Case Studies
Lealta Ltd
Lealta Ltd specialises in an ever expanding portfolio of bespoke loyalty and incentive
schemes, utilising an unparalleled range of added value benefits, primarily drawn
from discounts on an exceptional choice of products and services. Many thousands
of employees and customers of key employers throughout the UK already enjoy Lealta
sourced benefits – with many more employers and closed user groups looking to offer
the same range of benefits to their customers and staff.
Lealta is leading the way in this hugely important market.
Their recent acquisition of Premier Golf Card has allowed them to broaden their
client base to include over 500 golf courses throughout the UK and Ireland, with
the number increasing daily. Premier Golf Card is the fastest growing golf discount
scheme of its kind and offers many features unavailable elsewhere.
Brett Technologies provides Lealta with fully managed support services across all
of it’s IT infrastructure. We also provide regular strategic input ensuring that
Lealta’s growing IT needs occurs seemlessly as the business moves forward.
Benefits
- Key performance indicators enable management to have full visibility of the businesses
performance and development
- A scalable IT infrastructure that has the potential to grow with the company
- Peace of mind for Lealta, knowing that all aspects of the IT systems are fully managed
and supported
- Total system security and backup
"Brett Technologies Ltd has taken the relentless IT headache out of our hands. I’m glad to say, we never even have to think about the IT support side of things."
Lealta Managing Director Matt Longworth
Lealta
Premier Golf Card
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E T Knagg
Poulton based E T Knagg has been operating in the insurance industry since 1902.
The company was taken over by a consortium in 1995 when its potential for rapid
growth was recognised. They now provide insurance cover for all needs and specialise
in business insurance providing tailor-made solutions to meet the needs of industry
and commerce. These include:
- Business insurance - for any occupation or size of company
- Construction industry - all aspects of the construction industry with minimum policy
restrictions
- Hotels - all types from guest houses to luxury hotels
- Commercial motor insurance - from a single vehicle to a fleet of any size including
goods in transit
- Home & motor - highly flexible solutions through one office
- Healthcare - individual healthcare insurance and company schemes, through to cover
for hospitals, surgeries and nursing homes
The company now employs 28 people and has subsequently taken over four independent
brokers in the region enabling it to become the area’s leading commercial insurance
broker.
A focus on people has been a major factor in the company’s success over the past
decade and this has been recognised with the award of the prestigious "Investors
in People" standard to add to the ISO accreditation that was achieved in 1999.
Meeting the requirements of the FSA
Knagg’s had realised the value that IT could bring to the business many years ago.
They had invested in a custom-written application that dealt with all their back-office
requirements such as: accounting, office-productivity applications and e-mail as
well as insurance quotes.
New regulations introduced by the Financial Services Act meant that this existing
application did not meet the new requirements stipulated in the act. This and growing
concern over security in areas such as virus infection and hacker attack led Knagg’s
to look at alternative solutions for their IT requirements.
After a thorough review they decided to implement Acturis – a fully-integrated front
and back office system. This solution would provide Knagg’s with immediate and in-depth
management information and had the additional advantage of being fully integrated
with their existing Microsoft office productivity tools and e-mail.
Acturis is provided on an Application Server Provider (ASP) model with all data
and applications being hosted on a secure and resilient network in London.
Building a secure infrastructure
The existing IT infrastructure was not capable of meeting the requirements of providing
the necessary secure environment that the ASP model of Acturis needed. So Knagg’s
approached Brett Technologies of Preston. Brett Technologies is a leading Microsoft
partner that provides design, consultancy, implementation and support services for
their client’s IT infrastructure. Their in-depth knowledge and experience across
the whole range of Microsoft server platforms enables Brett Technologies to build
scalable and easily supported solutions.
