Upgrading the MTN computer network by Specialised Business Systems (SBS) will save the cellular operator about 30 per cent a month in support and maintenance costs.
MTN server manager, Warren Haslam said it had previously been decided to standardise all workstations to meet set criteria.
"We upgraded all machines that did not have at least a 133 Mhz processors, 64 megabyte of RAM and at least a 4 gigabyte hard drive.
In addition to the hardware upgrade, the company also migrated from Windows 95 to Microsoft NT as their software platform, Haslam said.
"This meant that some 900 machines had to be upgraded to meet the specification and the entire network replaced - an all this being done without going off-line," he said.
The total cost of ownership (TCO) and the cost of maintaining the network dropped a dramatic fifty- percent within the first month and the long-term forecast is for a 35 percent drop in support and maintenance cost.
"The payback was dramatic and immediate in that our support bill has been slashed nearly in half and this payback will continue. It has also led to less downtime and being able to answer customer queries faster.
"Ultimately the savings will contribute to the company`s bottom line because support and maintenance are expensive commodities. Skilled personnel are also becoming more difficult to come by and there is no doubt that we now have a substantially more stable and robust network that is going to require substantially less support that the older Windows 95 platform," Haslam said.
Running primarily MTN`s billing system and Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and an Internet browser, the system has been largely automated and is much easier to control than was the case in the past.
Haslam said SBS completed the contract on time and within budget and met all the stringent requirements set by MTN
SBS group technical director, Paul Keates, said the MTN installation had posed no problems for the company because of its integral knowledge of MTN`s requirements and close working relationship with the company.
"We were able to fulfil the project requirements regardless of the daunting logistics involved. Our rollout team travelled throughout the country to service MTN`s regional offices. Equipment had to shipped to different locations to coincide with the travel arrangements. The SBS logistics department co-ordinated the smooth delivery of the equipment as this was crucial to the projects success."
SBS sales director, Anthony Davies said the company was now planning for the second phase of the project.
"MTN was yet another feather in the SBS cap and it puts us in a strong position to deliver such roll-outs to other blue chip clients," concluded Davies.
Share
Editorial contacts