GUY Engineering Services is woman owned, Native-American-owned and HUBZone-certified civil engineering consulting firm based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. For decades, they’ve provided engineering, surveying and planning services to federal, tribal, state, county, city and private entities.

Paving the Way for a Better IT Infrastructure

As a civil engineering firm, GUY Engineering is always considering whether there’s a better way to build something, and their IT infrastructure is no different. Around 2017, they decided that it was time to upgrade that infrastructure and perhaps their IT managed services provider along with it. Looking for a quality partner to deliver best-in-breed technology, they turned to InterWorks.

For their first engagement, InterWorks helped GUY Engineering replace their old server, networking and firewall hardware. InterWorks also helped implement a VMware Horizon Virtual Desktop environment for workers in their growing Oklahoma City office. This alleviated previous issues with their file server configuration and enabled greater access and productivity for those outside their Tulsa HQ.

Shortly after the IT hardware refresh, GUY Engineering made the decision to move their HQ to a new location in Tulsa. InterWorks assisted with the relocation and setup of GUY Engineering’s entire IT infrastructure. InterWorks helped them outfit an entirely new server room and ran/terminated all network cabling throughout their new office building. Since their HQ move, GUY Engineering has also made substantial changes to their OKC office location, with InterWorks helping them to set up new networking components there, as well.

“The biggest advantage of working with InterWorks is that they keep us at the forefront of IT, which is a real competitive advantage in our field. They’re also the voice of reason when it comes to thinking through solutions. They’re able to tell me whether something might be overkill or whether there are options that might be a better fit for our needs.”

– Becky Pitts, Engineering Technician/IT, GUY Engineering

Current Setup & Remote Capability

Fast-forward to 2023, and GUY has advanced their IT infrastructure significantly. They still utilize Dell EMC servers, and thanks to better networking via Ruckus Unleashed Access Points and upgraded machines, they can now connect to their centralized file server without the need for VDI. They primarily access things like CAD drawings, which can be sizeable, but their infrastructure handles it easily whether their employees are accessing them from Tulsa, OKC or remote locations.

All of this was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic, and GUY Engineering was able to adapt to most of their workforce working from home without difficulty. InterWorks was also able to help GUY Engineering roll out things like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to make remote collaboration even smoother among GUY Engineering employees.

Ask anyone at our company how did the transition to remote work during COVID went, and they’ll say it was shockingly smooth. The government made an announcement on Wednesday, and that next week, we were working effectively from home. A lot of credit goes to Becky for that, but the work InterWorks did with our IT infrastructure helped make it possible.”

– Michael Twyman, VP of Finance and HR, GUY Engineering

The Focus on CMMC

A big emphasis for GUY engineering the past two years has been becoming CMMC compliant. CMMC stands for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification and is a designation created by the U.S. Department of Defense to assess an organization’s security posture. This is important to GUY Engineering because they often work with federal entities and see CMMC as a distinct competitive advantage in their field. The certification process takes a lot of time, and there are several requirements involved, most of which pertain to IT infrastructure and security practices.

InterWorks’ Marshall Roy provided an initial security assessment for GUY Engineering but quickly realized that bringing in a third-party subject matter expert on CMMC would be wise. So, GUY Engineering and InterWorks reached out to Guernsey to help them identify over 110 items to meet in order to become fully compliant. GUY Engineering and InterWorks could then work together to complete those requirements. They included things like FIPS-enabled encrypted file sharing, data redundancy and server monitoring with Datto RMM, a SOPHOS XGS firewall, improved ESET antivirus, DUO for multi-factor authentication (MFA), implementation of Active Directory policies and even smaller items like access controls for removeable media.

Technology as a Competitive Advantage

Today, GUY Engineering is well-positioned both in the work they do and the IT infrastructure that supports their business. Even before pursuing CMMC, they knew the value of investing in sound technology to help improve their work. But now, they’ve pursued a fully modern IT stack that helps both in their day-to-day operations and serves as a competitive advantage in pursuing the types of work they want to do. InterWorkers like Marshall Roy, Warren Sinor and Andy Shahan help support them in that endeavor. For InterWorks’ part, we love working with clients like GUY Engineering, as well as third-party partners like Guernsey, who work exceedingly well together towards a common goal.

“It’s a great relationship with InterWorks. Marshall, Warren and Andy are all good personalities who are always willing to teach me and show me something new. I genuinely enjoy getting talk to people at InterWorks.”

– Becky Pitts, Engineering Technician/IT, GUY Engineering

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Based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Maple Brothers Auctions is a family-run collector car auction. Picking up the mantle from the former Leake Auction Company, Maple Brothers Auction hosts auctions across the Midwest and South Central U.S. Their goal is simple: to connect passionate people with the classic cars of their dreams. Car events are generally tight-knit affairs, and Maple Brothers wants to capture the feeling of being at a family reunion with every auction they produce.

Starting Off on the Right Foot with IT

Though the founders of Maple Brothers are no strangers to classic cars, they are a relatively new player in the market as an organized auctioneering company. Many former Leake Auction Company staff joined the new Maple Brothers Auctions team, so they have plenty of expertise among them. Even so, they wanted to make sure they paid special care to every aspect of the car auction experience. The thing that connects everything is great communication, and the backbone of great communication is a strong IT foundation.

Maple Brothers Auctions’ IT Director Richard Maple had prior education and experience with IT, so he took point on securing some solid IT solutions to get the business up and running. Specifically, he knew that Maple Brothers Auctions would need desktops, laptops, email and all the standard technologies you might expect in any business. However, the real challenge was finding a networking solution that would meet a unique use case.

Because Maple Brothers Auctions’ business largely takes place in the field at convention centers and expo halls, networking is always a challenge. Sure, they could plug directly into a venue’s WiFi, but those networks are usually available to everyone with limited security and reliability. Richard knew they needed a way to create a secure, closed network to keep transactions (some of which exceed six figures) safe and keep unwanted hands out of their network. Because auto auctions are so widely dispersed in venues as large as 200,000 square feet, he also knew that a wired solution wasn’t going to work for them.

Richard knew enough about IT to know the players in the game and generally what type of solutions to look into, but he also knew he needed an IT partner that was up to speed on the latest technologies, as well as one that understood Maple Brothers Auctions’ needs and goals. Having a strong affinity for local businesses, he also wanted to partner locally. After talking with a few potential partners, Richard identified InterWorks as a great fit.

