Customer Solution Case Study
/ / Customs House Agent Facilitates Electronic Filing of Customs Documents
Overview
Country or Region:India
Industry:Professional Services
Customer Profile
NG Pillai, established in 1983, is a Customs House Agent in India. Working for many blue chip companies such as LG Electronics, J K Technosoft, and American Express, the company works closely with India’s Customs Department to ensure timely clearance of all imports.
Business Situation
Customs House Agents (CHAs) need to utilize specific software created by the National Informatics Centre to upload documents. This can be done at a notified Service Centre, although some of the larger CHAs can do this from their own offices.
Solution
To start the service centre operations, the company set up a network with 20 PCs on a LAN. A client/server network based on Microsoft® Windows® Small Business Server 2003 was created.
Benefits
Installs and gets to work quickly
Ensures network security
Stores business-critical information in one central location
Accommodates more customers / “Small Business Server 2003 has clearly been a business enabler for us, without which we would not have been able to create an effective service centre.”
N.G. Pillai, CEO, NG Pillai
NG Pillai is a New Delhi–based Customs House Agent (CHA), a service sometimes referred to by other countries as a customs broker. The company was started in 1983, and today has more than 35 employees. NG Pillai wanted to start a new business as an Authorized Service Centre of Customs, where CHAs in the region could file relevant documents with the government electronically. To do this, the company needed a high-technology infrastructure. NG Pillai set up a service centre with 20 client computers networked on a LAN with high-speed internet access. To upload documents from its office to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) server, the company deployed Microsoft® Windows® Small Business Server (SBS) 2003. The service centre is using Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 for its communications needs, and a Microsoft SQL Server™ database on the back end for filing all documents to the NIC server.
Situation
NG Pillai is a Customs House Agent (CHA), approved by India’s Ministry of Finance to handle customs clearance of a variety of products for companies based in and around New Delhi. Established in New Delhi in 1983, the company today employs more than 35 people. Its customers include LG Electronics, JK Technosoft, and American Express.
Of the approximately 600 CHAs in New Delhi, only 60 to 70 companies have been authorized to use the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) infrastructure created by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to upload customs documents securely over the Internet. This solution, called the Indian Customs Excise (ICE) Gateway, acts as a single-point interface between the NIC’s customs computer network and partners in the customs system. The smaller clearing houses need to visit one of the service centres created by the Customs Authority in order to file their documents electronically.
NG Pillai was also a subcontractor for the public sector undertaking Electronics Trade, and Technology Corporation Ltd. (ET&T Ltd.), which used to run these service centres. The company’s employees used to man one such centre until June 2003, when the government shut down ET&T Ltd. At this point, NG Pillai decided to become a service centre for the customs depot in New Delhi.
With this objective, the organization decided to create an IT infrastructure that would support the smaller CHAs in the National Capital Region (NCR).
To become a service centre, the organization needed to set up an IT infrastructure of hardware, software, and networking components on its premises so that other CHAs could visit to file documents using the NIC’s Remote EDI System (RES). The Customs Department responds to applications online with approved Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills, which are used by the CHA for clearance of cargo.
Solution
NG Pillai turned to Microsoft® partner IT Solutions India (P) Limited for help in designing and deploying a new solution. Using Microsoft® Windows® Small Business Server 2003, Solutions India created an end-to-end solution for the service centre. A 20-computer LAN was set up with high-speed Internet access.
In addition to Small Business Server2003, the server-side infrastructure includes the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 operating system and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 for managing the Web access and e-mail infrastructure for the service centre.
Windows Server is used for a file and print server, as well. A common hard disk drive on the server is used to store and access all documents. This removes the need for paper copies. Shared Fax Services have also been deployed. As many of the CHAs don’t have an e-mail infrastructure, confirmations often have to be faxed to their offices or printouts provided.
Twenty service centre personnel assist the CHA representatives with filling out the forms as required by Customs. The infrastructure uses Microsoft SQL Server™ to store the information for each transaction. Exchange Server has been deployed as the messaging infrastructure.
Currently, NG Pillai is working with NIC to port the excise application to Microsoft SQL Server from an Oracle database. This will enable the company to utilize the existing infrastructure provided in Small Business Server 2003 more effectively.
Benefits
Small Business Server 2003 forms the cornerstone of NG Pillai’s foray into the Customs service centre business.
Installs and Gets to Work Quickly
NG Pillai was able to create the entire IT infrastructure in a matter of days with SBS 2003. Online license activation means that the organization did not have to physically set up the client computers using a floppy disk or CD. “It has been very easy to start our business, as SBS offers an integrated solution that met all our requirements,” says N.G. Pillai, CEO of NG Pillai.
Ensures Network Security
As a service centre, the company manages a large amount of confidential information for various importers across the region. Therefore, it is imperative that the information is secure. Wizards in Small Business Server 2003 simplify security settings and help ensure that all the necessary security steps are taken while setting up the network. Additionally, SBS 2003 has an internal firewall and supports third-party external firewalls for greater security.
Stores Business-Critical Information in One Central Location
NG Pillai has been able to centralise access to data and applications. This has improved employee productivity by ensuring that employees can locate relevant information from their desktops.
Accommodates More Customers
“We believe we are better equipped and can manage a larger number of customers on any given day. This is because SBS provides us with a stable and secure infrastructure that supports our business needs and helps us grow,” explains Mr. Prakashan, General Manager, NG Pillai.
Microsoft Windows Server System
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