Integrated it Overhaul Keeps Growing Company on the Move

A unified security and communications upgrade brings a fragmented company together.

North American Material Trading Company, a metal trading and processing firm headquartered in Cleveland, recently acquired two manufacturing plants and opened an office in Tampa, Florida. Each location used a disconnected jumble of outdated equipment. The company suddenly had three stand-alone phone systems that barely worked and racked up unusually high bills. No central server existed, and the plants were using an unreliable hosted e-mail service. And none of the four Locations had adequate network security.

Strategic Approach

NAMTC called on Voyant Technology to address these issues. After we performed a comprehensive technology audit in each location we suggested a seamless, threefold solution: Establish systems to share data securely and enable better voice, e-mail, and data communications between all locations; provide equipment and processes to Sower NAMTC’s overall telecom costs; and monitor systems to ensure the best possible uptime.

At the headquarters we installed a Dell PowerEdge server that runs Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 and acts as a file, print and Microsoft Exchange mail server. Next, we installed fortinet (www.fertlnetcom) firewalls: a Fortigate BOB at the headquarters, and a Fortigate SOB at each Conneaut, Ohio, plant, as well as at theTampa office. Employing the Fortigate firewalls, we created a secure connection between each separate location, enabling the locations to operate as if they existed within a single network.

We also installed an IP-based Fonality (www.fortality.cоm) telephone system, with the central phone server located in Cleveland, and with Polycom and Aastra IP phones at each location. In addition, we installed new Dell workstations in Conneaut and Tampa.

To address the backup and disaster-recovery challenges, we implemented an eFolder off-site backup service (www.voyantbackup.cjm) that runs at all four locations. We then upgraded the telecom at the headquarters from stand-alone phone lines to a T1 data circuit and added sip trunks for voice over-IP communication. We also upgraded the telecom infrastructure in plants to a business-class cable Internet circuit, which allows data transfer and VoIP. Finally, we implemented monitoring of alt firewalls, workstations, and servers, as well as of the phone system, and we set up access to a help desk for employees.

On the upgraded phone system, receptionists in Cleveland and Tampa can now answer calls for any of the facilities and provide administrative support for the plants by transferring calls to extensions or to the paging system. Voicemail-to-e-mail capabilities also allow voice messages to be archived on the central file server. Between telecom cost reductions and man power efficiencies, NAMTC has realized several thousand dollars worth of savings. Our integrated approach also made NAMTC’s company data accessible from any computer on the network at any location (given the right credentials). Our unified solution helps prevent downtime, as well, since my team at Voyant can now catch any problems before they become critical, and NAMTC can focus on serving customers and building business.