Sun Block Blinds, IT infrastructure replacement in 2014

In August 2014, we commenced an IT infrastructure replacement for a new client, Sun Block Blinds. Read the case study below.

The Client: Sun Block Blinds

Upon our appointment of IT service providers for Sun Block Blinds in July 2014, the message from owners Gay and Emile Panossian to us was simple: Replace our aging computer systems, and put in something that we don’t need to worry for many years to come.

Sun Block Blinds manufactures and supplies a variety of blinds, window coverings, and floor coverings at their factory in Malaga, Western Australia. In order for their administrative and sales staff to promptly process the many orders they receive each day from WA’s leading home builders and the public, their IT systems need to be reliable. Any outage or delay from IT means the team in the factory could be standing by idly, waiting for job orders to filter through the system.

They were experiencing problems with MYOB performance, remote access, slow email transmission, slow computer logons, and overall poor reliability from their IT systems.

With unreliable computers, aging IT infrastructure, which was affecting the overall company productivity, it was time to replace the existing IT environment with a solution that Sun Block Blinds could rely on for many years to come.

The Solution

After reviewing the Sun Block Blinds IT environment, activIT systems put forward a proposal to replace not only the existing servers, but the desktop computers that were used by the administrative and sales staff as well.

The solution comprised of:

• Deploying the activCloud Hosted Exchange email service, to move email systems to the cloud rather than on-premise.
• Dell PowerEdge R520 server hardware, designed for reliability.
• Dell Optiplex 3020 desktop systems with new 24″ monitors.
• Dell Latitude 7440 notebook systems, with docking stations and Dell 24″ Ultrasharp monitors.
• Dell Venue 11 Pro tablet systems for warehouse staff to maintain inventory lists at both the main factory and storage warehouses.
• Built on Microsoft Server 2012 R2, and Hyper-V technology, the server environment was designed to run core network roles, remote access, and line of business application functionality (in Sun Block Blinds case, a custom build job tracking system!)
• Microsoft licensing provided by Microsoft SPLA – a pay per month arrangement for Microsoft licenses.
• Data backup via Veeam Backup & Recovery for Microsoft Hyper-V

Given the high reliance on IT for the administrative and sales staff and very low tolerance for interruption, the implementation plan was staged to deploy all new desktop, notebook, and tablet hardware first, followed by a primarily after-hours migration of data to the server platform.

Downtime Allowance

The allowance for interruption was approximately one hour for each computer user as their new computers were installed on their desks, and approximately two hours of server-based interruption late one afternoon to commence the migration to the new server platform; the remainder of the migration was completed after business hours.

The Outcome

Reaching practical project completion within 1.5 months from commencing work, activIT systems has delivered a modern, fast, reliable, and highly cost effective IT environment solution for Sun Block Blinds.

During the implementation, the staff from Sun Block Blinds provided amazing feedback, with the common themes being “This new system is so much faster”, “I don’t need to wait 15 minutes to log on to the computer any more”, and “MYOB runs much faster – no more waiting in between mouse clicks!”.

Following on from the completion of the project in September 2014, we received the following awesome feedback:

[wc_testimonial by=”Gay Panossian, Sun Block Blinds” url=”” position=”left”]
We would like sincerely compliment you on the exemplary service and advice we have received during our recent computer and email systems renewal and upgrade by activIT systems. The solutions you have provided in the administration area have improved our productivity remarkably.

We have received outstanding support all the way through the process, which was handled quietly and efficiently without any major disruption to our business operations. The calm and professional manner in which all inquiries have been handled and resolved by yourself and your excellent staff members is impressive.

We have no hesitation in recommending activIT systems to any business or individual requiring a reliable, knowledgeable and honest solution to their IT requirements. Thank you and we look forward with pleasure to our continued association in the future.[/wc_testimonial]

Ongoing support

Although the project is complete, activIT systems continues to provide on going services to Sun Block Blinds. Recognizing the importance of taking care of their investment into IT, Sun Block Blinds relies on us to provide the on going maintenance, management, and support services via our computerCare and serverCare managed services agreements.

Could your business benefit by a solution like this?

If your business faces similar problems to what Sun Block Blinds did, contact us to find out how our solutions will make your business life easier and more productive.

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