Controlled Maintenance Inc., AC Plastiques USA, and Non-Metallic Industrial Solutions made a business decision to merge into a single organization (named CMI) so they could provide turnkey solutions to industrial companies across the country. Although the decision would enable them to better service their customers, CMI quickly realized that integrating three different IT infrastructures was not going to be an easy task. At Transformyx, we were able to help CMI take advantage of Infrastructure as-a-Service (IaaS) from our Cisco-powered data center and Cisco Meraki technology to create a unified IT network across their newly built 15-acre complex – ultimately lowering short-term costs and delivering on all their required business and technical outcomes.
The situation, needs, and challenges
Upon deciding to become a single organization, CMI invested in constructing a new 15-acre, 7-building complex. It offered the necessary space for their 300+ employees, but integrating the IT systems of the three individual companies (as well as telephone and internet connectivity) into a unified network across the complex presented a major challenge. CMI also wanted to find ways to modernize aging hardware, improve IT capabilities in several areas, and create a more consistent financial model for the IT services they consumed. Specifically, they were looking to:
- Create a cohesive network: Implement a single, unified network across their site that included 7 buildings
- Modernize aging hardware: Move on from aging hardware by transitioning to agile, cloud-based services
- Improve remote access: Enable employees to access business critical accounting and productivity apps anywhere
- Strengthen wireless capabilities: Offer secure indoor and outdoor wireless network access, plus a secure guest network
- Improve surveillance: Deploy wireless surveillance cameras throughout their operation to ensure security
- Consolidate vendors: Consolidate IT support services to create a financial model with more predictable costs
Knowing their existing IT vendors likely couldn’t handle the system integration or many of the other items on their list, CMI’s leadership team began looking for experienced IT vendors that could deliver all their desired business and technical outcomes. It was at that time that the leadership team met with us to learn how we could provide a strategic solution tailored to their unique needs and challenges.
The Transformyx solution
We took the time to truly understand how the three individual companies operated under one roof, and showed CMI’s CEO and CFO how our cloud services and Cisco Meraki technology could help them achieve their goals. After a successful proof of concept that included Cisco Meraki surveillance cameras, we got to work on implementation:
- Cisco Meraki networking hardware and surveillance cameras: Cisco Meraki firewalls, switches, and wireless access points were deployed to create a unified network that supported their indoor/outdoor employees, secure guest wireless, surveillance cameras, and their VoIP phone system.
- Transformyx cloud services from our state-of-the-art data center: The solution incorporated IaaS from our Cisco-powered data center to modernize aging servers and provide secure remote access to key business applications. It included managed back-up and site-to-site connectivity via a redundant private circuit.
- Transformyx software and managed IT services: We also rolled out a unified instance of Office 365 and provided 24/7 management and monitoring of all user devices, as well as around-the-clock helpdesk services – ensuring better user experiences and increased uptime throughout their operation.
The solution was deployed before CMI formally moved into their new location. And from day one, they saw immediate benefits. The unified, agile infrastructure provided by our solution enabled better user experiences, improved security, and created efficiencies across their entire operation.
The results and ultimate benefits
By consolidating all of their IT services with one vendor, CMI was able to decrease many short-term expenses and better plan for their newly formed organization’s future. We provided a cost-effective solution that solved CMI’s immediate challenges and opened doors for them to start doing more – especially with Office 365 and the critical business applications hosted in our data center.
IT benefits:
• Modernized, easy-to-manage IT infrastructure
• Secure remote access to critical applications
• Improved compliance and disaster recovery capabilities
• Less time and effort spent on break-fix tickets
• Improved wireless coverage across their complex
Business and financial benefits
• Less downtime due to 24/7 network and endpoint support
• Lower IT support and Microsoft licensing costs
• Tighter control on spending with a fixed service agreement
• Improved security with campus-wide video surveillance
• Simpler scalability for future business growth
Get in Touch to Learn How You Can Benefit From Cisco Meraki And Ltg Cloud Services!