“When we got ahold of Jonathan Lundin and Todd Walls, they helped us talk through the whole thing in a clear way. They identified Ruckus as an ideal solution, they explained how it works, how it could solve our challenges and they were upfront about the costs and timelines.”

– Richard Maple, IT Director, Maple Brothers Auctions

Revving up Ruckus for Wireless Networking

The first order of business for Richard and InterWorks Systems Engineer Todd Walls was to secure their basic IT setup for the entire company. This consisted of around two dozen Dell workstations – some desktops and some laptops – that could support in-office and frequent remote work. Again, much of this technology would be utilized remotely at venues throughout the year. The addition of Microsoft 365 ensured that staff could access email, spreadsheets and anything else they might need from wherever they are. Then came the crucial part of the solution: the wireless networking setup. Maple Brothers Auctions’ wireless networking solution consisted of a Dell switch for ethernet access and a Sophos firewall for tight security and added failover capability, but the heart of the solution was Ruckus Unleashed by Ruckus Wireless.

Ruckus Unleashed is an entirely self-contained wireless solution designed for mobile use cases. The solution supports up to 25 wireless access points, with any one of those access points able to be designed as the controller. Should that controller go offline, the intelligent network automatically designates one of the remaining four access points as the new controller. This ensures minimal disruption in dispersed settings. Another great feature of Ruckus Unleashed is the ability to monitor network performance at a highly granular level in real time. You can see exactly who is connected to your network, as well as the strength of each connection.

Speaking of minimizing disruption, another component to the broader wireless networking solution was a cellular backup plan through Verizon Wireless. This is where the Sophos firewall with failover capability plays a crucial role. Because hotel and conference center WiFi is notoriously spotty, it can often experience outages, especially when under high demand. Should that occur, the Sophos firewall can switch internet to the cellular backup in a pinch, guaranteeing that operations—and specifically transactions from their point-of-sale system—continue without disruption.

“I think the best thing about working with InterWorks is knowing that our IT infrastructure is just going to work. Todd’s designed it so that there are so many backups and failsafes that we won’t be dead in the water in the worst-case scenario – unless the power goes out, which is beyond our control. We also have the peace of mind knowing that InterWorks is easy to get ahold of and is just a phone call away should we ever need help.”

– Richard Maple, IT Director, Maple Brothers Auctions

Live at the Collector Car Auction

It’s one thing to talk about an IT solution on paper, but seeing it in action is an entirely different experience. When Maple Brothers Auction planned their first auto auction, they asked Todd Walls to come on-site – both as backup IT support should they need it and simply because they wanted him to see the nuts of bolts of how these auctions run.

First, weeks before the auction even begins, staff at Maple Brothers Auctions is coordinating with potential buyers and sellers to get them in the same place for a single day. Once the day of the auction comes, they bring all the cars to the venue, along with buyers and sellers (or their respective agents), and the magic begins.

On auction day, they set up a behind-the-scenes command center, usually located where there is the right combination of space, privacy and accessibility to multiple power outlets and an ethernet connection to the venue’s internet. Here, they set up their Dell switch, Sophos firewall, cellular backup and around eight Dell workstations. They can usually run cable in these rooms and connect their workstations directly to the Dell switch, which possesses multiple ethernet ports. In addition to being the IT hub of the company’s operations, it’s also the operational hub where all transactions are processed, transfers of title occur and several other operational tasks are executed.

Out on the floor, you have anywhere from 12-15 Dell laptops dispersed throughout the venue, capable of registering deals via a cloud point-of-sale system. This is where Ruckus Unleashed comes into play. With wireless access points placed strategically around the venue, these laptops don’t need to rely on wired connections; they can connect securely and wirelessly to the nearest access point with the confidence that their operations won’t be interrupted by spotty internet or be vulnerable to an open network.

In addition to all of that, Maple Brothers Auctions hires a media group to conduct livestreams of the auctions via YouTube and Facebook. A clear stream, contingent upon reliable internet connections, gives buyers and sellers who aren’t at the event the ability to follow along in real time, allowing for a seamless remote auction experience.

When it comes to large events, there’s the assumption that it’s never about if something goes wrong—it’s about when. But in the case of Maple Brothers Auctions’ first event, it all went off without a hitch. A big part of that success was that they could count on their IT operations to see them through any contingency. What’s more, because the setup is so user friendly, Richard can run this infrastructure on his own without needing InterWorks to keep an eye on things. Of course, InterWorks is always there for help if needed, but that sort of self-service mentality is one that both Maple Brothers Auctions and InterWorks value.

Exploring New Avenues

With several successful auto auctions now under their belts, Maple Brothers Auctions is well positioned to keep growing their business. Rather than focusing on volume, they’re more concerned with making the auto-auction experience more personal. They plan to differentiate themselves by focusing on people and relationships vs. becoming a cash cow. The best part is that they can do this on their own terms. They plan on holding three to four auctions per year, and they’re enabled to do so with confidence, knowing they have the IT infrastructure to support them. At the end of the day, for them, it’s about being able to focus on what they love: serving passionate classic car fans.

“Our whole goal is to have that family reunion type of mindset. Everyone at these car events knows each other, and we keep adding more people to the family with each event. A lot of other auctions can feel big and corporate, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the people who come to our auctions know our names and we know theirs, and that’s what we’re after.”

– Richard Maple, IT Director, Maple Brothers Auctions

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Ponca City Development Authority (PCDA) is an organization committed to accelerating economic growth in Ponca City, Oklahoma, through the support and development of primary enterprises. By hosting numerous events geared to engage the surrounding community, PCDA is dedicated to bolstering the start-up culture in Ponca, cultivating existing industries and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.

City Central and an Expanded Reach

For many years, PCDA officed out of a leased space in the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce, but when the 71,000 square-foot City Central bank building was donated to the organization in 2016, plans began to change. The new space consisted of six stories and was nestled in the heart of downtown Ponca, an ideal location to be a part of the city’s true heartbeat and have a meaningful and lasting impact, both as an economic driver and a placemaking location for the downtown Grand Arts District.

With the new space came a blank slate to lay the kind of IT groundwork that would support and sustain the organization moving into the future. The opportunities for expansion were numerous. However, the vision for the newly acquired building was ambitious and needed strategic mapping to be realized as seamlessly and successfully as possible. Further, while the space would unlock the potential to influence and resonate with the community in new and enduring ways, the technical logistics would require creativity and innovation.

PCDA needed help shaping their big ideas into a cohesive plan, so they turned to a longstanding relationship with a trusted IT partner: InterWorks.

