The Brief

One of our clients had four basic requirements to fill:

Firstly, replacement of the company’s server infrastructure (the computers that were used to run file, print, email and MIS database services). These had been installed over a number of years and were getting to the end of their normal working lives.

Secondly, a reliable support and maintenance service for these computers. The company was looking for a third party to take over responsibility for these servers.

Thirdly, provision of desktop technology support to the company's staff, offering support for Microsoft Office products, procuring and building new desktops, managing the company's license inventory and so forth.

Finally, the review and optimisation of the WAN and LAN infrastructures that the company had implemented in and between its four offices.

Our Approach

We first documented what the company currently had - not an easy task given the ad-hoc manner in which many of the company's technology assets had been acquired. We talked to a number of suppliers with a view to using a third party for hosting and management, but it soon became clear this would not meet all the requirements being set out.

Consequently, we put a tender document together to asking for submissions from companies prepared to replace the existing infrastructure, then remotely manage it. This would alleviate the biggest headache the company had - finding technology skills to own and manage the hardware platform and support the users on a day-to-day basis.

Once we had identified a vendor, we were able to put in place a replacement programme for the worn out equipment and start to consolidate the technology environment around the parts that worked well. The vendor liked that approach because there was an explicit understanding that they would not be asked to manage old and dying equipment in the medium to long term.

Once the environment had been stabilised we were able to review the WAN and LAN requirements and put strategies and plans in place to improve the overall position.

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