Brett Technologies assessed Knagg’s needs and recommended the implementation of
a solution built around Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS). This is a suite of
powerful server solutions that comprehensively integrates productivity applications,
such as Office, and operating systems, such as Windows XP, into a centrally co-ordinated
and managed network. It provides a secure and reliable IT infrastructure that allows
businesses to deal with important issues such as:
- Providing secure remote access to data and applications
- Central document storage
- Managing e-mail
- Collaboration
- Security and backup issues
SBS was implemented in conjunction with Microsoft Office and the Microsoft Dynamics
CRM application. Brett Technologies specified and configured the servers and desktops
within the 2 offices of Knagg’s to provide a secure environment for data, reliable
messaging and collaborative working. Brett Technologies also configured the network
to allow for secure and fast Internet access to Acturis via a VPN.
Flexible and collaborative working
The changes forced on Knagg’s by the requirements of the Financial Services Act
gave them an opportunity to review their IT requirements and develop a platform
that provided a more flexible and collaborative working environment.
Dave Mackie, managing director of Knagg’s explained:
“The implementation of SBS has not only provided us a with a secure and reliable
IT infrastructure for the future, but the ability to securely access critical data
and applications away from the office has enabled us to allow staff to work from
home with access to all the tools they need to do the job.
By providing a more flexible working environment for our staff, it has helped to
increase morale and employee loyalty. Everyone is looking to get a better work/life
balance these days and this has helped us to keep our staff happy.
The knowledge and expertise of the Brett Technologies staff who worked on our system
was excellent. They quickly understood what we needed and were able to design and
implement a strategy that not only meets our immediate needs but will grow with
the company, without the need for massive re-investment as our requirements evolve.
The collaboration capabilities provided by SBS have also helped to increase efficiency
both within and across our offices enabling us to improve our business processes
and profitability.”
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Community Communication Network (CCN)
Community Communication Network (CCN), based in Preston, Lancashire, provides Local
Strategic (LSP’s) and Community Safety Partnerships (CSP’s) with dedicated, managed
television networks throughout their districts. These networks showcase the partnerships’
achievements, results and the positive changes taking place within their communities.
They offer their services through 2 main solutions: CSPtv - a dedicated
local broadcast network, offering organisations such as CSP's, Crime & Disorder
Reduction Partnerships, the police, education, health and environment agencies a
full solution for communication, enabling them to reach, consult and engage within
their communities. The professional, dynamic content includes: Local Partnership
initiatives, local crime prevention messages, missing persons and serious crime
appeals and details of local treatment agencies and helplines. LSPtv
- offers organisations such as LSP’s, the police, education, health and environment
agencies a full solution for communication, enabling them to reach, consult and
engage within their communities. The high impact, professionally produced visual
content includes: local Partnership initiatives, key messages on health, employment,
education, housing, youth services and activities and local crime prevention messages.
Basic IT infrastructure
CCN originally started as a small offshoot of a more established business. Rapid
growth meant that there was a need to make it independent to ensure continued success.
Such growth had also meant that CCN’s IT infrastructure was very basic and not really
capable of supporting the company going forward.
In particular the need for the IT infrastructure to support and enable rapid and
secure communication with remote employees and third party partners, was a critical
factor in maintaining company operations and sustaining future growth. This would
enable CCN to control the work flow and business processes that dealt with the creation
and publishing of their media-content
In addition CCN required the implementation of an integrated business management
system that would provide timely and accurate information on their financial, marketing
and sales activities.
Robust and secure platform for growth
CCN approached Preston based Brett Technologies to advise on and implement their
new IT infrastructure. Brett Technologies are a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner,
providing high level design, consultancy, implementation and support services.
After carrying out a thorough analysis of the current and likely future requirements,
Brett Technologies advised on the best strategy for the architecture of CCN’s IT
platform. They recommended installing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 network with
Exchange Server and SQL Server to look after the messaging and database requirements.
This involved Brett Technologies building and installing 5 servers at the main Preston
site and a subsidiary Manchester location. These five servers were split to look
after:
- IIS and file & print services
- Production server – to manage the creation of video content
- SQL Server
- Blackberry Enterprise Solution (BES)
- Development
Brett Technologies also implemented a dual backup capability on the main production
server to offer many terabytes of offline data storage, ensuring critical media-content
would always be available.
BES was particularly important for CCN as they have a number of remote sales staff
who need to be in regular touch with e-mail, applications and data stored on the
central servers and Blackberry devices were key to satisfying this requirement.
