The Situation:   A new client had three locations.  Each location had its own computer system with its own central file server.  However, the systems did not talk to each other, so that when staff members went from one location to another, they could not access their own files.  As a result, they carried important files, including some with sensitive information from one site to another on flash drives. System administration was complicated because the administrator had to create duplicate entries on two or three systems for those staff members who worked at different sites.  A Citrix applications server was located at one location and connected to the other twoby a virtual private network (VPN). However, this server was not part of any of the three domains. So, administration was further complicated because each person on that server had to have an account there as well.

What We Did:  We completely rebuilt the infrastructure from the ground up.  First, we upgraded the VPN so that staff at any site could access resources throughout the agency.  Second, we replaced the three individual computer domains with a single domain, tying together resources throughout the agency.  We upgraded servers, two of which were very old and had inadequate memory and two were underpowered relative to the number of users they were supporting.  We also upgraded the Citrix server and made it part of the domain as well, so that users would have a single login for all system resources.  We also managed the phone company’s upgrade to two sites with slow internet connections to make communications more efficient between the three services.

The Result:  Staff immediately benefited from having access to their own documents from anywhere on the system.   Staff found less and less need to keep business information on their flash drives. It also made it easier for staff to access shared documents with colleagues at other locations.  The increase in bandwidth at two locations (one already had a T1), improved communications among the locations, especially in connecting to the Citrix server.  These changes improved the effectiveness with which staff could use the computer systems and increased their ability to serve clients rather than fight with their system.  Also, system administration was simplified because there was only one, rather than four, systems to administer.