Initial Enquiry
The customer came to us after experiencing poor and slow support from their existing provider. We were tasked with resolving the below issues.
- At the time, the provider had no remote support solution, insisting on visiting for every issue, resulting in slow response and high costs.
- Software and file access was very slow, particularly from the server.
- The server had experienced a number of power outages recently despite there being a UPS installed.
- WiFi coverage and performance was poor.
- The management wanted to be able to connect to the server remotely as required, which they were told wasn’t possible at the time.
Client Details
| Number of Employees | 35 |
| Number of Computers | 35 |
| Server | Single Server |
| Network | Ethernet and Basic Wifi |
Assessment
We visited the company to run through their setup to see what might be causing the poor performance and other issues.
The first thing we noticed was that the server was outdated and underpowered for the demands being placed on it. It was the main file store, domain controller and serving the company’s primary industry-specific database application.
When checking the UPS (battery backup) we found that it was old and had developed a fault, resulting in it not handling the switch from mains to battery in the event of a power outage.
Wi-Fi was being provided by a single ADSL router which wasn’t powerful enough to cover the area required.
In addition to the issues reported, during our assessment we also noticed that Anti-Virus wasn’t being centrally managed by the server, computers were running a random mix of software and versions making the user experience inconsistent and support more difficult, and there was no dedicated firewall protecting the business.
Solution
In order to resolve these issues we proposed and agreed to replace the old server with a new higher spec physical server, running two virtual servers, which allowed the function of file and print sharing to be separated from the businesses main application.
Desktop and laptop computers were cleaned up, upgraded to Windows 10 and drives upgraded to Solid State, drastically improving performance and the user experience.
A new managed wifi solution was installed which provided plenty of coverage while providing central management and a guest network.
A centrally managed Anti-Virus system was installed on the server so that all PCs are kept up to date and issues highlighted if they arise. This also helps reduce the internet bandwidth usage as updates are only downloaded once to the server, instead of by each individual PC.
The UPS was replaced with a new one, correctly sized for the server.
A hardware firewall was installed which protects the business from intrusion while also adding the facility for management to be able to connect to the network securely from remote locations.
Outcome
A hugely improved user experience with everything running a whole lot faster, more reliably and more securely, with a friendly and efficient team able to help when required.
Ongoing Support
A Server Support agreement is now in place which means that we constantly monitor and look after the server, making sure that’s performing as it should. See http://www.f5computing.co.uk/services/it-support for more details.
Our remote support software is installed on all PCs so that we can connect remotely when called upon to resolve any issues, and the users can log problems to us either with a couple of clicks on our software, sending an email or giving us a call.