Case Studies

Mackenzie Patterson Fuller

Ric Ewing
Director of Technology

Business Problem:

Mackenzie Patterson Fuller needed to expand file storage space, install a new financial application and provide remote access to their traveling staff. Their existing network consisted of a Windows 2000 domain using Active Directory. As a part of the project, they also wanted to migrate to Windows Server 2003.

Hardware and software used in the project:

  • Dell Network Attached Storage Server 745N
  • Dell PowerEdge 1850 Server
  • New Dell hard drives for current servers
  • Dell server memory upgrades
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003
  • Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2005
  • Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2
  • Citrix Access Essentials 1.5

Project Details:

Phase one of the project involved migrating the existing domain to Windows Server 2003 on all existing servers. This process involved upgrading two domain controllers to the new active directory and moving the domain to Windows 2003 native mode. The process was very seamless thanks to Microsoft’s further improvements in Windows Server 2003 and the latest Active Directory. During phase one, the Network Attached Storage server was also installed and configured to provide significantly more network storage space. The interface of this product makes configuration and customizations far simpler than prior editions. Much of the data currently stored was moved over to this server during this phase. Lastly, another new server was added to allow for the custom financial system. This program uses Microsoft SQL Server for the backend database. A Dell PowerEdge 1850 was selected for this server.

Phase two then provided needed hard drive and memory upgrades to existing servers. These will extend their useful life and provide storage and speed enhancements. It also had the benefit of allowing for server consolidation using the now free Microsoft Virtual Server. A new Windows Server 2003 virtual server was installed on one of these existing, and now upgraded, servers. This virtual machine was then dedicated to run Citrix terminal services. As the current need was to serve a small number of users, the Access Essentials product was a perfect fit. This allows for flexible application publishing, faster access and additional security.

Key Results:

  • Network modernized to Windows 2003
  • Plenty of storage for the foreseeable future
  • Use of the critical financial application for the business
  • Extended server life to save on overhead
  • Capital savings with server consolidation
  • Easy and fast remote access for traveling staff
  • Security to protect against unauthorized remote users

Business Impact:

Mackenzie Patterson Fuller was able to achieve all of their stated business objectives by the conclusion of the project. “We saw a significant improvement in our overall computer network as a result of this critical project with Bay Computing Group” said Ric Ewing, Director of Technology. He went on to add “Now we have our financial system online, and our network is in excellent shape for our future requirements. The Citrix solution is even faster for our traveling workers than we had expected. It will have a huge impact on their productivity and their ability to best serve our clients.” Ric envisions getting remote sites on the Citrix terminal server one day as well to be able to centrally manage all of the servers at their home office in Moraga. “We wanted to see how this would work with our remote workers first and then hope to further use this system with our remote locations in the future.”