A Framework Built for Flexibility

Having handled their IT needs for several years, IT Systems Engineer Kendall Hanson began meeting with staff regarding their vision for City Central. The dialogue was not simply about the organization’s technology needs; it was largely about their goals for the project in both the short and long term. Combining PCDA’s vision of their own trajectory with how they could effect change in Ponca City as a whole, Kendall outlined a suite of InterWorks services that would help realize those goals.

Not only was the organization intending to relocate their main office to the new building, but there were also plans to utilize the available space to expand the scope of services available to the community at large. PCDA wanted to build out the space to include an available conference event space with breakout rooms; individual office spaces and desks for lease; multiple coworking areas; a shared technology space featuring a 3D printer, laser engraver and more; and a coffee shop to keep City Central patrons caffeinated and content.

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Countryside Church is one of the largest churches in Stillwater, Oklahoma. With a weekly attendance of about 850 individuals, their mission is “to introduce people to Jesus and equip them to follow him fully.” Like many churches, a lot of operational responsibilities fall on volunteers from the congregation. Such was the case with their IT networking.

With one person running their network in a volunteer capacity, they knew that a lot more could be done. Things were operational enough at the time, and the volunteer effort meant that they could use their budget elsewhere. That is until the volunteer had to move. This left Countryside with no one to maintain their network. But the outgoing volunteer didn’t leave them high and dry as he recommended the church contact InterWorks for help.

“A way that we love our community is by providing good internet for them when they are in the building, but we still needed to be able to do things like keep our livestream running. We had heard about InterWorks from others in the community, so we reached out to them to discuss a new network.”

– Stacee Harmon, Director of IT and Communications, Countryside Church

Assessing Their Needs

After the first call with InterWorks Regional IT Practice Lead Keith Johnson, Countryside got a feel for where they were at with their network. The news wasn’t great. Their five DHCP Ubiquity access points simply couldn’t keep up in their high-capacity environment, they didn’t know much about their ISP or internet speed and they were using a Raspberry Pi for a firewall. In short, it wasn’t an ideal setup.

To take a closer look at the situation, InterWorks System Administrators Alonso Duran and Ian Connally, went onsite to meet Stacee Harmon, Countryside’s new director of IT and communications, and Bo Blakey, their equipping pastor. After seeing the setup in person, Alonso and Ian had enough info to formulate a new networking solution that could more than adequately handle high network volume.

Finding the Right Fit

Using a floor planner tool, Keith and Alonso were able to map out everything Countryside would need in a network. The new solution would be centered on a Ruckus Wireless controller and seven access points throughout the church. They included a properly sized Sophos Firewall and ESET Antivirus that would give a huge boost to network security as well as four Dell PoE switches and battery backups for the whole network. This also included some re-cabling and repositioning to make sure the network would perform at its best.

But Countryside didn’t just need things fixed; they wanted to understand the ins and outs of their network technology. To help them get a clear view of everything going on, Alonso itemized the solution and explained every piece of technology – even going so far as to diagram the entire network out on a whiteboard to show them how it all worked. In the end, it was this level of care that convinced Countryside to go forward with the solution and with InterWorks.

“We appreciated InterWorks’ ability to speak on different levels and answer any questions we might have had. They were great at communicating the difference between our old network and the proposed one in a way that both technical and non-technical people could understand.”

– Stacee Harmon, Director of IT and Communications, Countryside Church

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

With everything decided, the next steps were implementation, testing and seeing how the network performed at peak usage (i.e. Sundays). Implementation and testing took less than a week, wrapping up just in time for Countryside to test their network the following Sunday. This was the anxious part. Would the network perform at capacity on the first go? Not every network works 100% right out of the gate, so Alonso, and Keith were on standby in case anything went wrong.

Thanks to a by-the-book implementation and extensive testing, the network performed without a problem. This is particularly impressive as services are often interactive, with members frequently accessing the network to open a Bible app. Countryside gave Alonso a call to let them know how happy they were with the network. Alonso followed by coming on-site to do a little more connection work.

“The best part is that I don’t have to worry about my network. The first Sunday that college students returned to Stillwater, we had 1,000 people in the building, which was amazing. A week later, I realized that I never once thought about the internet. I was able to focus on loving people instead of managing a chaotic network crash.”

– Stacee Harmon, Director of IT and Communications, Countryside Church

A New Challenge: Students

Having passed the Sunday test with flying colors, Countryside had a new challenge for the network: Finals Week. Each year, Countryside hosts study sessions throughout finals week for Oklahoma State University students. This gives students a great place to lounge and study from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. each day.

With 300-400 students using multiple devices on the network, Stacee was anxious about it being overloaded. In previous years, with their more rudimentary setup involving the Raspberry Pi, they had to reset the network every 30 minutes. They did not want to repeat that, so Stacee reached out to Alonso who reassured her that the network would handle the traffic without issue.

Once Finals Week approached, InterWorks stood by listening for a call. The following week, Stacee reached out to InterWorks in amazement to let us know that the network didn’t break a sweat. In fact, one of their pastors was able to stream a movie with hundreds of students using the network at the same time.

Re-Focusing on What Matters

Effectively handling every challenge thrown at it, Countryside’s network thoroughly impressed their staff. Aside from providing them with solid infrastructure, Alonso also took the time to explain everything and equip Countryside with the knowledge they needed to truly understand their network. This attention to both the technology and the people using it is what Countryside appreciated the most. They weren’t just getting a nice solution fit to their needs, they were gaining the confidence to run their own affairs as well as a trusted resource in InterWorks.

With their biggest IT challenge in the rearview, Countryside can now focus on improving other areas. InterWorks has already helped them set up a secure VPN for their accounting staff, ESET Antivirus deployment and even added a fun splash page to welcome guests logging in to the network. Best of all, with IT woes a thing of the past, Countryside can devote more time to the mission their church was built on.

“I used to spend a lot of time managing our network, but now I’m free to focus on the more relational side of technology. I can help a Sunday school teacher set up their computer to show a video instead of worrying whether we have internet for our mission critical hardware. That’s been a huge benefit of this project.”

– Stacee Harmon, Director of IT and Communications, Countryside Church

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St. Francis Xavier is a parish of the Catholic church with deep roots in Stillwater, Oklahoma, dating back to 1891 when the first priest appeared in the area. The first church building was erected in 1899, and the current church building complex was dedicated in March of 2018 and covers over 42,000 square feet on 20 acres.