Integrated business management solution
To handle the financial, marketing and sales requirements, Brett Technologies implemented
Microsoft Navision. Microsoft Navision is a complete and customisable business management
solution, and is ideal for companies with unique business processes and specialised
needs. It integrates financial, distribution, customer relationship management and
e-commerce data into a unified database that can be easily and securely accessed
by staff across the entire organisation.
Microsoft Navision was also used as the tool to control the creation of media-content.
Brett Technologies used Microsoft Visual Studio to develop a customised front-end
to the system that totally automates the processes associated with the creation
and delivery of video communications. In addition they created specific Web services
using both C#.Net and VB.Net that enable remote staff and clients to access the
relevant parts of the system and ensure a seamless, rapid and secure workflow.
Increased efficiency
Implementation of the system has enabled the business to continue its growth without
the need to increase staff. By automating the processes underlying the creation
of media-content the time taken to edit and broadcast new visual content has been
dramatically reduced. In fact, as staff have left, the system is so efficient that
they have not needed to be directly replaced.
Implementation of the system has enabled the business to continue its growth without
the need to increase staff. By automating the processes underlying the creation
of media-content the time taken to edit and broadcast new visual content has been
dramatically reduced. In fact, as staff have left, the system is so efficient that
they have not needed to be directly replaced.
Martin Ayrton of CCN commented:
“Without the work carried out by Brett Technologies, CCN would not be able to function
as efficiently and profitably as we do. Their knowledge of the infrastructure requirements
of a business like ours, coupled with their incredible in-depth experience of implementing
the technology and supporting services has provided us with a very stable, secure
and resilient IT platform that will ensure the company will continue to grow for
many years.
Their expertise ensured that the system was implemented with no problems or inconvenience
to the business and its employees, while their on-going support of the solution
is of the highest standard.”
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Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
In today’s world of high functionality software applications, the infrastructure
that they run on is largely taken for granted. Yet, if this ‘plumbing’ is not given
the same level of care in the planning and implementation as the applications that
run on it, the expected benefits will simply not materialise.
This is precisely the problem that the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) was encountering.
MAG is one of the world's leading humanitarian organisations providing conflict-affected
countries with a real chance for a better future.
They clear the remnants of conflict from some of the world's poorest nations by
educating and employing local people. This helps to provide solutions for those
trapped by poverty and economic devastation through no fault of their own.
Operating since 1989 and having worked on a variety of conflict-related projects
in around 35 countries, MAG is also co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded
for their work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Headquartered in
Manchester, MAG is currently involved in 12 programs across the world from Nicaragua
to Cambodia.
Reliance on e-mail
Due to the worldwide nature of their activities, MAG is highly dependent on e-mail
to keep in touch with staff at all their programmes. This versatile and inexpensive
medium ensures that their innovative solutions for conflict-affected communities
can be delivered. But, MAG was increasingly suffering from service failures and
outages due to an unreliable infrastructure. Richard Boniface, IT manager at MAG
explained:
“We had built up our IT infrastructure piecemeal and the fact that we had no real
process to manage the process was leading to regular failures of e-mail and our
other applications.”
MAG has approximately 30 users of IT systems in their headquarters, ranging from
Microsoft Office through to a specialised procurement application. As well as impacting
MAG’s ability to contact its programmes, the productivity of the users was being
severely impacted by the failures of the network infrastructure and Boniface realised
that a different approach was required.
Removing the areas of risk
MAG realised that specialist help was required and so they approached Preston based
Brett Technologies to advise on and implement their new IT infrastructure. Brett
Technologies are a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, providing high level design,
consultancy, implementation and support services.
Brett consultants visited MAG’s headquarters and carried out a thorough review and
analysis of their existing infrastructure. A critical part of this process was understanding
the areas of risk with the current setup and how these needed to be removed in the
new implementation.
