Case Histories
Municipality Network Infrastructure Assessment
INSIGHT:
The City issued an RFP seeking an assessment of its existing expenditures and equipment related to their voice and data infrastructure. There were numerous facilities where multiple servers, PBXs and telephone key systems were being utilized for city connectivity. The City lacked the staff and experience to adequately analyze and make recommendations to prepare its infrastructure for future growth.
ACTION:
Heartland Solutions Group was engaged by the City to analyze the processing capabilities of the current data infrastructure, maintainability and life cycle expectations of the equipment. Interviews were conducted with key staff members to gain insight and review support documentation. Lease agreements and financial status of equipment value was studied. Staffing levels and availability of core competencies were analyzed as it related to current and future work demands.
RESULTS:
The engagement uncovered several key areas that could impede current and future capabilities of critical services to its customers. The final data infrastructure report was presented to the City, which contained guidance and cost estimates for each of the recommendations. A “Service Risk Analysis” matrix was included with the report, which would be used by the City management to determine the prioritization order and justification of the recommended projects.
Workstation and Application Delivery Architecture Evaluation
INSIGHT:
The IT organization of a national medical organization was seeking direction for which workstation platform would best suit their application access requirements. The organization was also at a cross-road as to which server infrastructure delivery method was going to be used, and how it would best serve the end-user community. Management was quickly approaching a budget planning session and needed a strategic plan.
ACTION:
HSG assessed the current technology infrastructure to determine the condition of the existing computing hardware. Other areas of the IT support model were analyzed, including helpdesk operations and workstation refresh schedule. Interviews were conducted with key IT staff members who were responsible for current support operations and design of the future infrastructure computing model. The proposed IT budget for the upcoming calendar year was analyzed.
RESULTS:
A strategic plan was formulated which would be used to direct the IT organization in preparing itself for a virtualized applications delivery methodology. Budget guidance along with a technology “roadmap” was developed to get the organization back on track with its desktop computing refresh schedule. A new reporting model was developed to enhance the current trending analysis, which would also be used to track the IT organizations support effectiveness as future changes are implemented.
IT Department Consolidation for Corporate Merger
INSIGHT:
A corporate identity merchandise company completed an acquisition and sought guidance on how to align the two IT operations centers into a single functional unit. Several areas needed to be addressed, as both companies had fully functioning infrastructures and support staff. As part of the restructure, a new set of company IT standards were to be developed and used as operational guidelines.
ACTION:
Heartland Solutions Group was engaged by the company to perform an IT assessment at both facilities. Targeted profile areas included LAN/WAN infrastructure, data connectivity and usage, monitoring capabilities and firewall analysis. HSG worked with the staff at each location to interview IT staff and review operational protocols. IT documentation that was produced by staff was collected and used as backup material for the final report.
RESULTS:
An “Executive Overview” was developed based on the assessment findings and staff documentation. The report outlined a strategic plan and specific recommendations on combining the operations with existing staff talent and hardware. A roadmap was presented and outlined what priorities should be considered as the company moved towards a single support structure. A separate report was developed with staffing recommendations. The complete package enabled the CIO to initiate the merging of the two IT entities with real-time information and recommendations based on corporate minded “Best Practices.”
Wireless Review for Historic High School Facility
INSIGHT:
A prominent High School was offered a “gift” for a building-wide wireless access system. A local committee was formed and charged with developing an agenda as to how the technology would be used to augment the existing curriculum. Technically, there was no oversight being considered as to the implementation of the new system and moreover how the delicate architecture of the historic building would remain intact. The district’s IT department was in need of a wireless technology plan.
ACTION:
Heartland Solutions Group was engaged by the District’s IT department to assist with developing a technology roadmap for the implementation of a wireless access system. Standards were established for the wireless access devices, as well as for individual workstations. Budget considerations were developed for implementation, staff and training, recurring maintenance and additional infrastructure requirements. HSG met with teachers and administrative staff to determine how the wireless technology would be used to enhance the educational experience for the students. Interviews were conducted with other school districts in the area to gain insight to “lessons learned” and how they could apply to the client’s project.
RESULTS:
A technology “roadmap” was developed for the District’s IT department, which included budget estimates, equipment standards and justification as to how the technology could be used to enhance the learning experience. HSG was instrumental in determining the full cost of the “gift,” and presented its findings to the school board.