Construction
Building a house is no easy task. But we've been able to keep the computer side of things running smoothly for some of the top builders in the area.
Bay10 Ventures
After a major server crash the prior month, User Friendly was contracted to provide a disaster recovery solution so that downtime could be minimized in the event of a failure. This was done through both hardware and software implementations.
The first step was to upgrade to more reliable hardware. Two Dell 1800s were brought in, one as the active and one as the passive. The passive can be used in case of failure, as well as for parts replacement if a major part malfunctions in the active server. Using Veritas Disaster Recovery software their nightly backups can be restored directly on to the passive server in case of a larger scale failure (theft, water damage, etc...)
This scenario was implemented and tested with successful results as the passive server was able to be restored and put in to production in place of the active server.
Project time: 2 weeks
Cambridge Homes
With a focus on security, a new server and upgrades to Windows XP and Office 2003 were installed to keep this office up to date. The server was migrated from one server to the new one using a common procedure that allowed for a much smaller downtime window and no trips to the workstations. This allowed User Friendly to save Cambridge the expense of a large full weekend transition and instead made it a Friday afternoon switchover with a quick followup on Saturday.
After the new hardware was implemented and backups were created, Office 2003 was copied to the server and deployed to all of the workstations using a remote install policy. This allowed Cambridge to both cut the expense of going to each computer to run the upgrade as well as allowing each new computer purchased to have Office 2003 automatically installed.
Project time: 1 week
Bay10 Ventures
When Bay10 decided to move their operation we were able to connect their two other sites using Sonicwalls and VPN technology. Now users at all three sites, as well as remote laptop users, could dial in and have access to files and email. This has provided the users that are always on the go with the ability to stay in contact with their office.
Project time: 3 days