Nashua Mobile is one of South Africa`s largest independent, corporate-focused cellular solutions providers. Its client base of over 400 000 contracted cellular subscribers can choose from cellular services and communication solutions from all three local networks - Vodacom, MTN and Cell C - making satisfactory customer service levels a key priority for the company. An upgrade to the company`s Microsoft platform has provided it with significant return on investment.
When it became apparent that its Microsoft (MS) platform would no longer be supported and was in the process of being `phased out`, Nashua Mobile realised it would have to upgrade to the more recent MS Active Directory and Exchange 2000. The company chose KSS to handle its supply, implementation, maintenance and support of the new MS platform.
Says Wally Fernandes, IT Director at Nashua Mobile: "We required the services of a company that would not only install but also assist us in a consulting capacity, filling an advisory role and managing the entire project. As our existing IT team needed to gain the skills required to support and maintain the new MS platform, we embarked on a co-source implementation."
Nashua mobile obtained proposals from two reputable IT partners. The KSS quote was accepted as the costs were substantially lower than the comparative quote. Fernandes also notes that he was impressed with KSS` long-standing track record and experience in such implementations.
Nashua Mobile`s head office is situated in Midrand with branches in Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Vodaworld, Sandton and Durban. With over 600 staff, the company needed to migrate to the new MS platform with as little inconvenience to its staff and customers. It thus adopted a `phased` approach.
Explains Andre Maree, managing director at KSS: "Four servers at each branch office containing Nashua Mobile`s database of network users needed to be upgraded to the new MS Active Directory Platform. We started the migration in July 2004 with the head office in Midrand. A distinct advantage of MS` forethought in technology is its `backward compatibility`, which allowed the branches on the older MS platforms to continue communicating with the upgraded server.
"Once the MS Active Directory migration was complete, KSS continued with the migration to MS Exchange 2000, completing the project using the same phased approach."
The entire migration to MS Active Directory and Exchange 2000 took approximately two months. Each branch office took one day to convert to the new platform and would `run` for a week to ensure snags were resolved before the next branch office was upgraded.
Fernandes continues: "Although continued support was the primary reason for migration to the new platform, we realised a multitude of benefits with the implementation. Security, especially internally, is a key factor for Nashua Mobile and the new platform provides a more granular foundation, allowing the company to implement stringent security rules and policies. We are currently revisiting security issues and are in the process of finalising an updated security plan. The new MS Active Directory and Exchange 2000 platform supports our updated security plan and provides a toolset to implement rigorous measures."
In addition, the company is now using one database rather than the two needed with the previous platform. Nashua Mobile saves approximately 15 man-hours per month on maintaining a single database, allowing the company to lower ongoing costs and improve efficiency by utilising the additional available resources in other areas.
"KSS provided us with a practical approach that illustrated simplicity rather than complexity," Fernandes concludes. "The company successfully passed on the needed skills and expertise during the project, allowing us to resolve many of the issues ourselves. However, assistance is always on hand with KSS and we have benefited greatly from the relationship. A year has passed since the implementation and the advantages of the new platform have been worth the investment in time and money, providing us with a sound return on investment."
Share