They then spent time with senior MAG staff understanding their current and likely
future requirements. On the basis of this review, they recommended installing a
new infrastructure based on industry leading Microsoft technologies. This would
enable MAG to cost-effectively transition their existing network to a new platform
that comprised of:
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003 - for powering connected applications, networks and
Web services
- Exchange Server 2003 – fast, reliable and secure e-mail communications
- SQL Server – a comprehensive database platform providing enterprise-class data management
with integrated business intelligence (BI) tools
This new configuration provides an optimised, secure, cost-saving and productivity-enhancing
IT infrastructure. It delivers a powerful application platform for quickly building
connected solutions and an information worker infrastructure for enhanced communication
and collaboration anytime and anywhere.
It would also enable MAG to support their future objectives and provide network
resiliency and disaster recovery for their mission-critical applications
Resilient infrastructure
Brett consultants then built and installed the servers required to support this
new infrastructure. With this in place they were then able to tackle the migration
of existing applications and data over to the new network. This was achieved with
minimum disruption to MAG staff and their programs.
Richard Boniface commented:
“We are delighted with the new infrastructure that Brett have designed and installed
for us. The knowledge and experience of their staff ensured that we always received
a very high level of service throughout the entire upgrade project.
Their expertise has actually enabled us to save money on our IT budget by being
able to consolidate applications on our servers. In addition, they have been able
to help us reduce our risk level in other areas. For example, our accounts system
is run on a SUN server and Brett consultants have been able to help us put together
backup and disaster recovery plans that will enable us to very quickly be up and
running should we suffer a failure in this area.”
Brett is now providing MAG with a tailored support package that ensures that when
a problem occurs it is very quickly rectified.
Boniface concluded:
“With Brett’s help we are now very confident with our IT infrastructure and know
that it is resilient enough to support our day to day operations. In addition the
disaster recovery procedures put in place by Brett consultants ensures that should
an unforeseen event happen, we will be back up and running very quickly.
I am looking forward to working with Brett in continuing to improve our IT platform.”
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Wharfedale Homecare/ iCare
Wharfedale Homecare is headquartered in Blackpool, Lancashire. They provide a wide
range of personal care and community meals services for frail and elderly people
who are living in their own homes and require support to remain independent. They
are registered and approved by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI)
and various local authorities within the North-West. Their aim is to achieve a recognised
leadership position in their chosen market as a team of dedicated professionals
who provide high quality, innovative and cost effective health care solutions that
meet the needs of their clients.
Reliability and performance issues
Wharfedale had recognised many years ago the value that IT could bring to their
organisation. They invested in an IT infrastructure to support over twenty users
in their three offices at Blackpool, Cleveleys and Leyland. This was built on the
Microsoft Windows platform and had been in place for a number of years to run their
office productivity applications and specific line of business software. The main
server was located at the Blackpool HQ, with the remote offices supported via a
VPN.
As the organisation had grown, the server supporting this network had reached maximum
capacity leading to frequent crashes and on-going performance issues. This downtime
was having an adverse affect on the efficiency of employees across the organisation
and was ultimately affecting the quality of service that Wharfedale offered to their
clients.
The company was also suffering with poor IT support, as they had utilised a number
of suppliers over the years and none had proved satisfactory in being able to deliver
the level of service and advice that was required.
Integrated and secure solution
To solve their IT infrastructure problems Wharfedale approached Brett Technologies
of Preston. Brett is a leading Microsoft partner that provides design, consultancy,
implementation and support services for their client’s IT infrastructure. Their
in-depth knowledge and experience across the whole range of Microsoft server platforms
enables Brett Technologies to build scalable and easily supported solutions.
Brett Technologies initially carried out a review of Wharfedale’s existing IT platform
and spoke at length with their senior staff to understand the likely future requirements
of the organisation. They were then able to recommend a strategy that would provide
a stable IT infrastructure capable of supporting Wharfedale going forward.
This was built on the Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (SBS) - a complete
and affordable network solution. SBS is a suite of powerful server solutions that
comprehensively integrates productivity applications, such as Office, and operating
systems, such as Windows XP, into a centrally co-ordinated and managed network.
