Case # 1 - Radio Broadcasting

Integrated Office Systems Corporation (Ion) recently assisted ABC Radio Stations with an accounting system migration from New York to Dallas. ABC's 40 radio stations nationwide use a Citrix thin client/remote access model to access the accounting system. Ion consultants and ABC Radio staff worked together to:

(1) Resolve multiple connectivity issues,
(2) Migrate multiple SQL databases from many domains into one domain,
(3) Fine tune the Citrix servers, and
(4) Design a plan for providing nationwide user support for the week after the migration.

We spoke recently with the Director of Information Technology for ABC Radio, who had the following comments regarding the project and his experience with the Ion Citrix team, and other Ion employees involved in the project:

Why was the decision made to migrate the accounting system to Dallas?

"I am located here in Dallas, and it was my responsibility to gain control of this system and make it work. We didn't have the Citrix expertise in-house in New York or Dallas to handle a project of this magnitude. Prior to the migration our system performance was really poor; connectivity issues such as line slowness and disconnects had a major affect on user productivity. I had over 50 people from across the country trying to access a system that could barely handle 10 users at a time. And these were accounting users, so the disconnects were also making it very difficult to generate effective reports. The system was having a difficult time delivering."

Why did you select Ion to assist you on this project?

"We obviously were looking for a consulting firm that was a partner with Citrix Systems, with trained and certified Citrix engineers on staff. I also knew through some personal relationships that Ion had a strong background in project management. After meeting with their lead consultants I was satisfied that they had the expertise to help us. The fact that Ion's offices are within two miles of our office helped too!

What challenges did Ion help you resolve during the project?

" The project was scheduled to be completed over a weekend, so the biggest challenge was to make the application available to the 40 offices in a compressed period of time, while having a contingency plan in case the migration was less than successful. Due to excellent planning by Ion the project went very well, was completed within my expected time frame, and was even under budget!

What impressed you most about working with the Ion team on the project?

" The Ion consultants we worked with had an excellent depth of knowledge, were experienced, and got the job done right the first time. I was especially impressed with their tenacity! Our field offices and accounting staff were also impressed with how Ion handled post-migration support. A few issues occurred during the first week after migrating and they were resolved quickly. There have been few or no issues since then."

So you would have no reservation recommending Ion?

" Absolutely not. Our project was very successful, and the accounting systems are still running great! Ion is a company that knew what they were doing, planned their activities well, and executed the plan. In fact, we are considering a new Citrix project of a similar magnitude and I will have no hesitation bringing Ion in on the project."
 

Integrated Office Systems Corporation (Ion) recently assisted Wolin, Ridley, and Miller, LLP (WRM), one of its premier legal clients, as the law firm merged with Kirkpatrick and Lockhart, LLP (K&L), one of the nation's Top 50 law firms. The merger required the daunting task of consolidating WRM and K&L information systems. Primarily accomplished over the course of a weekend, Ion consultants and K&L staff worked together to:

• Implement a new wide area network infrastructure of Servers, Routers, Switches and Hubs,
• Migrate all WRM data to K&L,
• Migrate all email and email records to the K&L mail system,
• Convert all desktops (40+) to Windows 2000, and
• Integrate 15 laptops.

We recently spoke with the Office Administrator for K&L Dallas, who has been the primary management contact between WRM/K&L and Ion over the course of two and a half years. She shared the following comments regarding the recent project and Ion's role in their law practice:

What role did Ion play in your recent merger?
Ion was right at the heart of our partnership with K&L information systems staff and our training/document management consultants. Since Ion installed our network and supported us on a day-to-day basis, they provided a great deal of input into planning the conversion. As it turned out, the conversion actually took place over the year-end holidays, and Ion devoted their resources to helping us meet a tough project deadline. The project owes much of its success to Ion.

What was the biggest challenge faced?
The biggest challenge we faced was the conversion and integration of document management systems. Along with that challenge we also converted from WordPerfect to Word, installed new hardware and software, and we accomplished it on a VERY short time frame.
Were you and the firms involved pleased with how the project progressed?
The conversion went as well as could be expected, but then I knew from experience with Ion that the project would be well-planned and well thought out. We were very pleased with the results!
What kind of job did Ion do for you?
The Ion team did a great job! We are so happy to have Ion as a partner, even though their role has changed since the merger. Although Ion historically worked with WRM on technology planning issues that area is primarily being handled by K&L's IS Department now. Where as Ion used to provide all of the network and information systems support for WRM, Ion's role now is more in remote support role for K&L's IS group.

Why do you think a company should use Ion's services?
I can't say enough about our relationship and experience with Ion! We have worked with several network service providers in the past, but in comparison Ion's consultants are extremely knowledgeable and experienced-you are in very good hands when your network is supported by Ion. Perhaps even more important though is the fact that their people are very caring, attentive, and a joy to work with. I tell everyone I know that they are the very best!