Race

As a small business, Race Computer Consultants depends upon the availability of its skilled team of system technicians and developers to provide highly professional IT development, installation and system support services. Cawthorne said his company was frequently called in to manage unusual development and support projects, often involving complex Web-based solutions.

"We are in the fortunate position of having both developers and system technicians so we can provide broad solutions," Cawthorne said.

Guaranteeing the highest quality customer support while at the same time maintaining a small team had required thorough planning. The team had to be constantly briefed on the status of maintenance contracts, and when needed, sub-contractors were hired to provide additional cover.

"Customer calls that were received out of normal business hours resulted in staff members having to drive to a PC which had access to the key systems," Cawthorne said.

Two of Race's customers demonstrate the business critical nature of its work. Race is responsible for around-the-clock maintenance for Brambles' Internet infrastructure. As a global organisation, Brambles Web servers power an Internet site which attracts 10,000 hits a day, has 600 ASP pages and two to three thousand html pages.

Race also operates and maintains the technology framework for a complex NSW Minerals Council program. The Internet-based Managed Envelope of Residuals (MER) flood discharge scheme oversees and monitors the release of surplus saline water from the coal mining and power generation industries in the Hunter Valley, to the Hunter River during flood periods. These releases are especially critical for a number of locations.

Cawthorne said flooding in the Hunter River occurred only four to five times a year but a single flood had been known to last eleven days.

"Previously, I had to be constantly at my PC, checking algorithms and monitoring the system during these flood periods," Cawthorne said.

'Like most small and medium businesses we wanted to provide more efficient services to our patients and reduce our administrative costs,' said Santibanez.

'We turned to INFOTECH who developed a detailed plan that outlined a complete, HP-based solution at a very reasonable price.'

Initially INFOTECH deployed the Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) platform on an HP ProLiant server to provide the clinic with a new network.

HP workstations, HP LaserJet printers and an HP multifunction printer with photocopy, fax and scan capabilities were installed throughout the clinic.

'We chose HP because of the company's broad range of very reliable solutions that are developed to meet the needs of small and medium businesses,' said Shamal Tennakoon, Managing Director, INFOTECH Associates.

'This simplifies implementation from our end and we are able to provide a consistent level of service which helps keep costs down benefiting both the clinic and ourselves.

'The standardisation on HP will easily enable the clinic to expand as the process of integrating new systems becomes so much easier,' said Tennakoon.

The initial transition from a paper-based office to a fully digitised operation took around four months.

'The planning and hardware installation took only a month. Training all the doctors and staff on the new software took the most time but was crucial to the success of the project,' said Santibanez.

A year after the clinic went electronic it was able to open a second practice in Dee Why. As the clinic already had a solid technology infrastructure, the expansion to a second clinic was quite simple.

'The challenge was not setting up the IT infrastructure for the second office, but ensuring that we maintained a low cost base on the existing infrastructure and on-going support,' said Tennakoon.

Citrix MetaFrame running on HP servers was implemented to centrally control information management across both clinics giving staff access to patient records via thin clients. This now meant patients and doctors could visit either clinic and still have access to all the same information.

The new IT infrastructure has significantly simplified how the clinic does business. Everything from booking appointments, to patient records including clinical notes, required tests and the results, to final billing for the services and receipt of payments is now electronic.

With this increasing dependence on e-Businesses processes, high availability of the system is crucial. Downtime has to be minimised and quick recovery of the systems assured if there is a problem.

As a result, the CSCC has an HP Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to ensure a consistent supply of power and daily backup.

'INFOTECH have been excellent in building a very reliable, mission critical environment and backing this up with amazing customer service from very experienced and responsive technicians,' said Santibanez.

'For added peace-of-mind, we also have an HP Priority Warranty Maintenance option for the servers, though thankfully we have not needed to use this.

'Our HP printing environment quickly churns out around 800 documents per day - from receipts and appointment sheets to letters, medical records, Medicare paperwork and financial information - and it never lets us down,' said Santibanez.

'The print stays sharp and black to the last page and we only change cartridges every few months. Paper jams are minimal and easy to resolve so this reduces work for our administrative staff.'

The addition of just one HP iPAQ Pocket PC has proven extremely effective for Race. In the short-term, the HP iPAQ assured Cawthorne peace of mind while on his holiday by providing system access at his fingertips.

Through the continued use of the HP iPAQ, Race has successfully reproduced a level of functionality comparable to its office environment. Working remotely, employees are able to use the iPAQ to resolve maintenance issues in a seamless and professional manner. Consequently, the company has seen a reduction in the number of sub-contractors required to cover staff absences.

Frequently occurring user issues are addressed without delay. With the addition of AT&T's Virtual Network Computing (VNC), Race is able to use the HP iPAQ to control a user's PC and mouse when they need assistance.

"Something as simple as a forgotten password can be immediately resolved because we can establish GPRS connectivity to the system and maintain telephone contact with the user at the same time," Cawthorne said.

"Having convenient and continuous access to the Brambles system is important because every week we have two to three tasks to complete.

"The intranet administration suite is particularly useful for managing the complexity of the NSW Mineral Council's technology because I can modify the database, respond to queries from logged in users and complete any other functions the scheme system administrator may require."

Industry: Race Computer Consultants provides end-to-end development, installation and support technology services, particularly for Web-based solutions.

Solution: A wireless solution utilising the Bluetooth-enabled HP iPAQ for remotely managing customers' systems issues and on going maintenance.

Hardware: HP iPAQ Pocket PC H3870 and Nokia 6310i mobile telephone.

Software: Microsoft Windows for Pocket PC 2002 and Microsoft ActiveSync 3.5, Microsoft Terminal Services Client, Internet Explorer, AT&T's VNC and range of other applications.

Challenge: A remote access solution that provides the functionality and connectivity of Race Computers' office-based PCs to enable continual customer support.

Benefits: The HP iPAQ has enhanced Race Computers' professional, efficient and seamless customer support, enabling the small team to complete maintenance tasks anywhere and at any time.