Hansgrohe Personalised Bathrooms Pty Ltd, the sole South African importer of the innovative shower, mixer and waste technology range from Hansgrohe AG in Germany, required more performance from its network in order to capitalise on an increase in business opportunities.
In mid-2003, the company enlisted the services of network integrator and infrastructure management specialist Integr8 IT to help tweak existing infrastructure and roll-out a solution that would up levels of proficiency and secure a return on investment. The network infrastructure would have to sufficiently cope with anticipated future growth as the company eyed out a national presence.
Upon closer inspection of the network environment 18 months ago, Integr8 IT technical experts recommended Microsoft`s Small Business Server (SBS) solution 2000, Computer Associate`s Arcserve and eTrust backup and anti-virus software, as well as an Intel server with built-in redundancy.
Terminal services infrastructure would also have to be coupled with the solution to secure connectivity with remote users.
"Our primary objective was to provide a solution that could centralise file management, mail and security, and provide backup and anti-virus," explains Ruhann du Plessis, Technical Account Manager at Integr8 IT.
"At the time of installation, Hansgrohe Personalised Bathrooms fell victim to several power problems in the area including power fluxes and trips. The challenge was to correct data corruption on the network, achieve stability with minimal downtime, provide redundancy, centralised security, anti-virus, e-mail and backup solutions, all at an affordable price."
Integr8 IT proposed an Intel server together with Windows 2000 SBS server providing stability, file level security incorporated in Active directory. The Windows SBS 2000 provided Microsoft Exchange for e-mail, ISA for additional security via a firewall and shared faxing.
"We set the server up to centrally store all documents so as to avoid any data loss should a machine fall over," adds Du Plessis.
Since installation all network issues and data corruptions have been resolved. Almost a year-and-a-half later, Hansgrohe Personalised Bathrooms with full connectivity between branches in Cape Town and George, and soon-to-be-live Durban, has never looked back and continues to leverage off Integr8 IT`s proven experience and skills levels.
"We were in the market for a scalable solution to centralise the IT environment and accommodate growth within the branches. Integr8 IT has the national footprint and offered the benefit of a customised support contract, in addition to its product proficiency and level of skills," comments Anthony Mederer, Managing Director of Hansgrohe Personalised Bathrooms.
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Integr8 IT (Pty) Ltd is a network technology services and solutions company. A recognised leader in the field of system integration, the company employs a wealth of highly skilled, best of breed, certified system engineers who are directly involved in high level consulting, support and integration.
The company`s core focus is on network infrastructures specialising in design, planning, deployment, management and maintenance. With offices located in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and representation in Port Elizabeth, East London, and nationally across the southern Africa region.
Integr8 IT is a Microsoft GOLD Partner for Enterprise Systems. The company has been accredited as the Mid-Market Infrastructure Integrator of the Year for the last two consecutive years. The company is also strategic Partners with CA, 3om, Citrix and MTN Network Solutions, and has been honoured with a position among SA`s Technology Top 100 Companies.
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