Case Studies

THE CHALLENGE

Our client underwent a major technology transformation programme which involved consolidating their datacentre environment and implementing Microsoft 365.

THE APPROACH

Our consultants lead the main technical workstreams for this programme and were responsible for:

Design and implementation of a new virtualization solution involving VMWare running on Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure.
Office 365 design and implementation, including ADFS.
Azure infrastructure design and implementation.
Mobile Device Management through InTune for corporate iPhones and iPads.
Sharepoint configuration and setup.
Email migration from Lotus Notes to Exchange Online performed using custom scripts and in-house developed applications.
Design and implementation of Citrix Virtual Apps infrastructure.
Active Directory migration.

THE RESULT

The transformation programme was delivered successfully and delivered cost savings through a right-sized datacentre environment whilst allowing the client to benefit through the use of the O365 productivity and collaboration suite.

THE CHALLENGE

Our client, a global technology company, found themselves unable to complete a large scale virtual desktop rollout because they were unable to achieve the predicted user density on the hyperconverged hardware supporting the solution.  They were faced with either living with a partial rollout and supporting two different systems or making a significant investment in additional hardware.

 THE APPROACH

Our consultants worked with the hyperconverged hardware vendor to optimize performance by identifying and eliminating the bottlenecks that were limiting user density.  This involved hardware performance tuning, designing and implementing a revised user profile storage solution and revising the design of the virtual desktop estate.

 THE RESULT

Our client was able to complete the rollout, move all users onto the target hyperconverged estate and decommission the original virtual desktop environment without having to purchase any additional hardware.  The result was a significant cost saving both in terms of run cost and from removing the need to purchase new hardware.

THE CHALLENGE

Integration issues between core components of a major IT system supporting a transport infrastructure programme were preventing the rollout from taking place according to schedule and resulted in adverse publicity.

THE APPROACH

Our consultant led the service team responsible for prioritising and managing service incidents and problems through to resolution.  This involved co-ordinating code fixes with multiple third party vendors as well as in house teams, scheduling release updates, planning and overseeing implementation activities and liaising with the client to update them on progress and to provide reassurances that the programme was being brought back on track.  Stakeholder engagement and management was critical in restoring confidence that the delivery teams were capable of resolving issues and recovering the overall programme.

THE RESULT

Multiple major issues were resolved swiftly and the programme rollout recommenced according to schedule.  Client confidence in the delivery teams from multiple vendors was restored.

THE CHALLENGE

A number of core IT infrastructure systems being used by a financial services organisation had gone end of life and were no longer supported by vendors. The organisation needed to upgrade these components in order to regain vendor support and allow them to meet their regulatory obligations with regards to applying security patches and system updates.​

THE APPROACH

Infratech Systems’ consultants helped to define the best overall approach for the programme in order to achieve the desired end state with minimal disruption to the business. This included identifying and resolving compatibility issues within the target estate and any licencing implications for the client to address. We then took on lead roles designing and implementing a migration approach for each component and overseeing the entire transition to return the target environment to a fully supported state without introducing any detrimental impact on any other systems and applications.​

THE RESUL

The programme enabled the financial services organisation to meet its regulatory commitments with regards to maintaining a supported and patched IT infrastructure. All systems in scope were returned to a fully supported state so that regular system updates and patches could be applied. A roadmap was established to address end of life considerations more proactively in the future.​

THE CHALLENGE

Our client required an M365 environment where multiple vendors could collaborate on a joint programme of work.  The ​environemnt had to be designed so that staff from different organisations could work effectvely together in a shared environment without compromising security and data policies within their own organisation’s infrastructure.

THE APPROACH

Infratech Systems’ consultants helped to design and implement the M365 environment.  We then provided a service wrap post implementation to  support users and also to introduce service improvements as new features were often requested as the requirements evolved and the demand for the service grew.​

THE RESULT

The M365 environment allowed multiple vendors to share work, collaborate closely on projects and utilise many of the suite of add ons for Microsoft Teams.  It greatly increased productivity and was widely acknowledged to have contributed to the overall success of the programme. 

