V3 Consulting Engineers, one of South Africa`s leading multi-disciplinary consultancies in the fields of engineering and development services, has made a substantial investment in a range of Novell products. The decision is part of Plan2000, V3`s vision to be in the forefront of technology by the end of year 2000.
Datacentrix, a Novell Business Expert (Systems House), supplied and installed Novell`s range of products namely GroupWise, BorderManager, ManageWise and NetWare while Red Star Networks, also a Novell Business expert, has been contracted to assist with installation and implementation of the document management system.
"Our vision is to have a system which will put us on the edge of latest technologies, a totally integrated system which will give us a competitive advantage," said V3`s IT manager Werner van der Walt. "Everyday we see the benefits of our decision, Novell offers a reliable, cost-effective, easy-to-manage solution and the products grow as we grow - helping us reach our goals."
V3 has more than 600 employees in more than 25 offices and laboratories throughout the country. It has 200 users on the network and another 200 remote users operating from 28 sites countrywide. Van der Walt explains that there is a growing need to expand the business internationally. "With more than 20 years experience in Southern Africa, we have an intimate understanding of both the complexities and the unique opportunities that exist internationally. The solution we have invested in enables us to be globally competitive."
V3`s success depends on its ability to collaborate and share information, whether on the Internet, the intranet or the LAN. According to Van der Walt, GroupWise document management offers security, management and administration features to keep any enterprise`s information secure, current and easily accessible. "We needed a proper document management system, but most systems only addressed a certain area. V3 chose Groupwise because it offers mailing and precise document management."
Novell major accounts manager John Greeff says V3 needed more than just Email for its business communication. "Groupwise incorporates the open standards of today`s multiplatform computing world into a powerful, easy-to-use collaboration solution. Furthermore, Groupwise enabled V3 to reduce on hardware requirements and the many problems associated with integration."
Van der Walt explains that V3 needed a cost-effective, reliable and easy-to-manage system. "We chose Netware because it enables us to pull the administration of the document management system, the Email system and the network system to a central point. Not only does it save us time and money, Netware also offers unmatched reliability, scalability, performance and security that only a mature, proven network can provide."
Greeff adds: "Netware is the most reliable, highest performing, most scalable and secure server operating system on the market. With Netware, users can save up to 25 days a year more server uptime and companies can save huge amounts in server hardware costs compared to other competing brands."
V3 has also made a considerable investment in purchasing BorderManager, the complete Internet security management suite that enables businesses to use the power of Novell Directory Services (NDS) on NetWare, UNIX and NT networks. This standards-based suite allows organisations of all sizes to cost-effectively deploy industry leading firewall, virtual private networking (VPN), remote access and authentication, and caching services for comprehensive security protection.
Greeff says BorderManager is the only security management solution that delivers true single sign-on for users across network services. From a home office or remote location, users can dial into their ISP with dial-up services and BorderManager VPN services or Border Manager Authentication Services.
"V3 was looking for tightly integrated, best-of-breed security services without the implementation headaches and premium costs associated with individual product purchases. BorderManager delivers the total security management solution that will further accelerate Novell`s growth in the Internet security marketplace," says Greeff.
Van der Walt concludes that the obvious choice was Novell because of its service level agreements. "V3 has signed a Corporate Licence Agreement with Novell, allowing us to effectively plan, manage and protect our Novell software purchases. Novell`s Customer Connections licensing programmes provide the highest levels of customer service and local supplier support through accredited Authorised CLA Partners."
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