It provides a secure and reliable IT infrastructure that allows businesses to deal
with important issues such as:
- Central document storage
- Managing e-mail
- Providing remote and mobile access to data and applications
- Collaboration
- Security and backup issues
Brett Technologies implemented SBS on a new server built and configured specifically
for the Blackpool office. They then re-cabled the office and updated the WAN with
secure VPN links to the remote sites to ensure that a more modern and resilient
infrastructure was in place to support the new solution. After a review of the service
offered by their current ISP, Brett Technologies recommended Wharfedale change to
a different supplier.
The project was completed with an anti-virus solution and a secure, reliable and
easily-managed backup system.
Dealing with the requirements of a new office
During 2005 Wharfedale added an extra office to their setup. This was located in
a Local Authority building in Bury, Lancashire. It was necessary to provide the
staff at this office with access to all the applications and data stored on the
central server.
Brett Technologies was commissioned to carry out this work and although it involved
extending the existing Wide Area Network to accommodate the new location, this was
not a straightforward task. Because the office was located in a Local Authority
building access to and from Wharfedale’s Blackpool-based server had to be through
the Local Authority’s existing firewall. It also had to conform to the strict security
guidelines and protocols demanded by the Local Authority for remote access.
Utilising their experience Brett Technologies were able to solve these problems
and give the Bury staff the same secure, fast and seamless access to data and applications
that is enjoyed by the rest of Wharfedale’s staff.
IT as an enabler for improving services
The new solution has removed all of the old problems with regard to reliability
and performance. Before staff had been inconvenienced by the unreliability of their
IT and were starting to lose confidence in the system; now it enables them to improve
personal productivity and efficiency and confidence in the system is high.
Natalie Gregory of Wharfedale Homecare commented:
“Having tried so many different IT suppliers over the last five years, we were beginning
to lose faith as to whether we would ever find one that would understand our issues
and solve the problems.
We have been delighted with the level of service provided by Brett Technologies
right from the outset. Their advice on strategy and future direction made sure that
we did not waste money by going down a blind alley and their technical know-how
and application are excellent.
Our staff now view IT as an enabler that allows us to offer the highest level of
care to our clients.”
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London Merchant Securities Plc
Company
Listed on the London Stock Exchange, London Merchant Securities Plc (LMS) is a property
development / investment and venture capital group, operating mainly in Central
London, but with a Glasgow office and activities in San Francisco and Bermuda.
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Overview
A property management/investment and venture capital company, London Merchant Securities
(LMS), wanted to upgrade its IT platform to provide greater uniformity across the
enterprise. This system needed to be scalable and flexible for their future needs.
They also needed a completely outsourced IT department with the capability to fully
support their system remotely, and assist them on other projects, including remote
access, Intranet and various database solutions.
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Challenge
LMS wanted a uniform platform across everyone's desks, that had the flexibility
and scalability to grow with the company. They also needed a completely outsourced
IT department with the capability to fully support their systems.
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Solution
LMS is now running Microsoft Windows XP operating system across new Compaq desktops
and laptops, providing a standard across the whole enterprise environment. Total
scalability was achieved by operating Windows implemented on Compaq ML server platforms.
A Windows Active Directory was designed and implemented to provide a vehicle for
centralized control and administration of users and groups throughout the business.
Centralised management and support for the London and Glasgow sites is undertaken
by Brett Technologies remote network monitoring/management system, Netwatch Plus.
This is installed to proactively monitor servers and critical network components
ensuring any problems are managed before users see them. The new system also offers
better back up and recovery of data.
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Benefits
- Homeworking and roaming on line, has proved a huge success. It's not just the key
roaming users on the venture
- Capital side of the business who benefit, but also the surveyors who can quickly
check their emails etc. off site.
- Scalable system.
- Better control of data and users etc via Active Directory.
- Better back-up using Veritas Backup Exec.
- Greater use of collaborative tools Exchange Sharepoint Portal Server etc.
- Improved flexibility.
Overall, the new network has been hailed a great success. "Its business as usual,
but better!", says Paul Dickson.
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Quote
LMS Group IT manager, Paul Dickson said, "We wanted a partnership with our out-sourced
IT company. Someone to understand the goals and aspirations of our business and
someone who could look for solutions, long term".