While the church building has undergone many transformations and changes over the years, the support and service that St. Francis Xavier offers has never wavered. From providing refuge for persecuted Catholics in the early 1900s to continual encouragement supplied during Mass nearly every day, the presence of the St. Francis Church is an invaluable benefit to the community.

Growing Church, Growing Infrastructure

As the church continued to grow, it soon became clear that a new building was needed to best meet the needs of the congregation and city. With two parishes and two different ministry emphases, St. Francis was going to need a more focused solution to improve and streamline networking across all locations.

Previously, St. Francis relied upon members of the church body to assist with IT processes. Without a formal IT partner, congregants with bits and pieces of tech knowledge sought to form a functional network, but this had its challenges. Kendall Hanson, an InterWorks systems engineer and St. Francis parishioner, recommended InterWorks as a possible IT solutions partner, and thus began a conversation around identifying the church’s needs and brainstorming possibilities on how they could be met.

Wireless access and improved telephone communication proved two of the biggest needs for the new building. Prior to InterWorks’ involvement, the internet was being provided to the church building by a regular DSL link from a local telecom provider. Regarding communication, the church was functioning off of two landlines only, a situation that was not only inconvenient but also limited the growth and scope of how the church’s ministry could expand. Transferring calls was difficult, there was no way to route calls if no one was in the office, and there was no auto-attendant feature.

Improving Connections and Communication

Once we identified the present needs, we made recommendations based on building capacity and floor plans. We transitioned St. Francis to Mitel Cloud Connect with both parishes able to share the same plan. This allowed them to split the cost, redirect phone calls if one office were closed and streamline transferring callers to the appropriate person.

In addition to the phone system, we were also able to establish a new wireless solution through Ruckus Wireless, including ten wireless access points to ensure comprehensive coverage. Prior to the introduction of the new wireless system, church staff and parishioners could not rely upon the Wi-Fi due to its inconsistent coverage. When proposing the new system, we also wanted to prioritize security, so we implemented a Sophos XG firewall with web filtering to protect the network and parishioners from objectionable content while browsing the internet.

Other enhancement features of the new IT infrastructure include the ability to access the church’s HVAC systems wirelessly, allowing staff to control and adjust these systems remotely. The power of this wireless system was also evident in the connecting of cameras to the network so that services and events could be streamed when necessary, along with providing the ability to remotely monitor the security system.

Benefits in Day-to-Day Operations

In many ways, St. Francis Xavier moved from very limited scope and capability to nearly limitless possibilities. Without any sort of formal IT backbone, it seemed that restrictions abounded, and there were numerous questions on how to get from where the church was to where it saw itself going. InterWorks is proud to have come alongside St. Francis to guide them toward empowering solutions.

The two parishes, while harnessing their efforts in different ways to serve different ministries, are still united as one body. The improved connectivity and wireless networks reinforce this and enable staff members to talk and transfer between sites in a simple, flexible way. Not only that, but now staff members can work from home when necessary. Remote access was an impossibility with the previous IT setup, and now nothing is lost or lacking even when out of the office. Security is also improved due to the web filtering and malware alerts, as well as an appropriate separation between staff and guest wireless networks.

A Continued Part to Play

Our relationship with St. Francis Xavier is far from over. After walking through the process of setting up the new building’s IT infrastructure, we have continued to provide services that allow the church to maximize its impact in the community of Stillwater. We’ve also begun talks about installing the network in another upcoming building project, and we’re excited to be a part of the continued influence of St. Francis.

These new technologies have enabled St. Francis to extend the church’s reach and ministry while remaining a unified body. With the ability to control its own systems and processes, the church can create a more intentional and meaningful experience for their staff members and parishioners. Now, St. Francis has a business-class network that can handle everything thrown at it, even as the church continues to grow, which—if its history is any indication—it’s sure to do.

The post St. Francis Xavier appeared first on InterWorks.

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is a faith-based service organization providing help and hope to Central and Western Oklahoma. With a rich history extending back to the founding of St Joseph’s Orphanage in 1912, Catholic Charities began their mission by providing pregnancy, adoption and foster care counseling services.

Over the years, Catholic Charities have shifted their focus to smaller group homes and specialized populations. Even so, the services they offer have expanded considerably. Today, they still offer pregnancy and adoption services but have expanded their mission to include family and marriage counseling, immigration legal services, refugee resettlement, rent and utility assistance, disaster relief, homeless outreach and more. If there’s a need in the community, they likely have a coordinating service to help.

New Building, New Infrastructure

With such a broad range of services, Catholic Charities are incredibly active within state and local communities. For years, they’ve managed to juggle this all in an increasingly limited space. To support their growing initiatives now and into the future, they decided some time ago that moving to much a larger location was inevitable. After careful planning and development, their new location was finally completed in 2016.

Though their mission remains very much the same, their move spurred them to think about other changes that needed to take place. Namely, it was an opportune time for them to reevaluate their aging IT infrastructure and plan for the future. If they were going to have to reimplement everything in the new, state-of-the-art location anyway, it only made sense to have a capable IT infrastructure to match.

To get the jump on this new infrastructure, Catholic Charities contacted their Dell representative to see what could be done from a server and storage perspective. After seeing the sizeable amount of work that needed to take place, Dell brought in their best, local full-stack partner to assist: InterWorks.

InterWorks Account Executive Russell Parker sat in several meetings to determine exactly what Catholic Charities needed to ensure that the IT Infrastructure in their new location could effectively handle their operations now and well into the future. Everything was on the table for massive upgrades: desktops, storage, servers, their entire wireless and phone systems, backup and even email. After a thorough evaluation, InterWorks determined that all of this could be achieved in a 500-hour services engagement. But, with so much to do, where to start?

InterWorks at Work

As Catholic Charities began preparing to break ground on their new location, InterWorks was already enacting their master plan for IT. In fact, InterWorks was managing every aspect of the project from start to finish. The most logical starting point was solving Catholic Charities’ email woes. Since this didn’t really involve anything within the new building, InterWorks could get started right away. That’s not to say there weren’t challenges. Catholic Charities’ mail server was simply old, their spam filter was spotty and the primary contact for mail issues left three weeks into the project. Not to mention, their current plan only allotted 500 MB per each individual mailbox.

To remedy these problems, InterWorks immediately transitioned Catholic Charities to the cloud-based Office365 platform and upgraded each mailbox to 50 GB of available space. InterWorks even planned ahead to integrate this into the larger communications overhaul by enabling Skype teleconferencing. To assist on the teleconferencing front, InterWorks worked with Ford A/V to fully equip the new conference rooms with compatible technology once construction was underway.

