"Dazel Output Server ... is a complete output management solution. With Dazel Output Server, we expect to have fewer printing problems and to solve those problems faster. Having better print monitoring capabilities will allow our systems administrators to detect potential problems before they occur." These are the words from Rene Posthuma Project Manager for the Dazel implementation KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Customer Profile
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded in 1919, making it one of the oldest airlines in the world. Today, the company employs more than 26 000 people and operates 118 aircraft, serving more than 350 cities in 80 countries on six continents. KLM`s Engineering and Maintenance division, based in Amsterdam, maintains large aircraft and engines for KLM and for third-party companies such as United Parcel Service.
Objective
The airline wanted:
- To establish consistent output management services for a diverse network of computers and peripherals that includes more than 85 IBM RS/6000 servers, nearly 2 000 desktop PCs, and more than 500 printers;
- To reliably manage business-critical output from multiple applications; and
- To retrieve reports from multiple sources in multiple formats while managing output tasks centrally.
Solution
KLM is implementing Dazel Output Server, Dazel Express, Dazel MetaWeb, and Dazel for R/3 on its servers and PCs. The Dazel software is being used to manage the distributed application output needs for 4 500 employees in KLM`s Engineering and Maintenance division. Meanwhile, Dazel Express will simplify user access to a diverse set of print resources.
Production applications reside on an IBM mainframe; accounting systems are hosted in an IBM AS/400 environment; and engineering and maintenance applications are deployed on RS/6000 servers, all supporting various printers.
Systems management problems surrounding the division`s 500-plus printers were also becoming burdensome. System administrators were confronted with unacceptable failure rates, a lack of centralised management and control, and limited notification and tracking capabilities. They considered point solutions for print management from IBM and other vendors, but none of these products had the breadth of the Dazel product line. Furthermore, relying on various point solutions required administrators to learn a unique management interface for each platform.
Looking ahead to new types of application output, from e-mail to intranet publishing, it was evident KLM Engineering & Maintenance needed a comprehensive output management solution.
"The Dazel Output Server does more than just print management," says Timor Slamet, Manager of KLM Engineering & Maintenance IT Operation. "It is a complete output management solution. Dazel Output Server`s ease of integration with systems management products was important to us. Instead of looking for point solutions, we are implementing integrated enterprise management tools which support end-to-end management of the Engineering & Maintenance distributed client/server environment."
During the first phase of the Dazel implementation project, KLM`s goal was to set up a consistent layer of print services such as ASCII-to-PostScript translation for about 20 types of printers spread around the organisation.
Most printers are located in and around Schiphol, the national airport of The Netherlands and KLM`s major hub. Others are deployed at remote offices in eight major cities around the world.
After a successful pilot project, KLM is migrating Dazel Output Server to more than 85 RS/6000 computers. This will enable Dazel Output Server to control the entire production environment. Additionally, to give users consistent access to the various types of printers, Dazel Express has been installed on more than 3 000 PCs running DOS and Windows 3.1.
"Users will be able to send jobs directly from Windows applications to any printer in the enterprise," says Rene Posthuma, project manager for the Dazel implementation.
"For example, they can print to their choice of mainframe, Unix and Windows printers - all using a consistent interface."
KLM is also deploying a wide range of SAP R/3 applications running against an Oracle database.
"Dazel Output Server will manage all distributed application output," Posthuma continues. "We don`t want to manage our R/3 applications with one set of tools and our custom applications with another. We want one output management environment for everything. That`s why we chose Dazel."
During Phase II of implementation, KLM plans to use Dazel software to manage other output processes, such as faxing, e-mail, and intranet publishing through Dazel`s MetaWeb solution.
"MetaWeb makes it easier for intranet users to receive the information important to them," says Posthuma.
Benefits
Posthuma believes the Dazel solution will not only cut down on printing problems, but will simplify access to the division`s many types of printers and supply a cohesive platform for all of KLM`s output management needs. It will also make it easier to develop standard report formats for client/server applications.
"Dazel Output Server makes it easy to create standard layouts and handles the conversions among formats automatically, such as from ASCII to PostScript," he says. "In the past, we had to manually convert the format for each application and for each printer type."
"We can upgrade our service level without increasing our support staff simply because Dazel Output Server enables us to work more efficiently. That means the same number of administrators can supply higher levels of service." - Irma van der Kroef, user project Leader for the Dazel implementation, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
"My charter is to ensure we have zero IT-related business problems. In order to realise this mission, we need intelligent management tools. Dazel Corporation shares this vision." - Timor Slame, manager of engineering and maintenance IT-operation KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Client network
The 4 500 users in KLM`s Engineering and Maintenance division are connected via a 100Mbps FDDI backbone covering 25km at Holland`s Schiphol Airport. The backbone network is linked to LANs at eight foreign sites including Los Angeles, Singapore, Chicago, London and New York. The network is powered by OnNet TCP/IP software from FTP.
* Dazel products are represented in South Africa by Software Futures, a member of Computer Configurations Holdings.
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