Case Name:

Disaster Recover

Organization Type:

Manufacturing

Size:

10+ staff members and 2 locations

Services:

Emergency Services, Outsourced IT Services,

Problem:

An office fire.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com arrived onsite shortly after receiving the call to assess the damage.  The server and systems were not functional and the only backup was onsite and damaged. gradeAtechs.com took the damage backup and extracted the data to create virtual servers at gradeAtechs.com head office.  Terminal services were used to allow users to access their required applications and data, while the office was being rebuilt and the new equipment ordered. Once the construction of the office was complete Grade implemented a completely new IT infrastructure with no downtime for the client.

Technology Used:

Terminal Services, Hyper-V Virtualization, Windows Server 2008, Hosting Services

Results:

The client experienced only a single day of down time as a result of the quick response to the disaster.  The client utilized the terminal services solution for months while their office was being reconstructed. After disaster planning meetings with the client, gradeAtechs.com has introduced multiple levels of backup protection including offsite data backup and full managed services and monitoring.

Case Name:

Emergency Server

Organization Type:

Entertainment

Size:

20+ staff members

Services:

Outsourced IT Services, Emergency Service

Problem:

The client had called gradeAtechs.com late afternoon on a Friday for help as no users had access to shared files on their network.  Once onsite gradeAtechs.com determined that there outdated server was failing. The client needed to be back up and running by Monday morning.

Solution:

The failing server was brought to GradeAtechs head office.  gradeAtechs.com had a brand new Dell server in stock that meets the required specifications for the client. Working over the weekend gradeAtechs.coms' engineers were able to migrate the existing 2003 Small Business Server to Small Business server 2008 Premium.

Technology Used:

Windows Small Business Server 2008

Results:

The new server was up and running Monday morning allowing users full access to all their required data and applications.

Case Name:

First Server

Organization Type:

Medical Clinic

Size:

10 + staff members

Services:

Outsourced IT Services, IT Infrastructure Upgrade

Problem:

The client was frustrated with their current IT infrastructure and the inability of their current IT provider to solve their issues.  They were experiencing technical issues every day, and the staff was spending more time trying to fix IT related issues then their patient’s.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com performed an audit of the network to determine the solution and best fit service portfolio to meet their needs. There were several deficiencies in the clients IT infrastructure. The client had more than 10 systems trying to access a centralized PC that could not allow all systems to connect simultaneously.  The client’s backups were not functioning and had not been for months.  To rectify the problems a new Small Business Server along with a new backup solution were installed. 

Technology Used:

Windows Small Business Server

Results:

After the change, the staff noticed significant speed improvements in their line of business application and IT management had become much simpler and clearer. The number of issues has significantly decreased for the client. They no longer need to spend time trying to fix IT problems and can focus their time on their patients.

Case Name:

IT Overhaul

Organization Type:

Construction

Size:

15+ staff members

Services:

Outsourced IT Services, IT Infrastructure Upgrade

Problem:

The client had been working with a single individual to handle all their IT needs. As the company grew so did their IT requirements, and complexity of their network.  The existing IT provider was no longer able to reliably solve their problems or provided planning and strategy for the IT environment. gradeAtechs.com was called in after their existing provider could not come up with a solution to extremely poor performance in there line of business application.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com performed and audit of the network to determine the solution and best fit service portfolio to meet their needs. gradeAtechs.com worked with the software vendor to determine the cause of the bottleneck and come up with a workable solution. A new high speed network and robust server were installed among other tweaks and modifications.

Technology Used:

Gigabit network, Windows Small Business Server

Results:

After the change, the staff noticed significant speed improvements in their line of business application, generating a report was reduced from as much as 30 minutes down to less than 3 seconds. With ongoing planning and review meetings gradeAtechs.com has been able to ensure the IT infrastructure continually meets the needs of the client.

Case Name:

Virtual Office

Organization Type:

Professional Services

Size:

5+ staff members + remote contract workers

Services:

Outsourced IT Services, Hosted Services

Problem:

The clients knew they did not have a backup solution for their data. As the company grew they were experience more and more issues with data access and difficulty collaborating on projects, since many users work out of the office. The client wanted a centralized solution but had a limited budget and office space.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com held several discovery meetings with the client to determine the best fit solution for their requirements.  With an emphasis on remote access and collaboration it was determined that a hosted Exchange mail server and SharePoint document management system would best meet their needs.

Technology Used:

Hosted SharePoint and Exchange, Hosted Virtual Server

Results:

The client is now able to collaborate easily with all staff even though many are working remotely. They are extremely happy that they do not have to worry about hardware issues and obsolescence. 

Case Name:

Autocad Optimization

Organization Type:

Architectural

Size:

30+ staff members

Services:

Infrastructure Upgrade

Problem:

The client’s had been using Autocad for years but was now running into two situations, 3D rendering was now a requirement and the systems were not capable of producing the information quickly enough, as well the size of the Autocad drawings had outgrown their available space.

On top of this the client did not have a solution for an offsite backup because of the size of the data.