After the mail issues were sorted out, InterWorks moved onto tasks in the physical building. After a full site evaluation, InterWorks knew that planning and implementing a new Ruckus Wireless system would be the first physical task to complete. By dropping the wireless network and access points in the right locations from the get-go as opposed to working them around an existing infrastructure, they could spare themselves from any unnecessary reconfiguration headaches.

In addition to carefully selecting optimal access points throughout Catholic Charities’ expansive new facilities, there was a unique consideration with their wireless solution uncommon to most organizations. They wanted to ensure they had solid internet coverage both inside and outside of the building. The reason? In times of disaster, Catholic Charities offers up their property for disaster relief operations. That means that in the event of a disaster, their parking lot would be turned into a relief zone. To give relief workers a communication advantage, they needed to have good wireless access in the parking lot. InterWorks planned for this expertly by pointing some access points out into the parking lot to achieve this end.

Once InterWorks implemented the Ruckus Wireless solution, InterWorks moved onto server work. For the most part, InterWorks saw that they were working with a fairly standard setup: two post racks with a couple of shelves, a single firewall, a couple of switches and two server towers – all serving desktop computers that were donated or two to three years past their support timeframe. It was apparent that they needed some modernization.

To help them meet both current needs and give them the ability to scale out in the future, InterWorks suggested a new Dell PowerEdge VRTX built for VDI. InterWorks carefully planned out this new infrastructure, but a wrench was thrown into the equation when Catholic Charities’ old primary server domain controller failed a week into the project. While their server was down, InterWorks used the downtime for the better. They virtualized what was left, recovered all their data and got the old business running on the VRTX solution in no time.

With the new VRTX already in place, InterWorks soon began implementing the VDI portion of the solution. They set up two servers installed with VMware to host all desktops virtually and then sorted out failover and load balance. Since most clients utilize different software, InterWorks spent some time testing out the desktops with thin clients to ensure that everything ran smoothly. InterWorks finished the whole project off by adding a new Dell SonicWall firewall as well as entirely new ShoreTel VOIP phones.

The Impact on Catholic Charities’ Mission

With their new IT infrastructure and building now in place, Catholic Charities has officially settled in. The benefits from their new technology have been nothing short of astounding. On the wireless end, their internet speeds are now blazingly fast. They even enjoy these same speeds from the furthest edge of their parking lot, which will be an incredible asset should disaster strike the community and their parking lot transform into an aid area.

The new VDI setup has also freed up a considerable amount of server resources, and their new desktops are capable of handling anything employees might use them for. Employees also greatly enjoy their newfound ability to remotely log in to their machines from anywhere. On that same topic, communication across the board has made great strides with everyone able to contact who they want and access what they need without the considerable roadblocks they experienced before the move. Teleconferencing is already a big hit with the staff.

In summary, every aspect of Catholic Charities’ IT infrastructure is miles ahead of their old setup. In fact, it’s as capable as any IT infrastructure you’ll find for an organization of their size. That’s not even the best part. One might think that an overhaul of this size would take up the entire 500 hours that InterWorks initially quoted. Astonishingly, InterWorks completed the work in 70 hours below that number.

Catholic Charities was so pleased with the quality and efficiency of the overhaul that they booked InterWorks in a maintenance agreement to be their go-to IT providers in the future. That means that InterWorks will take care of all updates, upgrades and server administration duties for Catholic Charities. Previously an IT problem could take up to eight weeks to resolve. Now, with InterWorks’ help, problems are solved proactively and in a matter of hours versus the weeks it took previously.

In the end, it might seem like InterWorks did quite a bit of work. There’s no doubt that InterWorks played their part, but the real credit for Catholic Charities’ new infrastructure goes to them. They knew that to serve the community more effectively and spread the impact of their various missions, they needed operational efficiency of the highest caliber. Committing to new technology is a big investment, but it’s already enabling them to achieve their goals more effectively. Their vision and foresight have made the biggest impact on the success of this project and their mission as a whole. InterWorks is simply proud to help them do what they best by doing what we do best.

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Tulsa Tech is Oklahoma’s largest career and technical education system. With seven locations, they serve thousands of students throughout Tulsa and surrounding communities. Though educating as many people as possible is a prime goal, Tulsa Tech also strives to provide career and technical education of the highest caliber. With numerous programs ranging from diesel engines to robotics, they cover the gamut of traditional and emerging technical skills.

It’s All About Logistics

As the largest network of tech centers in Oklahoma, Tulsa Tech owns a fair amount of technology. This includes thousands of computers, a vast catalog of software and an expansive data center to maintain it all. Tulsa Tech was by no means outdated or outclassed. Even so, they wanted to stay on the cutting edge of technology and deliver the best experience possible for their students.

At the time, the bulk of their challenges was in two areas: management and capability. With so many different machines to manage and no easy method of managing them from a remote, centralized location, there weren’t enough hours in the day for Tulsa Tech’s desktop support team to perform break-fix tasks and roll out the necessary updates to their technology. This became especially apparent at the end of each school year when they would have to replace hundreds of machines all at once.

There were also some logistical inconveniences when it came to setting up technology for different classes. As it stood, each time a new class took place, IT would first load the necessary software onto each machine in that classroom. Whenever a new class began in the same classroom, they would have to repeat this process all over again with different software. Given their high volume of classes, Tulsa Tech’s IT staff was constantly on the go.

Tulsa Tech didn’t want mere convenience, though. They also wanted the ability to run graphic-intensive programs on computers without overburdening IT budgets. Via traditional means, a classroom running these resource-heavy programs required a significant amount of equipment and resources. To remedy this, Tulsa Tech knew they needed not only new servers but a new way of managing their compute resources altogether, both in the data center and in the classroom.

Thinking Forward with VDI

Tulsa Tech understood that the answer to their server management challenges involved Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Using VDI, they could easily and remotely manage thousands of desktops from a centralized location. This would result in some serious cost savings. Finally, virtualization would allow for considerable server resource conservation.

“After crunching the numbers on computer usage, we found that VDI would also allow us to greatly reduce the number of new computers we needed to buy with each annual refresh. That was another huge cost benefit for us.”

– Eric Guthrie, Assistant Director, ITS Infrastructure and Client Services

The question for Tulsa Tech then became which VDI solution to pursue and who would help them implement it. Tulsa Tech decided that InterWorks offered the most appealing Proof of Concept (POC) and selected us to guide them through the implementation process.

