Implementing an end to end IT solution including specialist database work
Background
Maintaining the integrity of a company’s IT systems represents a major challenge for many small and medium sized businesses. The continual threat of viruses, maintenance of business critical databases, potential system failure and keeping back up copies of key files are all commonplace issues.
When Worcestershire based Central Weighing was faced with all of these problems and was looking to expand its infrastructure, it turned to Birmingham based Icomm Technologies to overhaul its database structure, review the company’s IT security policy, install new IT systems and provide the finance to enable the entire project to happen.
Icomm already has extensive experience providing turnkey technology solutions to a wide range of organisations from manufacturing and service businesses to government and local councils. Icomm Technologies is an end to end provider of IT solutions to businesses across the UK in numerous different sectors. The company provides a comprehensive service as well as post sales maintenance and development. The company is a Microsoft® Certified Partner and is also a Hewlett Packard Centre of Excellence.
The Client
Central Weighing is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of vehicle weighing systems for law enforcement and fleet management applications.
The company, formed in 1984, employs 26 and has grown to offer a broad range of innovative and market-leading solutions. More than 3000 vehicle weighing systems are currently installed in over 30 countries and the recent integration of new technologies such as GPS and Automatic Vehicle Recognition, with innovative software, means that Central Weighing is at the forefront of vehicle weighing solutions
Central Weighing won the DTI SMART award for innovation and the company is dedicated to providing the highest level of product quality and after-sales service. Mobile service teams provide a comprehensive maintenance service throughout the UK.
The Challenge
The company was faced with a number of key challenges in its bid to stay at the forefront of its sector
- The company was using Novell as its network software solution and was operating a variety of Microsoft® Windows solutions on this platform from Windows 95 right up to Microsoft® Windows XP Professional. The company had a variety of platform integration concerns and was keen to ensure that all security and anti-virus systems worked efficiently across all product variants
- Central Weighing had developed an in house database solution that contained all business critical customer data. The company had lost the access to the internal skills required to maintain, develop and keep up to date. This database, despite being vital to the functioning of the business, was seen by Central Weighing employees to have become unstable.
- The company was looking to improve the overall stability of its system and also implement a solution that allowed for expansion both immediately and in the future
- The business was also looking to develop a solution that allowed remote access to its servers and infrastructure for field based personnel
- The business was keen to simplify its overall system by removing the Novell solution and replacing it with a solution that would permit the provision of centralised management of all IT policy and provide remote technical support abilities.
- And finally the business was keen to spread the burden of its investment with a competitive finance package.
The Solution
In order to start the project, Icomm helped Central Weighing secure the necessary leasing arrangements allowing the company to spread the cost of the upgrade over an extended time frame.
With the finance in place, the first stages of the project were to add physical cabling infrastructure required for the new IT solution, and address the issue of the database instabilities. Icomm deployed an expert team to clean up the database and to ensure it operated correctly across all Windows platforms. The database was split to improve speed, stability and plan for future expansion with the data tables residing on the server and the application sitting separately on client machines. These upgrades ensured the database was both stable and easy to maintain in the future, whatever the desktop operating system used.
The next major step was to replace the company’s two ageing servers with a state of the art Hewlett Packard ML370 Raid 5 server running Microsoft’s Small Business Server Solution. Icomm recommended this solution to provide both the necessary hardware stability through a proven Hewlett Packard Server Chassis and also because of the functionality match offered by the components of Windows Small Business Server.
With the new server in place, The Icomm team migrated Central Weighing from Novell to Microsoft® Windows Server and provided immediate performance improvements for all users. Critically, the new application integrated with all the desktop machines within the business which were running a variety of Windows platforms.
Icomm then addressed the communications element of the project and introduced ADSL for web and e mail access and established a central back up and archive procedure for all e mails. The introduction of this paved the way for Icomm to start work on a virtual private networking solution which will ultimately allow Central Weighing personnel secure remote access to the company’s network infrastructure and resources.
The other crucial element of the deployment were the roll out of a centrally managed Anti virus Symantec Antivirus Enterprise Edition was deployed on the server with client machines solution. transparently updating and keeping all attached machines protected and up to date.
The Benefits
Disruption to the business was minimal and it now has a completely upgraded infrastructure which is fast, stable and secure.
The company’s database is now robust and reliable and the necessary procedures have been put in place to ensure it is maintained and updated at regular intervals and is capable of operating on a variety of Microsoft® Windows platforms. Development work is now being planned to automate and control activities at Central Weighing even further and increase the business’ competitive edge.
Central Weighing now has a fully supported reliable solution with all the tools required to help maintain their competitive edge. Icomm Technologies. Continue to support Central Weighing through the all encompassing proactive IT support scheme, TSP.
What The Client Said
“This project represented a major development for us and we were looking to change all aspects of our IT infrastructure and take Central Weighing forward. Icomm demonstrated their capability as a true end to end provider right down to the provision of the finance. We now have an infrastructure in place which is fast, secure and reliable. Our new system will enable us to grow the business in the future, but more than that, we now have an IT partner we trust, who is passionate about business IT and where its deployment can add real commercial value to a business.” Mark Wilcox, Central Weighing
If you would like to know more about how Icomm could benefit your company, or have any other enquiries, please contact our sales team.
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