Customer Solution Case Study
/ Luxury Hotel Increases Operational Efficiency and Security for Network and Users
Overview
Country or Region: India
Industry: Hospitality
Customer Profile
Grand Windsor Resorts Ltd. operates Hotel Radisson Windsor in Jalandhar, Punjab, under a Franchisee Agreement with Radisson Hotels International Inc., USA. The premium hotel employs over 200 people.
Business Situation
The backend network used by the hotel employees was based on a workgroup environment and posed several issues of availability, ease of use, and security.
Solution
The network design was streamlined and Microsoft technologies were used as the basis of the new network. Forefront Client Security was used for virus protection.
Benefits
n Better IT operational efficiency
n Strengthened network security
n Increase in user productivity
n Easier network administration
n Time savings / “We chose Microsoft technologies due to the experienced partner ecosystem and larger community for support. Open source does not provide such options for the growth of a non IT organization.”
Rupak Roy, Manager Systems, Radisson Windsor Hotel
Grand Windsor Resorts Limited is a player in the hospitality sector. It operates Hotel Radisson Windsor in Jalandhar, Punjab, under a franchisee agreement with Radisson Hotels International, Inc. The company’s workgroup-based network used a mix of technologies and versions and was vulnerable to virus and other threats, due to ineffective security enforcement. Their open-source messaging solution also led to security and other issues. Users found it difficult to access applications and helpdesk calls were on the rise. Managing and maintaining users was a challenging task. There was no centralized solution for patch management either. The company has now based their network architecture completely on Microsoft technologies, including Windows® Server™, Exchange Server, SQL Server™, Windows® XP, Office and Forefront Client Security, the antivirus solution from Microsoft.
Situation
Grand Windsor Resorts Limited operates Radisson Windsor Hotel in Jalandhar, Punjab, India under a Franchisee Agreement with Radisson Hotels International Inc., USA, a renowned chain of luxury hotels.
Grand Windsor’s backend network for its own employees began to be plagued with several issues. The network was based on a standalone/workgroup environment, which made it difficult to manage and maintain user profiles. Moreover, the network used heterogeneous technologies and multiple versions of these. Similarly, different versions of antivirus software were deployed, which were not updated regularly with the latest signatures. Installing patches on users’ systems also required physical presence at each desktop.
Increasingly, it could be seen that the network was becoming user-unfriendly. Users found it difficult to access applications. IT helpdesk calls were increasing by the day. The network was also vulnerable to security threats, such as virus attacks. System crashes and the loss of productivity due to this were not uncommon.
The company required structured, reliable and scalable network infrastructure that would be easy to manage and maintain.
Solution
The company contacted FreeAMC Infosystems, a system integration company and a registered Microsoft partner, which already provided network maintenance and other services, and was aware of the issues with the network.
Free AMC designed and did a demo of a network based entirely on Microsoft technologies. “We did a showcase of technologies and explained the ease of use and future benefits,” says Pawan Wadhawan, partner, FreeAMC Infosystems.
After discussions with the team at Radisson Windsor Jalandhar, FreeAMC was given the go-ahead to implement the network.
Implementation began in August 2007 and was completed in two months. The network, comprising 80 desktops and five servers, was standardized on Microsoft technologies. Microsoft® Windows® Server™ 2003 R2 , SQL Server™ 2005, Windows® XP Professional and Microsoft® Office were used for the servers and desktops. Apart from this, the messaging solution was based on Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007.
The earlier network used different antivirus solutions on different servers, thereby creating issues of updating and maintaining each of the solutions. This was standardized by using a single solution, Microsoft Forefront Client Security, for protection against viruses and other threats.
“We are not an IT/ITES organization and have no expertise in reinventing a comparable technology, like Microsoft. It was a wise decision to choose MS technologies due to the specialized and experienced partner ecosystem, larger community to support and help, responsible organization and single point of contact for escalation. Open Source/Linux is an option, but does not provide such options for the growth of a non IT organization,” says Rupak Roy, manager systems, Radisson Windsor Hotel.
Post deployment, the IT infrastructure is looked after by FreeAMC.
The new, streamlined network has enabled the organization to remotely manage and maintain system health and security. Centralized patch management for all systems using WSUS has simplified management further.
An enriched messaging solution means that employees can access mail from anywhere using mobile devices, without any additional cost or solution. This has greatly enhanced performance and productivity.
Roy is also very happy with the antivirus solution, Forefront. “It is the best we have used till date,” he says. “It is lightweight and we don't have to manage it like other antivirus solutions for virus definitions update. It gets updated along with the patch management solution,” he explains. He adds that there have been no virus issues till date.
Benefits
“Looking back and comparing with our current network, we heave a sigh of relief,” says Roy. “We are confident that with growth in the network/organization, it won’t require more people for seamless operation,” he adds.
Increased IT operational efficiency
The efficiency of managing Windows servers and desktops has increased by 80 per cent, since the number of directories and passwords has reduced and Windows servers and desktops can be centrally managed.
Strengthened network security
Active Directory has helped in strengthening security by enabling automated lockdown of Windows systems, the use of strong passwords and credentials for access, and easier management of access to network resources. The use of Forefront has also improved security considerably, as has timely patch management.
Increase in user productivity
Employee productivity has increased as users can find people, applications, and resources faster. The network also empowers employees with rich collaboration capabilities, and enforces single sign-on to integrated applications and resources. “Productivity and efficiency have also increased by using MS Office,” says Roy. “Now, we can use rich graphics in our documents with ease. Standard document templates no more require conversions from one format to other,” he explains.
Easier network administration
Calls to the IT helpdesk have reduced by 70 to 80 per cent. The turnaround time for helpdesk calls has also reduced. The time
Time savings
Time spent in maintaining the network has reduced. Since there is no network downtime now, users save considerable time that was spent earlier in dealing with system crashes and other issues. “Employees now have more time to learn technology and contribute to the growth of the organization,” says Roy.
“We spend less than 30 per cent of our previous efforts to manage and maintain our network. The use of Forefront has also reduced our internet bandwidth utilization by at least 50 per cent. Now, we are doing the best utilization of services and features offered in Microsoft solutions for the growth of our organization,” concludes Roy.
Windows Server 2003 R2
The Windows Server 2003 R2 family helps organizations do more with less. Now you can run your IT infrastructure more efficiently, build better applications faster, and deliver the best infrastructure for enhancing user productivity. And you can do all this faster, more securely, and at lower cost.
For more information about Windows Server 2003 R2, please visit:
www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003