To show them firsthand what virtualization was capable of in their environment, InterWorks’ POC consisted of a 300-user pilot VDI solution. The VDI platform of choice was VMware’s Horizon View Enterprise, which includes a full stack of supporting applications such as vRealize Operations, App Volumes and User Environment Manager. The hardware supporting this solution was a Dell Compellent SC8000 storage array and several Dell PowerEdge hosts with NVIDIA GRID server-grade GPUs.

Immediate Results

After seeing how adeptly InterWorks’ VDI POC handled testing of different, graphics-heavy user profiles, Tulsa Tech was sold on the solution. Aside from drastically improved performance across the board, the biggest difference Tulsa Tech noticed with the POC vs. their old environment was the portability of the user experience. With App Volumes’ AppStacks and Writeable Volumes for application virtualization and profile data transport, users could sign into any desktop in their floating pool from any device, and their applications and data would follow them.

This meant no more shifting classrooms, no more maxed out IT support rushing from task to task and, best of all, the ability for users to run the programs they need from anywhere – even graphics-intensive applications. This is great for students because they can now enjoy the same experience at home on their iPads as they do on a classroom desktop.

“With many of our departments spending more time out of the classroom and in the field, remote access has been a massive help. It’s also made it much easier when teaching multiple versions of software like Microsoft Office.”

– Eric Guthrie, Assistant Director, ITS Infrastructure and Client Services

Another added benefit to this new, efficient virtualization was that Tulsa Tech was now seeing greater cost savings per user at this scale. Combined with obvious time savings in their IT department and much-improved user experience, VMware Horizon View delivered the results they needed.

The Next Phase

With the POC forming the baseline of their new VDI environment, Tulsa Tech is moving forward with the larger VDI overhaul. InterWorks will be assisting every step of the way, adding another 1000 clients to their environment.

To support these users and update Tulsa Tech’s hardware, InterWorks added another Dell Compellent SC8000 storage array to match their existing one, only this one will be exclusively dedicated to server workloads. Even more impressive is that InterWorks and Tulsa Tech successfully condensed their environment down to six nodes in Dell FX2 blade chassis!

“Consolidation of our data center was a major improvement. We went from using two full racks for servers to only using half a rack. That extra room will be essential as we continue to expand our infrastructure in the future.”

– Eric Guthrie, Assistant Director, ITS Infrastructure and Client Services

InterWorks also made a lasting impact on Tulsa Tech’s backup and disaster recovery infrastructure. Central to this was migrating the organization to Veeam Availability Suite, an industry-leading backup product for virtualized workloads. In addition, InterWorks deployed a trio of DR4300 backup disk arrays. This new setup gives them three levels of backup and recovery, with one of those appliances existing outside of their data center. In a disaster-prone state like Oklahoma, having such safeguards in place is a wise move by Tulsa Tech and will ensure minimal interruption to resources in the event of a natural disaster or other potentially disruptive scenarios.

The Bigger Picture

It’s easy to see how the benefits from Tulsa Tech’s new (and soon to be expanded) VDI and backup solutions present to their IT department and general performance, but what’s the larger impact on student and staff day-to-day experience?

For students, the biggest benefit is their ability to learn without interruption and with greater ease. With seamless access to relevant applications and resources, technology is no longer an added distraction but a helpful learning tool. Similarly, teachers can now focus more on educating and less on troubleshooting technology. Modern education is a fast-paced environment that requires the support of fast-paced technology, and the solutions and continued advisement provided by InterWorks and partners will help to keep Tulsa Tech ahead of the curve.

“InterWorks is just a great group of people all around. Whether it’s on the technical side or the sales side, we know that they’ll work well with us on whatever we need.”

– Eric Guthrie, Assistant Director, ITS Infrastructure and Client Services

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OnCue is an Oklahoma-based convenience store chain with over 65 locations across the state. Founded in 1966, OnCue provides Phillips 66 Top Tier Gasoline to its customers while also pioneering compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative domestic fuel. In addition to serving up quality fuel, OnCue strives to make their stores premier convenience locations. With meticulously maintained facilities, customizable fountain drinks and an exhaustive selection of foods that goes beyond just snacks, OnCue’s stores aim to be the ideal one-stop convenience location for its customers.

The Challenge of Growth

OnCue has enjoyed steady business throughout their 50 years, but their growth has skyrocketed over the past decade. As they continued to expand across Oklahoma, they knew it was only a matter of time before their more traditional, 3-2-1 IT infrastructure could no longer meet their needs. They knew they needed equipment that could not only keep up with the current pace of growth but scale out with them as they grow in the future.

That’s not to say that their older system didn’t serve them well. In fact, the EqualLogic storage they had been using lasted quite some time. But as operations have continued to intensify, OnCue has taken a more aggressive approach in anticipating their future needs.

The Decision for Hyperconvergence

Any new technology comes with a degree of uncertainty. Which hyperconverged solution would be the best for their needs? How would it fit in with the rest of their IT infrastructure? To guide them in this decision-making process, they turned to their longtime IT partners at InterWorks.

No stranger to the revolutionary world of hyperconvergence, InterWorks agreed that hyperconvergence was indeed an excellent fit for OnCue. To begin, InterWorks helped OnCue identify a few hypeconverged infrastructure options. After examining all the options closely, InterWorks and OnCue agreed that a hyperconverged solution from Nutanix fit both the requirements and the budget over the competition. Even better, Nutanix would run on Dell XC730 hardware, in keeping with OnCue’s affinity and experience with Dell products throughout their infrastructure.

Easy Implementation

With Dell doing a lot of the heavy lifting in delivering the three pre-provisioned hosts with Nutanix and ESXi installed, all that remained for OnCue was configuration. InterWorks assisted in this configuration process, getting the solution up and running quickly and with minimal interruption to OnCue’s operations. The best part of configuring this new system is that the need for ongoing maintenance is greatly reduced thanks to each host orchestrating updates through controller VMs. These controllers also handle moving VMs in the background, removing the need to do that manually.

“Doing the implementation by ourselves would’ve taken three times longer without InterWorks. They helped to streamline the whole project, making it a top priority.”

– Amanda Taylor, Systems Administrator, OnCue Express

The Difference Hyperconvergence Makes

For OnCue, hyperconvergence turned out to be as advertised. First, more storage was added, giving OnCue the ability to keep growing without worrying about free space. But that could be achieved with any new storage solution. Since OnCue went with a hyperconverged infrastructure, they’ve already seen numerous additional benefits.