Solution:

After speaking with Autocad directly, gradeAtechs.com had provided a server/workstation solution. The network was upgraded to accomodate the speed required and all data was placed on a network SAN. A duplicate SAN was setup at gradeAtechs.com's data centre and replication was configured to move the data offsite.

Technology Used:

Network Storage Replication, Infrastructure Update, Managed Services

Results:

The client was able to quickly and easily work on large files and have proper 3D rendering on their workstations. The SAN replication solved their offsite data backup requirements and provided them ample space and room for growth as their data set grows larger.

Case Name:

Enterprise Data Requirements in a Small Business

Organization Type:

Marketing Firm

Size:

50 + staff members

Services:

Outsourced IT Services, IT Infrastructure Upgrade, VCIO Services, Hosted Services

Problem:

This client approached gradeAtechs.com with the data requirement issue and a moderate budget that was a challenge to satisfy.  The organization moved into video production which catapulted their data growth by a factor of 100.  The requirement was that the data be centrally captured and replicated offsite in real-time with a 5 year retention before archiving.  

Solution:

Two scalable SANs (Storage Area Network) where purchased.  One was installed at the client’s site and the other was installed behind the clients Backup Domain Controller located in the gradeAtechs.com Data Center.  The devises were set to replicate in real time and added to the list of critical systems to be monitored and maintained by the gradeA tech team.  A data management plan was put in place to ensure the solution would maintain its expected growth.

Technology Used:

Windows Server, SAN Replication

Results:

The change allowed the client to comfortably grow their business in the new direction with a well defined plan for future expansion of the solution if necessary.

Case Name:

Emergency Support

Organization Type:

Manufacturing

Size:

800+ staff members and 15 locations

Services:

Outsourced IT Services

Problem:

The IT Manager gave two weeks’ notice two weeks before a massive infrastructure upgrade.  This predominantly French company had locations across Canada and was just entering their peak sales months.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com proposed a 24-7 bilingual support contract to cover all time zones and operating languages for a three month period.  In that time gradeAtechs.com supported the organization through its infrastructure upgrade and helped find a replacement for the IT Manager. 

Technology Used:

N/A

Results:

gradeAtechs.com was successful in finding a replacement for the position and successfully carried the organization through the trying three month period.

Case Name:

Security lockdown

Organization Type:

Professional Services

Size:

75+ staff members

Services:

IT Services, VCIO Services

Problem:

The client contacted gradeAtechs.com with a great urgency to lock down their environment. The IT administrator was abruptly terminated, was very disgruntled and had made threats to inflict damage.  The client did not know the administrative passwords to the network and the client knew that the ex-employee had installed a “custom” Linux firewall.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com advised the client in the initial call to disconnect the Internet connection while a technician was in route.  The technician arrived onsite within 30 minutes with new network hardware to replace the comprised firewall.  Microsoft was contacted to aid in the recovery of the passwords. A security audit was performed revealing many flaws that where rectified in the subsequent proposal. The client also engaged with gradeAtechs.com VCIO Services to ensure their security is independent of their internal support.

Technology Used:

N/A

Results:

The client’s security threat was contained with little disruptions to their operations.  The RCMP was notified of the threats.  The client regained control of their network and is confident in the ongoing support from gradeAtechs.com.

Case Name:

Live Migration

Organization Type:

Call Centre

Size:

100+ staff members and 3 locations

Services:

IT Integration Services

Problem:

There was a RFP released for a server migration in a ZERO downtime 24-7 operations environment.  This organization was responsible for 911 calls in many municipalities and had a 99.999% uptime contract to uphold with their clients. The risks for the integrator was very high as there were literally lives at stake with this project.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com was awarded the contract based on an iron clad proposal that the team put together.  The plan was to run systems in parallel using different technologies and cutting over to the migrated servers with no risk.

Technology Used:

Live Migration Software, Windows Server

Results:

The project was a success. The older hardware was replaced and no downtime was incurred by the client. 

Case Name:

Support for In-House IT

Organization Type:

Retail

Size:

300+ staff members and 5 locations

Services:

Managed Services,  Infrastructure Upgrade

Problem:

The client had an internal technician on staff that was doing a great job putting out fires but had no time to upgrade their outdated IT environment. As the business grew so did the requirements on the network. Their Email server was about to die and they had just lost almost all corporate date when their file server crashed. The client enjoyed having access to an internal resources for day to day issues but needed strategic help.

Solution:

gradeAtechs.com first came onsite to stabilize the existing environment. By using basic backup solutions they could first ensure the data was safe. After a few strategic meetings, a plan was set forth and implemented to upgrade their network. gradeAtechs.com created a virtual server cluster to improve performance and ensure a proper disaster recovery system. gradeAtechs.com was then engaged to provide managed services and support to the server infrastructure and server as a backup to the internal staff member.

Technology Used:

Hyper-V Virtualization and Clustering, Windows Server 2008

Results:

Once the infrastructure was implemented the client could move forward with improved line of business applications to manage their operations. Their staff experience an improvement in speed and with new features were able to accomplish more in a given time period with less IT support overhead. The onsite staff member was able to better help the organization by having more breathing room and less technical issues from users.