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CH Facilities
Company
One of the most respected providers of travel insurance for people with medical
conditions, and a leading supplier within charities, C H Facilities Ltd (Travelcare)
deals with around 100 telephone calls a day.
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Overview
Software licenses are business assets and need to be treated in the same way as
any other business asset. Brett Technologies Ltd helped travel insurance firm, CH
Facilities through the array of licenses needed, and now ensure they are always
valid.
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Challenge
The company had been left with an unreliable infrastructure by the previous IT provider,
and needed someone on site same day to resolve an immediate crisis, and who would
go on to deliver an efficient, scalable solution for CH Facilities IT needs.
In addition to general support, the company needed a software license audit and
help to implement a software assets management system.
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Solution
Brett Technologies Ltd quickly resolved the licensing issues, and rapidly improved
the IT infrastructure.
They:
- installed Microsoft Small Business Server, which includes Sql and Exchange
- implemented a new firewall, based on Watchguard Firebox 700
- Developed a web-based travel insurance enquiry database
- Developed a new website.
- Implemented Anti-virus systems from Network Associates
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Benefits
With the IT issues resolved, CH Facilities can concentrate on doing what they do
best providing insurance.
Overall, Brett Technologies has provided peace of mind, but specifically,
the benefits are:
-
Reliable server and infrastructure that runs smoothly and efficiently
-
Secure network removes the worry of hackers and virus attacks.
-
Reliable backup system, based on Veritas Bakupexec is monitored daily by Brett Technologies
-
Having a standard desktop has reduced the technical support overhead
-
Remote connectivity via dial VPN facilities
-
The security needed for CH Facilities new web-based enquiry database.
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Quote
Margaret Hurst, director of CH Facilities said, "We are delighted at the way Brett
Technologies looked at our business as a whole, made recommendations and implemented
them with very little disruption".
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City Invoice Finance
Company
An independent factoring and invoice discounting company, based in Manchester.
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Overview
Working closely with CIF even before the company's launch, Brett Technologies took
CIF's business plan and examined it thoroughly in order to assess the perceived
growth and expectations.
They looked at the application requirements and designed an IT structure that would
enable CIF to achieve their aims and allow for the anticipated growth and required
scalability.
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Challenge
To recommend, design and install a selection of operating platforms to deliver the
main line of business application and other collaborative systems. The main challenge
was that the IT structure needed to be designed at the outset for the anticipated
growth and required scalability. CIF also wanted a high level of service and support.
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Solution
Brett Technologies initially provided help and advice in the selection of the best-fit
applications to deal with the factoring and invoice discounting business. Eventually
products from Dancerace Plc were chosen using the IBM AS400 platform, which provides
very high levels of reliability and is widely used in the financial services sector.
Brett Technologies assisted with the contractual and ordering requirements of products
from Dancerace and the IBM AS400 suppliers. They also designed the internal network
infrastructure upon which all workstations and servers would sit. This infrastructure
provided access to the AS400 at all desks, basic office products, email and other
collaborative tools. The design took account of the planned growth and ensured that
everything the company needed in the future would merely be add-ons not re-designs.
Recent additions include the implementation of a front-end E-business facility that
allows clients to access information about their customers through the Internet.
The computer infrastructure was based initially upon Microsoft Windows NT throughout.
Three NT Servers provide file and print facilities, whilst email and calendaring
etc is delivered via a Microsoft Exchange Server. Recently Windows and Active Directory
has been implemented. All workstations are based upon a standard Windows XP image
enabling additional workstations to be easily configured and rolled out. Back up
of the system occurs automatically using Veritas Back up Exec for the servers and
the IBM AS400 also backs up automatically each evening. A back up AS400 system is
held at Brett Tech`s offices enabling rapid and effective disaster recovery. Further
disaster recovery services are available from a third party supplier and Brett Technologies
carries out an annual disaster recovery test as well as reviewing all disaster recovery
procedures.
Substantial tailoring of Microsoft Outlook has enabled a bespoke contact management
system to be designed specifically for the needs of CIF. Access to the AS400 is
provided through IBM Client Access, some users also have access to online facilities
such as Experian, Natwest Bankline etc.