In the end, vastly improved performance, increased storage capacity and an easier administrative interface have made operations at OnCue much smoother. As if those perks weren’t enough, their new infrastructure isn’t merely designed to help them meet current needs. The Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure actually gives them more flexibility and scalability than ever before, ensuring that they can continue to grow without having to worry about outpacing their infrastructure. They also have the peace of mind knowing that any updates they might have to make will be far less expensive than the inevitable refresh they would face if they had opted for a more traditional storage solution.

“The biggest change with our new infrastructure is that, in general, our network runs much better. Before, people were complaining a bit about things being slow. They don’t do that at all anymore, which certainly makes me happy.”

– Amanda Taylor, Systems Administrator, OnCue Express

The Next Hurdle

“Having a partner as diverse as InterWorks on our side makes project management a lot easier. With them, I don’t have to manage 20 different projects in different places – it’s all in one place. It also helps that everyone there is so friendly and willing to help. Even as a systems administrator, it’s nice to have another reliable resource to fall back on.”

– Amanda Taylor, Systems Administrator, OnCue Express

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In 2007, Oklahoma City received some exciting news: They would be getting their very own NBA team. As one can imagine, Oklahomans were ecstatic. After temporarily housing the former New Orleans Hornets after Hurricane Katrina, they developed a fever for professional basketball. This was the remedy. The team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics would officially become the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2008, they tipped off their inaugural season.

With excellent management and promising talent in soon-to-be NBA sensations Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder were an instant hit on and off the court. One short year later, they would make their first-ever playoff appearance. Since then, they’ve been one of the NBA’s most exciting teams with a passionate fan base to match. From the very beginning, Clay Bennett and the investment group behind the Thunder’s move to Oklahoma City were determined to make this franchise a success. So far, their efforts have been massively successful, proving that even smaller markets can have a big footprint.

IT Infrastructure

Challenge

Running a professional sports organization is a challenge unlike any other. With such a broad range of operational activities (games, press conferences, day-to-day operations and more), IT needs can vary drastically. However, one thing is required across the board: reliability.

When they first arrived, the Thunder were still using old IT partners based in Seattle, and things just weren’t clicking. With so many different needs and high standards to boot, the Thunder needed a local IT partner that was both diverse and reliable. In 2009, they found that partner in InterWorks.

Solution

The first task the Thunder faced was transitioning from their old monitoring system to something that allowed for more independence. When they moved to Oklahoma City, the Thunder IT Department didn’t have full, independent management of their servers. To remedy this, InterWorks helped them regain complete control of their server environment, finishing out the logical transition of their IT infrastructure from Seattle. As time went on in their new home, InterWorks set them up with some new, more reliable Dell servers.

It wasn’t long until the Thunder then reached out to InterWorks again, this time for their networking needs. They needed someone to support their Cisco network. Because the various Thunder-run facilities between Oklahoma City and Tulsa (once home to the Thunder’s D-League affiliate) required constant reliable access, some new architecture and reconfiguration were needed. Possessing considerable experience in networking, the InterWorks team gladly accepted the challenge.

After seeing how key InterWorks was in helping them with their server and networking needs, the Thunder knew they had finally found the well versed and reliable local IT partner they sought from the get go. Since then, InterWorks has been on close retainer, assisting the Thunder’s IT staff as needed with the usual IT tasks, including network upgrades, configurations, email support and ad hoc planning. That said, in the wide world of sports, not all tasks are “usual.”

In 2014, the Thunder faced their greatest IT challenge yet: Kevin Durant’s MVP press conference. Since the press conference was to be held in their facilities, they were responsible for ensuring that their wireless network could handle the onslaught of media correspondents and journalists who would be present at the event. They turned yet again to their most dependable IT partner for assistance: InterWorks.

Working on an expedited timeline, the InterWorks team pulled together a formidable enterprise wireless solution from Ruckus Wireless. The network worked wonderfully, and the press conference went off without a hitch. In fact, it ended being one of the most memorable sports announcements in recent NBA history. Impressed with the network’s performance, the Thunder bought a permanent Ruckus Wireless solution from InterWorks.

Above: As Kevin Durant accepts his MVP award, InterWorks monitors the wireless network.

Business Intelligence

Challenge

Most people know that sports and statistics go together like peas and carrots. What people may not know is that numbers have a considerable impact off the court as well as on the court. In order to make sound business decisions, an organization like the Thunder needed a firm command of their data. The Thunder primarily wanted a more efficient and user-friendly way to manage, integrate and analyze their CRM and ticketing data.

But where to begin? The BI market has become saturated with numerous vendors claiming that their product is the best. To advise them on their search for the perfect BI tools, the Thunder turned to longtime IT partner InterWorks, who just so happened to have considerable experience in the BI realm.

Solution

Considering the Thunder’s desire to easily create visually appealing reports from their data, InterWorks knew that Tableau was the ideal data visualization solution for this scenario. As Tableau’s leading Gold Partner, they whipped up a demo for the Thunder in no time, demonstrating Tableau’s power, beauty and capability. They even demonstrated how various Tableau dashboards could be integrated into a customized web portal.

Finding the right data visualization and analysis tool was only part of the challenge. To bring their data into Tableau for truly effective analysis, the Thunder also needed a more organized means of storing and accessing that data. InterWorks performed a thorough evaluation of the Thunder’s data warehouse and subsequently helped them compare a few new options that could better integrate data surrounding their CRM, ticket sales and social interactions.

InterWorks as a Strategic Partner

When it comes to IT and data, different organizations have different needs. Some simply need a new tool, while others need consulting or training to master that tool. In the case of the Thunder, they needed a partner to help guide their overall strategy – a challenge most service providers aren’t capable of handling. It takes a partner with both a deep and broad understanding of IT and data to positively influence the strategic decisions made by an organization like the Thunder. Considering InterWorks’ full-spectrum approach, they were ideally suited to the role. Strengthening this relationship further is InterWorks’ continued reliability, as demonstrated by their ability to come through in clutch situations like Kevin Durant’s MVP press conference. These attributes combined make InterWorks an especially uncommon and valuable partner.

It’s also worth mentioning that like any relationship, the relationship between the Thunder and InterWorks goes both ways. Case in point, InterWorks Director of Enterprise Services Daniel Holm reached out to the Thunder to give a special surprise to a group of U.S. Marines. The Thunder responded with incredible class, giving those Marines a VIP tour of the Thunder’s facilities. They’ve also come through on countless other occasions for InterWorkers, making them even bigger Thunder fans.