THE CHALLENGE

Our client faced a challenge with onboarding users following a large acquisition.  They needed staff from the new company to begin using their corporate IT systems as soon as possible.

 THE APPROACH

Our consultants quickly implemented a federation solution which allowed users to access systems within their new company’s infrastructure via a virtual desktop using their existing credentials.

 THE RESULT

The onboarding of new users has been greatly helped and sped up by allowing them to access new systems straight away rather than waiting for the full merger of IT systems to complete.  It has bought time for that consolidation programme and means that it can be designed and implemented much more strategically as the users already have access to all the systems they need within both environments.

THE CHALLENGE

The current recruitment service and IT platform was not able to meet the current and future demands. To address the client undertook the largest outsource for the entire recruitment service and associated IT platforms. One of the key areas within the IT landscape was a data warehouse and analytics platform, one that would provide real-time view of recruitment volumes and assist in future marketing strategies for recruitment.​

THE APPROACH

Our consultants helped to define the best overall approach for the Data Warehouse aspect of the programme in order to achieve the business vision. This included identifying the data architecture and the source systems that would feed the data lake. Technologies (Microsoft suite) that would be utilised to provide predefined real time dashboards and user tailored reporting capabilities.​

This engagement also required the design and implementation of the Microsoft Power Platform suite for the client which included Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate and Virtual Agents. 

THE RESULT

This aspect of the programme enabled the client to drive up success rates of onboarding of applicants and determine where applicants were dropping in the process. They were able to identify and target demographics to meet regulator and compliance requirements.​

THE CHALLENGE

Over the years, our client had expanded though a series of acquisitions but without any consolidation of their global IT infrastructure. This caused complexity in managing the environments and added risk for the implementation of changes.  There were a growing number of unresolved issues that were starting to impact on the delivery and manageability of the IT service.  Furthermore, due to missing configuration a large part of the server estate was not patched to the recommended levels which introduced further risk into their environment.

THE APPROACH

Our consultant led the architecture and design of a new Active Directory forest and SCCM solution.  He also planned the migration from existing global estate to the new target AD and SCCM as well as ensuring the new solution was fully documented.

THE RESULT

The architecture and design documents allowed the client’s IT team to build the new Active Directory Forest and SCCM site without any issues.  This has resulted in a consolidated environment which is easier to support and maintain and is built around best practice.  They are also able to report on server patching to ensure compliance across all sites globally from a central management system.

THE CHALLENGE

Historically, our client’s large global server estate had been managed by local IT departments each with their own standards and toolsets. This resulted in inconsistencies throughout the organisation and the client took the decision to adopt a more centralised IT function, including standardisation of build and tools across all sites.

THE APPROACH

Our consultant carried out a discovery phase to first understand the configuration across all the global sites and to then define a plan of action that will need to be completed to bring each site in line with the new standards.  This included:

• Migrating DHCP, DFS and Print Services to a local resource server hosted within each site
• Rebuilding all domain controllers to Windows 2019 Core
• Carrying out compliance checks to ensure all servers were patched and included in the automated patching process
• Moving all virtual machines to a common VMWare virtualisation platform

The above activities had to be planned and implemented so that they had zero impact to production services.

THE RESULT

The client’s IT department are now able to support all sites more efficiently, at reduced cost as a result of the standardised technology set.  They also have greater control and visibility of patching compliance.

THE CHALLENGE

Our client required rapid design and rollout of a remote working solution for approximately 1300 users in response to the Covid-19 work from home mandate.  This included a significant proportion of contact centre staff who required access to the corporate telephony services which had only ever been accessible from office locations.

THE APPROACH

We carried out a rapid expansion of a Citrix VDI solution which utilized Citrix Application Delivery Controller for secure access.  A custom soft phone solution was designed and implemented to enable contact centre staff to work remotely.  We also needed to expand the VPN solution and create a process for bulk assigning and distribution of soft tokens for two factor authentication as well as providing support for users who were new to remote access.

THE RESULT

As a result of the speedy design and rollout of this solution, the client was able to allow all of their workforce to work from home in line with Government policy.  Senior management from within the client organisation recognized the significant contribution that we had made allowing them to send staff home with no disruption to their business activities.