Case History

Project Management – Retail

Client Profile

• Oklahoma City-based grocery retailer with 10 locations in central Oklahoma
• Chain plans to expand with additional stores in Oklahoma
• Stores connected to corporate headquarters via WAN and private VPN links
• Use of real-time and historical security video across WAN links crucial
• Corporate office required e-mail and file and print services as well as access to data at all stores

Project Objectives:  

• Install corporate network with file and print servers
• Migrate client from NT4.0 Server to Windows 2003 Server environment
• Provide WAN connections from corporate office to all stores
• Set up remote users for access to corporate security camera system
• Network monitoring
• Automated data backups, automated alerts for server or services failures
• Automated tape-based server backups
• Automated virus scanning
• Print server services

Project Results: 

• Corporate network heavily used with data storage increasing 25-50% per year
• Remote access to real-time and historical video data has reduced corporate security time to deliver store security video to authorities
• Cutover to Windows 2003 Active Directory environment accomplished with on-site time of one day
• WAN links allow remote maintenance of computers at stores, reducing troubleshooting costs
• Corporate servers protected from unauthorized access with single-source permissions controls, auditing of access to critical information
• Windows 2003 migration accomplished resulting in 50% improvement in processing efficiency, with a 25-40% reduction in server administration costs
• Proper protection from brownout protects from 10-20 power-related events per week
• Proper equipment storage in racks protected from water-heater related flood event within 10 feet of server and all LAN equipment, no downtime experienced
• Managed Services saved $1000-2000 per month in troubleshooting costs as well reducing operational impact costs of problems due to improved response times
• Use of Volume Shadow Services has allowed users to restore previous document versions or accidentally deleted documents without administrative intervention resulting in cost savings
• Built-in capability to set up file replication allows the simple use of failover servers to eliminate downtime due to server maintenance or potential server failure