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Background:

Meridian Technology Center is one of Oklahoma’s leading career technology centers. Located in Stillwater, OK, Meridian supports over 70 career training majors, 800 enrolled students and upwards of 11,000 individuals taking specialized classes each year. Majors and classes offered at Meridian are diverse, covering fields such as health sciences, architecture and construction, information technology, digital media and more.

Meridian’s courses are extended to individuals ranging from high school students to working adults. Meridian plays an integral role in preparing high school students across North-Central Oklahoma for the workforce as well as for future education with programs such as their Pre-Engineering Academy. Ultimately, their primary objective is to equip students with the tools they need to thrive in an ever-changing and competitive marketplace.

Challenge:

Meridian is unique in that they’re always looking on the horizon for new ways to improve their students’ education experience. With more and more students accessing content and software applications from off-campus locations, there was an increasing demand for uninterrupted remote access.

In order to stay ahead of that curve and support a more BYOD approach, Meridian sought to improve accessibility to these resources through desktop virtualization. A virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) would also provide the benefit of streamlining their IT operations across the board, resulting in easier management, less overhead and reduced operating costs.

Desktop virtualization would undoubtedly help students across several majors as well as faculty. However, given that they are a technical training center, some of Meridian’s majors require the use of high-end software applications. A perfect example of such a group is their Pre-Engineering Academy. Pre-Engineering students at Meridian use a variety of graphic-intensive Autodesk® programs, such as AutoCAD®, Inventor® and Revit®. Even applications like Google Earth require OpenGL and DirectX, both of which are graphically demanding.

When such programs are simultaneously accessed by up to 70 computers in Meridian’s Pre-Engineering labs, IT resources can get bogged down. Traditional desktop virtualization would only go so far in improving widespread access to these graphic-intensive programs.

With that in mind, it was clear that Meridian needed a next-level VDI overhaul that took into account their special graphical needs. The only questions were what solutions would this process involve and how would they implement them?

Solution:

To help answer their questions, Meridian turned to their friends at InterWorks. Meridian’s relationship with InterWorks began several years ago when InterWorks helped to implement an initial desktop virtualization solution. The fact that InterWorks’ HQ sits across the street from Meridian in Stillwater also helped.

“We’ve always had a great relationship with the staff at InterWorks. Their expertise is invaluable. Having a company that works with this technology day-in and day-out is a really helpful partnership for us.”

-Matt Trumbull, Information Systems Manager at Meridian

Conversations with InterWorks began around improving general access to content and resources through updated workstations and improved VDI technology where applicable. The project changed directions upon the revelation of a new technology: NVIDIA® GRID.

“We went into this expecting to buy a bunch of workstations. We instead found ourselves facing the opportunity to not only deliver our curriculum, but to also enhance it while saving money and reducing IT management overhead through VDI. InterWorks made us aware that there is NVIDIA GRID technology that allows 3D graphics in a virtualized desktop environment. This was a game-changer for us.”

-Matt Trumbull, Information Systems Manager at Meridian

In essence, NVIDIA GRID was the missing piece to Meridian’s desktop virtualization puzzle. With these graphics cards in place, desktop virtualization became an even more attractive option for their resource-heavy users.

To sell internal staff on the idea of desktop virtualization, Meridian performed a detailed cost analysis. This analysis took into account hardware, labor and infrastructure, revealing a per-desktop cost of $690 per student to implement a VDI solution using NVIDIA GRID technology. After comparing those figures to the cost of implementing traditional workstations, Meridian found that desktop virtualization was more cost-effective and a better long-term solution.

The real turning point occurred when InterWorks provided a proof of concept for Meridian’s IT personnel and Computer Training Services staff. The POC featured a live demo that demonstrated how effectively a VDI with NVIDIA GRID technology could handle Meridian’s graphic demands. Both the cost analysis and the POC convinced everyone at Meridian, spurring them to move forward with the implementation. InterWorks and Meridian soon architected a three-pronged VDI solution.

First, Meridian purchased three Dell PowerEdge R720 servers from InterWorks. Each server contains one NVIDIA GRID K2 card, the cornerstone of the implementation. For the VDI, VMware vSphere 5.5 served as the hypervisor while Horizon View 6.0 acted as the desktop virtualization client. With users accessing pooled images of Windows 7 Enterprise desktops, Meridian could reduce their storage footprint and increase their savings.

Once in place, the new VDI environment could support 260 concurrent sessions and a total of 600 users. This infrastructure would effectively handle the vast majority of Meridian’s users at any given time, including those requiring extensive graphical capabilities.

To implement these solutions with minimal interruption to day-to-day operations, the project needed to occur in phases. The first phase would include a rollout of this solution to the resource-heavy Pre-Engineering Academy. This first phase would also serve as a sort of testing ground for subsequent phases of the implementation.

Of course, Meridian wouldn’t be going it alone in their implementation. InterWorks would help facilitate every step of the implementation, offering assistance and expertise as needed.

Results:

Meridian and InterWorks executed the first phase of the implementation with great success. Their Pre-Engineering Academy now supports 60 virtual desktops that make use of the of the K2 cards for 3-D graphics. In addition to rolling this implementation out to those desktops, Meridian and InterWorks also implemented the solution for all of Meridian’s IT personnel. Once completed, both students and staff noticed a considerable uptick in graphical performance and accessibility as a whole.

“Overall, the process went smoothly and didn’t interfere with our existing operations. InterWorks did a great job of supporting us through this entire implementation, and it was a truly collaborative effort. One great benefit for us has been consistency. We know that every computer is running and is going to be much easier to manage. Students also know that whatever lab they go to will be the same in terms of performance.”

-Matt Trumbull, Information Systems Manager at Meridian

The next phase of the implementation involves rolling out the new VDI to their three Computer Training Services labs, two of which are mobile labs that can be taken to their clients. After updating their labs, Meridian plans on rolling out the implementation to select faculty members. Once that phase is finished, Meridian will have around 230 virtual desktops supported by their new infrastructure.

These first efforts give Meridian a solid foothold into accomplishing their ultimate end goals: improving accessibility, reducing overhead and minimizing operating costs. Their efficient VDI and ongoing transition from legacy computers to thin clients also help them to meet their campus-wide conservation initiative of reducing power consumption by 20% before 2020.

By taking a proactive approach to improving student interaction with technology, Meridian’s leadership serves as a prime example for technology centers everywhere. Their commitment to providing the best learning environment possible gives their students a distinct advantage in obtaining a quality education. With a solution like VDI in place, Meridian also reaps the benefits of a streamlined IT infrastructure. At the end of the day, these benefits translate into a win for everyone.

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