Boffins Quarterly Digest - Autumn 2009

Revival Group

CASE STUDY: The Revival Group is the only nationwide independent disaster recovery company in the UK. It has a network of 18 offices, all staffed by experienced restoration specialists who work with some of the world’s leading insurers to handle their customers’ claims. The company works closely with both the insurance company and the insured to organise a suitable recovery plan, meaning the property is restored to the highest standards.

 

Support from the start

Boffins has managed the Revival Group’s IT needs right from the start, when the company was in its fledgling stage with just a couple of computers. As the company expanded - including moves to bigger premises - Boffins ensured that its ever changing IT needs were met, including installation of a fully functioning network.

On the move

The Revival Group recently moved for the second time, with the company deciding that this time it needed to install a large dedicated server to replace the designated PC that it used for a server at the previous premises. Boffins found the most suitable server for them and got it set up nice and quickly - and well within budget - to ensure minimum disruption during the move.

While the company had needed a bigger server for some time, it had decided to hold out until it had moved premises. In the meantime, Boffins ensured that everything ran as smoothly as possible on the existing server. “The server at our old office really wasn’t good enough, but Boffins held it all together until we were ready to move and install the new one,” says Revival Group Managing Director Jim Herrington.

Cable guys

Boffins set the company up with a new Avaya phone system, cabling the offices with CAT5E for voice and data. It also installed audio-visual equipment for the meeting rooms. “Boffins were fantastic,” says Jim. “They made sure that any IT problems associated with moving were kept to a minimum. We had issues with broadband at the new premises, which we were not expecting, but Boffins were great. They sorted it all out seamlessly. They totally came through for us.”

Rapid response

While Boffins does not offer round-the-clock service, it somehow feels like it does, says Jim. “Because of the nature of our business, Revival is a 24/7 company; Boffins doesn’t actually offer a 24 -hour service, but it always seems to be available to help. Its service has been excellent from day one - always above and beyond expectations. In terms of response, it pulls out all the stops, and in an emergency help is instant. They have never let us down.”

Final verdict

“Boffins might not be the cheapest,” says Jim, “but they are worth every penny. The regular support is great. We get monthly visits to check everything is okay, and we have an excellent relationship with them - we are all on first name terms and they never blind us with science. There’s a real trust there which is something you can’t put a price on.”

Building Block 3

Product Aplication
Boffins Building Blocks to a 21st Century Business – Block 3

Having established a first class link into the Internet and protected our network with a comprehensive firewall, you can now start to provide remote services to your Customers, suppliers, managers and staff, in the office, on the road, at home, and abroad.

Outlook Web Access and Outlook Mobile Access

Just as you might use Microsoft Outlook on your desktop to connect to your Exchange Server for email, calendar, scheduling, and collaboration tasks, so now you can do exactly the same wherever you can connect to the Internet. Outlook Web Access is a secure method of performing the same tasks from outside the office. Just launch Internet Explorer on any internet connected computer and browse to your firewall address. Your connection will be forwarded to your Exchange Server which will connect you to your mailbox through a web style interface.

The data you see is live and you can use the connection as if you were in the office. You can read, forward, and reply to your emails in real time without the need for a secondary address.

In fact, the ease of use and performance in most cases is so good that many users prefer the OWA interface to Outlook itself!

Many of these normal outlook functions are also available on your mobile phone using Outlook Mobile Access, however on phones that support Activesync such as Iphones or those running Windows Mobile operating systems most users prefer to use the native email client and be ‘online’ all the time. Once configured, your mobile phone is sent your email, contacts, tasks, and calendar items in real time so that you are always ‘in touch’. Talk to Boffins before you purchase your next mobile phone.

 

 Strategic Business Data and Key Operational Applications

Strategic Business Data must be kept secure but the 21st century business will want to provide remote access to this data so that executives can work with it when out of the office. Folder synchronisation has potential to allow this data off site but at a huge risk. Think of the laptop and data stick thefts in the public sector that hit the headlines recently! The second problem with synchronisation is exactly that. It is not a trivial matter to make sure that the most current data is that which is being used.

The best solution is to serve this data to remote users as needed across the wide area network. Whether as files, or web pages, or as SharePoint data this data can be properly secured and delivered over encrypted links (Virtual Private Networking). Even then, many businesses prefer to keep their data safe on site. File sharing is not always an option as many data types are unsuitable for sharing over a comparatively slow connection.

Most Key Operational Applications such as order processing, call tracking, accounting, and CRM rely upon databases for their operation and especially where transaction integrity is important both the data and application need to stay at the centre. The answer is to use remote computing techniques such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. 

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services allows remote users to utilise computing resources operating entirely at the centre of the network.

Utilising a thin client (or any computer able to run a browser) the user performs their tasks within a virtual computer environment running on a PC or Server located at the office. A single PC on the local network can be configured as a ‘remote desktop’ for the remote user to connect to. A server can be configured to support many such clients simultaneously depending upon the performance of its hardware and licences purchased. By employing Microsoft Remote Desktop Services the 21st century business can provide high performance access to its strategic data and key operation systems without compromising its data or business security.

Conclusion

Remote access tools such as Outlook Web Access and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services allow users to make secure connections to their key systems across a wide area network without compromising performance or the security of strategic business data. 21st century businesses utilise these tools today to enhance flexibility and speed of response to customers and suppliers.

Links to previous articles:
21st Century Business
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/21st-century-business/

Boffins Broadband
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/boffins-broadband/

Securing your Network
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/safeoffice-network-security/