domain accounts were created, client computers upgraded, and connected to the domain, AD integrated DNS, DHCP, and WINS were all ran on the domain controller.

Ongoing maintenance

• All home office staff were trained on procedures to recover from a power loss, on the change to their new method of logging onto their computer, and on the use of the web server project management software.
• Once the domain server was set up, maintenance is minimal, and the client is able to handle day to day operations without any IT staff.

Customer Report  (company president)

"I've received several solicitations by IT service providers in the area since we began working with SafetyNets Inc.  I just tell them we don't need their services because we've already got the best... SafetyNets Inc."

• Comment by Wesley Carter, President of Acorn Industrial, Summer 2004

* Local client business is Acorn Industrial, Inc., a general contractor.  More information can be found at www.AcornIndustrial.com.

SafetyNets Incorporated respects the privacy of all its clients and customers.  While the facts of this case study are an accurate account of an actual company client, SafetyNets incorporated has not, and will not ever use the information of any client without the express permission of that client beforehand.

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