The Department of Land Affairs has substantially improved its service delivery through a decentralised approach, using "best of breed" technologies. Critical to the success of the project was the department`s decision to implement a wide range of Novell directory-enabled products leveraging the Novell Directory Services (NDS).
According to the Department`s director of information services Gerald O`Sullivan, there was an urgent need to stabilise the network and for better communication between its staff and the various Directorates. "We made a decision in 1998 to rollout Microsoft NT, SQL and Exchange but after we did a feasibility study it was apparent that Microsoft SQL and Microsoft Exchange would require a huge additional hardware investment."
After the feasibility study, a strategic decision was made to implement Novell`s NetWare and GroupWise. The fact that GroupWise integrated with NDS was critical in this decision.
O`Sullivan adds: "GroupWise offered far more functionality than any other product we evaluated. It included document management and workflow and it didn`t require any additional hardware investment. GroupWise and the other Novell products leverage NDS, which was identified as critical to the successful management of our national network. Furthermore, the single biggest problem we had before Novell, was network stability and reliability."
O`Sullivan felt that with NetWare and the functionality of GroupWise, he could keep the Department integrated but would still continue to operate in a decentralised manner. "ManageWise and ZENworks enabled us to manage our district offices from a centralised point, we can now deploy applications, correct desktop problems and even offer training to our district offices. Novell has provided us with a cost-effective solution that utilises our manpower resources far better and has enabled us to deliver skills to the regions from a central office."
"Being very fortunate to have a new breed of technical staff in our Department, we believe our Department is in the forefront of technology and that other Government departments are looking at taking the same approach," he says.
"The deal is the culmination of two years of collaboration, in 1997, prior to its decision to roll out Novell, the Department experienced major problems and asked for Novell`s assistance. Novell was able to offer the required skills and also offered the Department software on loan. The partnership has grown steadily over the past two years and I believe it has been critical for this long-term solution to succeed. The technology Novell has brought to the Department has resulted in huge cost savings for the Department as well as the taxpayers," adds Novell major accounts manager John Greeff.
O`Sullivan says after the installation, the Department has realised more benefits from this investment. "We are investing in a corporate warehouse which will provide everybody with shared information. Project managers at the ground level will in future be able to access information such as land ownership and delivery cost at the click of a button. One benefit that we realised is that Oracle was included in the purchase of NetWare 5, and is integrated with NDS." "By deploying technology with a proven track record, from a company like Novell who are committed to our partnership, and making NDS central to all decisions, we have succeeded in stabilising our network, reducing costs and improved our service delivery to the public."
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