Solutions Snapshots
Personalized solutions for diverse IT challenges.
The challenge:
PCI Compliance
THE CLIENT:
An international manufacturer of heavy equipment
A client that manufactures tools for heavy industry came to us for help complying with PCI DSS (payment card industry data security standards). After reviewing a self-assessment questionnaire and discussing the issue in depth, we concluded that the client’s process was not aligned to the guidelines and didn’t need to be. Credit cards were used only to secure payments for goods, and there were more effective and efficient alternatives. We recommended going through a third party such as a bank or another processor.
The challenge:
Outdoor, public WiFi
THE CLIENT:
A retail/lifestyle center
The goal was to offer proximity-based marketing, targeting customers using text messaging to announce deals at specific retailers. Working with our data cabling partner Neletech, Ashton used Ubiquiti wireless networking hardware to provide WiFi across the 75-acre property. (This was a “clean-up” job. To read more about the mess we inherited and how we fixed it, check out this white paper.)
The challenge:
Proactive IT Management Strategies
THE CLIENT:
A multinational energy company
A new client with offices in Cleveland and Houston didn’t have much IT expertise in-house. To prepare for growth, they needed a wide range of our services just to get their systems up to baseline standards. First, we installed a reliable offsite data back-up system and standardized all desktops and servers. We also documented the network with a graphical map, which indicated all workstations for desktops, wireless connections and phone lines. To boost security, we tested and deployed a patch management system, and added a fix so that servers would shut down properly in the event of a power outage. We made sure that all Microsoft updates were current and secured their wireless network. Finally, we established the standards and guidelines under which ongoing maintenance and troubleshooting could be quickly executed. By working with us, the client gained a clearer picture of the state of their systems, and was better prepared for growth through upgrades.
The challenge:
Support on Demand
THE CLIENT:
A bankruptcy and foreclosure law firm
At 3:46 p.m., the firm’s data base crashed, grinding the firm’s operations to a halt. By 4:30 p.m., we were on the scene, running tests and conferring with their application manufacturers to determine the source of the problem. Our specialists remained on site until 3 a.m. the next morning to ensure that all 130 employees would be able to start their work day without a hitch.
The challenge:
Growth through an enhanced network
THE CLIENT:
A Cleveland-based collections law firm
A longtime customer on a managed services contract had outgrown the small business server solution they had been using for years. We worked closely with them to grow their IT environment to a multi-server network. The new system needed to consolidate and distribute data better and balance functions across the entire network, including email, printers, databases and line-of-business applications. Making the switch required significant planning. Among other complexities, there was a licensing issue, and a server was coming off warranty. But most of the heavy lifting was accomplished in just six weeks, with zero downtime.
The challenge:
Improving stability and performance on a budget
THE CLIENT:
A private school
A long-time client had been suffering through poor network performance due to aging switching equipment and needed a path to a more stable and higher-performing network to accommodate the increased growth in both wireless and wired devices. Since the phone system was also dependent on the network, the client considered the upgrade of the networking infrastructure to be critical to its operations. But pricing for the preferred vendor was prohibitive. We offered a solution that would improve performance at 50% of the initial estimate, provided additional features and allowed for significant, seamless expansion.
The challenge:
Migrating to a common IT environment
THE CLIENT:
A small Cleveland-based industrial firm.
Once a managed IT services client for Ashton, this company was acquired by a private equity firm to act as a platform for national expansion. Over the course of a single year, 14 similar businesses (and counting) across the country were acquired and needed to be integrated into a consolidated technology platform. Due to our prior work, the company under Ashton’s IT management already possessed the most stable and secure environment. As each new acquisition came into the portfolio, they were moved onto a unified Microsoft 365 platform, which will be followed by a transition to a single security solution under Ashton’s IT management. Each of the individual companies is able to retain their own name, brand, and management, but for ease of use going forward, the investors chose to modernize and standardize all technology across the new network.
The challenge:
Divide a shared network
THE CLIENTS:
Real estate development / management and real estate private equity firms.
A partnership between a real estate development company and private equity firm under the same ownership had originally operated across a single network shared by both companies. Ashton was asked to divide the network into two completely separate network entities, knowing that the PE firm had much stricter security compliance guidelines. Ashton now manages and secures both networks, and also handle IT needs for many of the real estate company’s multi-family housing developments.
CLICK TO Learn more about the Ashton Solutions IT Services Portfolio