Remote users access the system through a Remote Access Server enabling home workers
and roaming users to use all the facilities assigned to them.
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Benefits
- Since the company started, it's IT platform has provided exactly what the business
wants a flexible, scalable solution
- handling the escalating usage
- Proven business continuity plan
- Secure and monitored network via Brett Technologies Netwatch service
- A back-up system that reports nightly
- Improved access to information via Crystal Enterprise
- Reliable standard desktop
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Quote
Peter Davis, Financial Director of City Invoice Finance (CIF) said, "We really can't
praise Brett Technologies and their team highly enough. They clearly met and exceeded
the original design brief".
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Putsman wlc
Company
A leading law firm in Birmingham, Putsman wlc has around 230 computer users.
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Overview
A merger, almost doubling staff numbers, prompted a drastic review of the internal
IT provision at Birmingham based law firm, Putsman wlc.
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Challenge
To devise and implement an IT plan that would upgrade the IT infrastructure with
minimal disruption to daily working. Brett Technologies were required to provide
better central administration of IT services across the enterprise, which included
the creation of a point to point link to a satellite office. The company also had
to organise smooth, seamless migration of data from Exchange 5.5 to latest the Exchange
release
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Solution
Brett Technologies worked with Putsmans to understand their business and to devise
a phased implementation plan.
One of the first tasks was to install two new servers as Windows Domain controllers.
Windows Active Directory was chosen because of its ease of central administration.
Once these were in place, Putsmans installed two further servers that fitted into
the initial structure and then the migration task could begin.
Brett Technologies also set out Putsmans various DNS (Domain name service), WINS
(Windows Internet Naming service) and DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration protocol).
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Benefits
Windows has eased the administration burden on the inhouse IT team. Moving to Exchange
has delivered improved Outlook Web Access, making out-working/telecommuting/roaming
a wholly viable proposition.
These outworkers can also access the firm's Legal database and use the Enterprise
Wide Digital Dictation System.
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Quote
Putsman wlc IT manager, Tim Haddon said, "In my 6 years at Putsmans, Brett Technologies
Ltd are probably the best IT consultancy I have ever worked with".
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John Hardman
Company
Manchester-based John Hardman is, one of the region's fastest growing commercial
law firms. Established in 1993, the company's entry into IT was just a couple of
stand-alone desktop computers and software knowledge limited to a word processing
package. It now employs about 20 people.
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Overview
According to legal firm, John Hardman & co, keeping track of paperwork is the most
time-wasting task. They had reliability issues with both infrastructure and applications,
and needed a new IT partner capable of implementing a solution to fit their needs.
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Challenge
Despite implementing a new network, John Hardman needed an IT system to provide
an improved operating platform, and VPN to enable secure remote working.
They wanted a stable platform that was able to cope with their heavily expanding
email and internet usage, and also to run a variety of software and management information
databases including a precedent library.
They also needed a secure way of creating virtual offices at partners home, and
to send digitally recorded voice messages by email.
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Solution
Developments have included implementation of a new Compaq ML Series server running
Microsoft Small Business Server and Brett Technologies has implemented Windows Professional
as a standard desktop operating environment.
"We rely completely upon the stability of our platform, otherwise all our systems
grind to a halt", says Senior partner John Hardman. "A lot is at stake with a company's
IT set-up, so you need to have confidence in your supplier."
They now have a virtual private network (VPN) to facilitate secure remote working,
which offers a practical solution to home and roaming users.
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Benefits
- A stable computer operating platform.
- Regularly reviewing IT strategy
- extensive access to on-line references
- Reduced paperwork therefore more billable projects
- Access to on line banking which assists the rapid movement of funds with a first
class audit trail.
- Having a standard desktop has reduced the technical support overhead
- Security is enhanced by the Watchguard firewall
- Remote connectivity is available via dial VPN facilities
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Quote
John Hardman, senior partner John Hardman Solicitors said, "The traditional idea
that you'd have an IT system and keep it until the next one is, in our view, completely
outmoded. You need to be commercially proactive, continually developing ideas on
how to work more efficiently".
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