IT Consulting Firm Simplifies Remote Network Access, Saves $200,000 a Year

“Using Windows Server 2008 R2, we accomplished a whole year’s worth of IT projects in the first quarter of 2009—even in this tight economy…. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

Rand Morimoto, President, Convergent Computing

Convergent Computing (CCO) wanted to improve remote network access for its mobile users. Using the DirectAccess and BranchCache™ features in Windows Server® 2008 R2 and Windows 7, CCO has simplified remote connection to its network and sped the downloading of important files. It has cut costs by eliminating its virtual private network and has seen a 43 percent savings in wide area network (WAN) bandwidth.

Business Needs

Convergent Computing (CCO) offers IT consulting services to help organizations implement and manage their networks. Most CCO employees are mobile and need remote access to the CCO network wherever they are working.

Previously, that access was cumbersome and costly. Salespeople had to find a Wi-Fi spot at a hotel, coffee shop, or public Internet kiosk, and CCO was charged U.S.$10 or $20 for every connection. With a DSL or international ISDN Internet connection, it could take two to three minutes to download a standard set of project document files from a remote site. Consultants who worked on projects at customer sites needed to use and share large computer-aided design (CAD) drawings, project plans, and other project-related files that were stored on the CCO network. Files were being uploaded and downloaded many times a day, which added up to a lot of wasted time spent just waiting for the files.

Security was also a concern when employees used customers’ networks or unsecured public networks because CCO workers often accessed confidential company information. “We tried using an appliance-based network solution,” says Rand Morimoto, President of Convergent Computing. “But it used a policy system that was completely different from our Active Directory® environment and security system. It took three days to set up and configure, it did not give us a way to optimize communications traffic without compromising security, and we had to break it down and move it to a new site every few months.”

CCO needed a cost-effective solution that would give employees quick access to the corporate network.

Solution

An early adopter of Microsoft® software, CCO had been using the Windows Server® 2008 operating system for more than a year. In June 2008, when CCO upgraded its servers to Windows Server 2008 R2, among the first infrastructure changes it made was to replace its VMware virtualization solution with Hyper-V™ technology. To simplify remote access, CCO upgraded its laptop computers to the Windows® 7 operating system and began using two new features of Windows Server 2008 R2: DirectAccess and BranchCache™.

With DirectAccess, users can reach the corporate network over the Internet, without establishing a virtual private network (VPN) connection. DirectAccess authenticates the client computer and the user, and it uses Internet Protocol security for encrypted communications across the Internet. IT administrators can specify different access levels for different types of users.

BranchCache works by locally caching frequently used content in the remote office. With BranchCache, users avoid the slow download times that they typically experience when connecting to the corporate network using a WAN link.

Benefits

Windows Server 2008 R2 has helped Convergent Computing cut costs, improve employee efficiency, and increase security.

 Cost savings. “With Windows Server 2008 R2, our return on investment was immediate,” says Morimoto. “By using Hyper-V failover clusters, we eliminated $30,000 per year for VMware hardware and licenses. We used that $30,000 to purchase three new server computers and more laptop computers.” BranchCache also saved CCO up to $20,000 by eliminating the need to purchase an appliance-based network device for use at its remote sites.

With DirectAccess, CCO is saving about $40,000 a year by eliminating its VPN and all its associated hardware, software, licensing, and carrier charges. And now that employees use AT&T wireless adapters with new Mobile Broadband features in Windows 7, CCO pays a flat rate for wireless service, avoiding the $10 or $20 per-connection fees. Morimoto adds that employee productivity has improved so much that he was able to defer hiring additional sales and management personnel this year. “The $120,000 to $150,000 a year it would cost to fund these positions now goes straight to our bottom line or gets distributed to current employees to help preclude layoffs in the future,” says Morimoto.

 Improved productivity. Wireless network access anywhere anytime has helped employees work more efficiently. “Recently, a sales account executive and I had about an hour-long drive back to the office from a customer site,” Morimoto says. “With DirectAccess, he was able to log on to our network, access the documents he needed, and write the proposal while I drove. By the time we got back to the office, he was already hitting the send button to deliver the proposal. Afterward, he was able to use the time that he saved to work on other projects.”

BranchCache has improved productivity by making it easy for employees to download the most current version of a file. “Using BranchCache, we have seen a 43 percent savings in WAN bandwidth,” says Morimoto. “Huge CAD files that took more than a minute to download before can now be retrieved in about ten seconds.”

 Better security. By eliminating its VPN, CCO minimized its security risk. “With DirectAccess, we now use Active Directory Group Policy settings to our advantage by extending them all the way to the field,” says Morimoto. “Specifying different policies for different users helps us control user access server by server, right down to the application level.”

Morimoto sums up the value of the new solution. “Using Windows Server 2008 R2, we accomplished a whole year’s worth of IT projects in the first quarter of 2009—even in this tight economy. Our CFO is happy, and our employees are delighted because their jobs are easier and they can work more productively. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the latest version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. With Windows Server 2008 R2, you can create solutions that are easier to plan, deploy, and manage than with previous versions of Windows Server. Building on the features, security, reliability, and performance provided by Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 extends connectivity and control to local and remote resources. This means that your organization can benefit from reduced costs and increased efficiencies gained through enhanced management and control over resources across the enterprise.

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Windows 7

Built on the Windows Vista® foundation, Windows® 7 will help make users productive anywhere, enhance security and control, and streamline PC management. The investments in Windows 7 are shaped by the evolving needs of end users and IT professionals in the enterprise. Users are becoming more computer-savvy and expect more from the technology they use at work. They expect to be able to work from home, from branch offices, and on the road with the same level of productivity. As user needs have changed, the demands on IT professionals have increased. Today, IT professionals must provide more capability and greater flexibility for users while continuing to minimize cost and security risks.

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