The insurance firm Guardrisk, a leading cell captive insurance company and part of the Alexander Forbes Group, has selected the network specialist services of Integr8 IT to implement a Citrix Server farm within its existing network. The Citrix virtual server farm has ushered in a number of benefits including more control, easier maintenance and a reduction in the total cost of ownership.
Integr8 IT has the in-house technical skills to configure a customer`s network infrastructure so as to maximise output and efficiency. Guardrisk chose to have its internal applications upgraded and spread across the Citrix server farm so that all desktop users could have access and equal processing power to these applications.
From a networking infrastructure perspective, says Jan Roux, Integr8 IT technical manager, this required a migration onto a Citrix Server farm characterised by three Windows 2000 servers, terminal services and a Citrix Metaframe XPA.
"This integration has allowed for the publishing of the applications across the file server infrastructure. This eliminates the need for a user to connect to a single server but rather the server farm, and therefore reduces the risk of an application not being available in the event of a single server being down."
Further benefits attached to the virtual server farm are that it allows for load balancing and increases redundancy. For a company like Guardrisk, the opportunity to concentrate on line maintenance without hampering the business operation is a major advantage. In addition, the technology enables a single point of administration and the application upgrade process is completed at one area and not at every user. This has a positive effect on the total cost of ownership.
Says Roux: "The technology allows for us to take the processing away from the desktop hardware infrastructure. It becomes the sole responsibility of the server farm."
Nico Coetzee, IT manager at Guardrisk, says there were many reasons for choosing to go the Citrix route, but one of the main considerations was the cost saving factor. Remote user support, ease of application roll-out, centralised resources, minimum down time on desktop equipment failure, availability of standard applications through Internet access and a more secure desktop environment were contributing factors.
"We have calculated that the Citrix roll-out will have paid for itself in a matter of two years. This saving is contributed to the fact that desktop equipment does not need to be upgraded or replaced at regular intervals any more. Aside from this benefit, the Citrix environment adds tremendous value because we are able to spend time on maintenance without effecting our business operations. We have tighter control over desktops and the process of software upgrades is far more efficient."
Coetzee adds that Guardrisk is happy with the service level and work being done by Integr8 IT and that there is a service level agreement in place to monitor and maintain the network on both a proactive and reactive basis.
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Integr8 IT (Pty) Ltd is a wholly owned network technology services and solutions company in southern Africa. Based in SA, the company employs a wealth of highly skilled and certified system engineers who are directly involved in high level consulting, support and integration.
With offices located in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and representation in Port Elizabeth, East London and Port Elizabeth, Integr8 IT spans nationally across Southern Africa and Africa continent. It has the people and expertise to plan, deploy, manage and maintain an information technology environment.
Whether a client seeks better control of its networked environment or is in need of practical solutions, complex or simple, Integr8 IT provides the answers with enhanced information technology services.
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