M&C SAATCHI - VPN Business Case Study
Global ad agency M & C Saatchi chose Maxnet for provision of a Virtual Private Network for the New Zealand leg of its worldwide network.
Ad agency M&CSaatchi is renowned for generating sales for its clients using simple direct messages. For clients with global interests the challenge requires not just creativity, but collaboration of the right people and access to resources, wherever they may be in the world. To achieve this, a wide area network was required to connect the M&CSaatchi offices around the world.
In late 2005, the New Zealand offices of M&CSaatchi began a major upgrade of its computer systems. New servers were installed in the Auckland office; a Mac OSX Server and also two PC Servers to run Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Exchange and Active Directory.
The upgrade plans included the installation of a wide area network connecting the Auckland and Wellington offices and, via Sydney, on to the offices of M&CSaatchi around the world.
The New Zealand section of the wide area network consisted of the virtual private network (VPN) provided by local internet service provider Maxnet. The VPN links the Auckland and Wellington offices using MPLS technology over fibre optic circuits terminating at the Maxnet Internet Data Centre (IDC) in Auckland. The VPN is protected from the outside world by a managed firewall located in the Maxnet IDC.
The upgrade allowed files from the Auckland and Wellington offices to be stored on a single server, a structure that is not only convenient, but much better for security and disaster recovery. The Auckland and Wellington offices, which previously had separate IT systems, now operate on a single system.
With fast and secure VPNs in place, using Microsoft Active Directory every M&CSaatchi employee worldwide has access to their global Shared Asset Management System and other global resources. This environment is reliable, secure and is easy to manage.
The new system has many operational benefits. Team members from different offices frequently collaborate on projects. In the past this meant large files had to be sent by e-mail and media files were often stored in multiple locations. Using the worldwide active directory, all employees and media resources are easily available from central locations. The network also allows an employee to function as if in one global office. For example, it is easy for a New Zealand employee to book a meeting room in Sydney, or log on to the network in London and have access to files on the Auckland fileserver.
The New Zealand offices also have plans for future business benefits using the VPN. Video conferencing software running over the fast and secure VPN infrastructure will allow staff in the offices to simply talk to each other. With the IP phone system it will also be possible to share receptionists, or to use a single receptionist for both offices.
M&CSaatchi IT Manager, Lisa Coleman, comments on her selection of Maxnet for the provision of the New Zealand leg of the network:
"Although we were connecting to a worldwide network, we chose to use Maxnet ahead of an overseas provider because we wanted the support of a local firm. In addition to this, Maxnet was able to provide us with excellent support at a level we didn't expect to get from a large provider.
We found the Maxnet technical staff to be very knowledgeable, personable, and they liaised well with our Sydney staff which was critical in making the VPN a success.
We are extremely happy with our decision to use Maxnet. They not only got the VPN up and running, but pulled out all the stops to get it installed in the timeframe we needed".
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