Remote Office Connectivity

Initial Customer Environment:
Publishing company with main office in Holiday, Florida.  Network consisted of multiple servers running Windows Server 2000 and Server 2003.  All information and email was stored on these servers.  

Foreseen Problem:
As client began growing, they had two needs:  (1) they needed to open an additional office in Oregon and provide access to the information in Florida and (2) mobile workers needed to be able to access information while traveling. 

Resolution:
ISG proposed and implemented a solution that consisted of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) between the Oregon and Florida office.  This solution utilized the offices’ existing broadband internet connection as the backbone for the connectivity, minimizing telecommunications charges.  Furthermore, it allowed all data to continue to be stored on the servers in the Florida office, minimizing the hardware needs in the Oregon office as well as maintaining one central storage point for security and backup purposes. For mobile laptop users, ISG configured Microsoft’s RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) feature for securely accessing information remotely – this also allowed all information to be stored in the Florida office.  By eliminating the data saved on the individual laptops, it ensured (1) that the data was backed up on a nightly basis, (2) all users would retain access to the same information regardless of physical location and (3) if a laptop were lost or stolen, there would be no sensitive information lost.  The laptops were configured to use wireless network cards for information access from almost anywhere. The implementation also included using Blackberry® handhelds for instant email communications with employees while traveling. 

Results:
The client now has a reliable, secure and efficient multi-location network that allows users to travel and still have access to the same information they would if they were sitting at their desks. It also enables both offices to utilize the same information from the central storage location using an extremely cost-efficient communications method, while maintaining data security. Furthermore, it allows for instant email
communications with employees irregardless of their location, maximizing productivity and efficiency.