Networking Gets You Everywhere

ERP Implementation

Fairmont Supply, a Canonsburg, Pa.-based subsidiary of Consol Energy, is one of the largest U.S. distributors of industrial maintenance, repair and operating supplies. The company needed to expand its networking capabilities to accommodate an ERP deployment affecting the company's customers, suppliers and business partners, but it did not want to install more network lines. Adding to the complexity of the project was the fact that Fairmont Supply was transitioning from a mainframe environment to a Citrix environment, so it needed more bandwidth.

"They were already in the process of an ERP implementation and having their desktops run on Citrix software," says Roger Rush, co-founder and president of Network Source One, a Walled Lake, Mich.-based systems integrator. "That's when we came in with Expand's products."

Specifically, Network Source One brought in Enterprise Caching technology from Roseland, N.J.-based Expand Networks. Enterprise Caching is an application-independent technology that increases network capacity and can increase network speed and throughput by 100 percent to 400 percent, according to the vendor. The VAR installed two Accelerator 4000 and six Accelerator 2700 intelligent network-optimization appliances, which are used to compress and cache data traveling across 56K and 128K network lines, Rush says.

"They were deploying Word, Excel, Internet Explorer and ERP-based GUI applications that required additional bandwidth," he explains.

The caching technology provided Fairmont Supply with the incremental bandwidth efficiency it needed at a fraction of the cost of telco upgrades or overhauls, according to John Floyd, Fairmont's general manager. The company also realized an ROI of its ERP-based applications within six months. For obvious reasons, Floyd is impressed.

"We have no performance issues," he says. "From my perspective, we had a problem, and then it went away. We would not have known about [the solution if Network Source One hadn't brought it to us."

Rapid Record Retrieval

At Dreyer Medical Clinic in Aurora, Ill., slow network-response time was

affecting physicians' productivity. The

clinic is part of a larger health network connecting more than 125 physicians in 13 offices throughout Chicago. Its staff frequently needs to access a centralized site through Web-based applications to view medical records and patient data in its Citrix thin-client environment. Increased numbers of users logging onto the site simultaneously resulted in sluggish network response times. In turn, treatment for patients was at stake.

"Our physicians need access to the network as soon as they enter the exam room," says Stephen Hart, systems/network administrator for Dreyer Medical Clinic. "They don't have a chart in front of them, so everything they type [into thin-client devices goes right into the system, and a patient's history is sent back."

Hart considered installing T-1 lines, but it was costly. That's when Bloomfield, Mich.-based Logical, the integration arm of networking technology and services company Datatec, stepped in. Like Network Source One, Logical deployed technology from Expand Networks,five Accelerator 2700 appliances to boost network performance. The investment cost roughly $40,000, but will be realized in two years' time, Hart says. He's also expecting to save some $14,000 a year in telecom-related expenses.

"Our capital expenditure was on hardware, but our monthly charges remain the same, and we saved on T-1 fees," Hart says.

After Logical completed the initial installation, Dryer Medical Clinic purchased three more Accelerators for 56K lines that, in addition to the original purchase, have been placed throughout the remote locations.

"The biggest challenge for us initially was explaining things so they truly understood what the product could do for them," says Joe Guzman, national accounts manager for Logical. "When they understood and saw what it could do, they began to see the benefits right away. This type of technology is a trend,for banks and retail as well."

Wireless Raves

San Francisco's Hyatt Regency, which attracts business travelers because of airport proximity, will soon become a completely wireless environment. The hotel reasoned that secure wireless Internet access in and around the 53,000-square-foot hotel would boost business. So it chose Networld Communications, a hosted and managed IP telephony service provider, also in San Francisco, to deliver a wireless solution with products from Cisco.

"To wireless everything is popular, if you look at cell phones or PDAs or laptops, and the whole industry seems to be banking on that," says Larry Builta, senior director of engineering for Hyatt Hotels.

Specifically, Networld implemented Cisco Aironet 350 series access points, enabling power to be delivered via Ethernet cable for data connectivity. Those access points have a throughput of approximately 5.5 Mbps to 7 Mbps, based on reception-signal strength. Cisco's Catalyst 3524XL-PWR Ethernet switches provide power for the access points.

"We're excited because we have some great bandwidth, and our guests comment on the speed," Builta says.

Networld also used the CiscoSecure ACS Server for management of the various access points and wireless NICs to allow addresses onto the secured network, and to provide network administrators with a central management location. Network security is ensured with 128-bit wireless-encryption-protection software from Funk Software. Also included in the implementation were approximately 10 wireless bridges designed to provide conference and public meeting rooms with Internet access.

Factoring in products and services, the initial cost of the project was approximately $100,000, Builta says. As of last month, the pool area and balcony suite areas were also wireless-enabled.

"The ROI is that we're offering [wireless capabilities as an amenity in this facility," he says, adding that more of Hyatt's guests are raving about the hotel's fast wireless access on guest-comment cards. n