We maximize your data access and uptime: Our experts think of maximizing access to your information resources and reducing downtime: networking technology is just one way to get there!
 

We postpone the obsolescence of your corporate assets: We will manage, leverage, optimize and blend the latest networking systems and technologies into your existing assets, maximizing their return

• The contract required hiring staff, some of it off-site, and the customer had no remote connectivity available to support that model;
   
• The nature of the contract landed required a new accounting system, which all parties (local and remote) needed to access.

Considering that the customer had a few personal computers, a few of them connected through peer-to-peer networks, and single-user accounting software, an otherwise simple update became daunting for the small organization. They decided to call CompuWave.

Turning technology to value: Upon analyzing customer needs, CompuWave found that the solution did not require cutting-edge or unproven technology. Instead, the situation was one of providing a sound, proven, bulletproof solution that could be delivered at a low cost, and which required minimal internal support to remain operative. Solving the customer problem required new workstations and a file server, networked across a single office, with external connectivity implemented through modems providing login access to the NT network. A new, multi-user accounting system was specified, delivered and initialized. Finally, all staff was trained in the operation of the network, simple backup and maintenance routines, and operation and maintenance of the accounting system.

Customer: A large automotive dealership (the largest Ford dealer in the world)

Business imperative: The company entered an ambitious project (partnering with CompuWave) to develop a proprietary ERP application. After considerable expenditure of money and time, the customer asked CompuWave to deploy the application in a large campus environment in a metropolitan area.

Turning technology to value: The customer had a proprietary terminal-based system, and needed to install a newly developed application using MS Windows and SQL Server. CompuWave participated in the design. When called upon to deliver the application, we implemented six file servers, including 2 SQL Servers, 2 file servers, and a thin-client server, in 8 buildings with a 100Base fiber backbone.  We then installed 220 pre-configured workstations and 80 printers. The system was delivered ready to run.

This infrastructure upgrade required specifying, acquiring, deploying and implementing hardware and software from more than one hundred vendors, securing delivery and coordinating the project from initial concept to final delivery, and a wide range of experience and knowledge. An otherwise complex and error-prone project becomes for the customer a predictable, fully contained event. The difference lies in CompuWave.

Customer: A small accounting firm

Business imperative: The customer relies in a very old network, which has been repeatedly upgraded with networking and computing components of several generations. The customer needed to upgrade it without sacrificing operation of tax and accounting software subject to quarterly upgrades.

Turning technology to value: CompuWave analyzed the customer network, identified its bottlenecks and rated its components based on obsolescence. A plan of ongoing maintenance was immediately initiated, old file servers made redundant and plans for retiring more obsolete equipment made. CompuWave upgraded 12 workstations to Windows 95, keeping backward compatibility with old DOS programs. Software updates were always maintained current, while a modern operating environment was implemented and bottlenecks gradually eliminated (for example, installing 100BT technology to reduce pressure on the servers).

Customer: A large automotive dealership (the largest Ford dealer in the world)

Business imperative: To support a proprietary application deployed across a multi-building campus and operational seven days a week.

Turning technology to value: After partnering with the customer during the design, development and implementation of a proprietary software application, CompuWave provides regular maintenance, after-hours support, weekly backups and upgrades to the operating system, utilities and related applications.

By utilizing CompuWave resources on demand, the customer obviates the need to keep full-time staff used only occasionally, and benefits from our Support Center: no matter how many after-hours resources it takes, the application will be operational next morning.

CompuWaves network support center provides telephone technical support, and coordinates the logistical support that is needed for upgrades, warranty, and overall network support.  This provides a transfer of skill sets into end-user organizations, and provides faster resolution of technical problems.  We combine this with field-based systems engineers that provide on-site support.

Customer: A small marketing company.

Business imperative: The customer went through a reorganization of remote offices under the supervision of regional management. CompuWave helped optimize the customers computer infrastructure, and was called to help with the network as well.

Turning technology to value: CompuWave configured laptops and remote networks to have highly secured access to the corporate network. Centralized backup and synchronization procedures were developed and transferred to the customer, so that distributed and host data can be kept synchronized without sacrificing security.

Customer:   A mid-size chemical manufacturing company.

Business imperative: The customer installed a chemical production control system, which included automation based on a large database system.  Unfortunately, the reports that were provided with the system were all pre-defined and did not fit their needs, creating a large performance overhead over what should have been a highly controllable and manageable system (a common outcome from technology-driven technology delivery).

Turning technology to value: CompuWave analyzed the customers needs, contacted the original vendor of the automation system and decided to address the customer needs without asking for vendor modification of the system (for cost and timeliness reasons). Instead, CompuWave established an ODBC link to the data maintained by the automation system and wrote a large number of custom reports.  The reports provided the customer with the information they needed. In addition, the reports delivered views on the data they never had before, such as that resulting from linking their historical accounting data to their current sales data.

The assignment created an open-ended platform for expansion and further exploitation of a system that had not been designed for it. Selecting an industry-standard middle tier, such as ODBC, guaranteed the long term feasibility of the application, and provided the customer with high value added.

Customer:  The Probations Agency for a large California county government

Business imperative: The Agency relies heavily on word processing and the utilization of over 500 templates to generate official documents for the court. Unfortunately, only one person is authorized to modify the templates, because of the high legal liability involved, and thus automation of the system is subject to bottleneck created by external processes. The customer wanted to facilitate use of the templates without sacrificing control.

Turning technology to value: How do you guarantee central template control and yet distribute them on a timely basis?  CompuWave devised a method to initiate a copy command using the login script for each user.  Every user logs in every morning.  The login script runs, looks to the template folder on the central server, then copies any templates that have been modified into the template folder on the local server.  When the word processor is run and a template is used, management is assured that the templates will be the latest one.  There were no product costs to this solution - simply optimizing existing technologies. Yet, the benefits were long-ranging, as the process of document generation was liberated from external bottlenecks, and utilization of the technology grew dramatically.

Customer: A small manufacturing company.

The business imperative: The customer patented a new pumping system for oil and grease, started manufacturing it, and determined that it needs an innovative marketing strategy to reach potential customers (the oil industry and corporate maintenance/engineering departments) at a very low cost of sales.

Turning technology to value: CompuWave discovered that the best way to reach the companys target market was through a combination of telemarketing and WEB strategies. Consequently, CompuWave specified and delivered to the customer a customized set of products and services:

• A file server and a small network based on it;
   
• Sales force automation software to assist in building a large marketing database;
   
• Remote access to the database and data synchronization;
   
• An interactive Web-based marketing tool (in Java) that allows the customer to specify a product and calculate the value and the return on investment of the product using their own internal figures (cost of oil, cost of manpower to change, cost of spills, etc).

The complete project was delivered at a very low cost, and yet it increased the efficiency of the customers marketing strategy enormously.

Customer:  A California Court system, combining Superior and Municipal courts

Business imperative: The court wants to increase community involvement and educational programs, without necessarily having to allocate already stressed facilities and personnel to those programs.

Turning technology to value: CompuWave identified the Internet as a vehicle that could be used to satisfy these customer objectives. When consulted, the customer disclosed that it wanted an advanced Web site that would put them in a leadership position in the state for Web presentation; both projects were combined.  CompuWave is in the process of devising a virtual courtroom that will utilize surround-video and hot-spots, so school children and interested adults can take a virtual tour of a courtroom, clicking on interesting areas for more information, such as the judges' chambers, the jury, the bailiff, etc.  Existing plans include doing live broadcasts of interesting trials directly into classrooms properly equipped with Web access.