A variety of platforms with growing server and PC populations are posing challenges to the adoption of enterprise wide strategies. More and more organisations are realising that they have a wealth of systems and data which they need to make available in the appropriate format for all the different types of users they serve.

Unfortunately, adopting new initiatives can be a nightmare in terms of cost, time, initial outlay and risk. In-house IT management groups normally struggle to upgrade and maintain a variety of dysfunctional platforms. Resource constraints and rapid evolution of technology make it difficult to evaluate all options and it is increasingly more important to work with partners with knowledge and a proven track record.

Background:

Generix Limited provides products and services which allow organisations to retain existing investments in business systems and lay the foundation for evolving WITH new technologies, to gain and retain competitive advantage in an ever changing and challenging business environment

Generix believes that delivering true business benefits requires hard work based on sound business knowledge, a vision, continuity and the long-term commitment to build lasting relationships.

"If we don’t understand the issues facing businesses how can we structure our proposals to reflect users' needs?" asks Leonard Klejnow business development manager at Generix.

The following case study maps the events of Generix and Cheshire County Council's deployment of Attachmate® Host Access™ Server and their recent pilot of NetWizard® by Attachmate.

Problem and objectives:

Dave Johnson Principle IT Consultant has worked at Cheshire County Council since 1970. He described the problem facing the Council's PC environment. The spread of buildings and variety of different platforms (IBM, Digital and UNIX) resulted in a multitude of different protocols, screen layouts, complex sign-on and navigation rules. This caused a lack of consistency and reliability in the Council's function to perform as a unified, collaborative network Initially, an in-house front end integration tool handled all protocol conversions but responses were much slower than direct connections. Concerns were also expressed at the need to keep pace with the changing windows environment. Part of a wider initiative was the consideration of TCP/IP architecture to give a single protocol on all platforms across all the networks providing an entre- into browser technology and a 'thin client' approach.

Dave Johnson said:

"It's all about providing functionality, which is easy to use, and that doesn't require specialist skills to maintain".

Results:

Generix Ltd came to give advice on the Council's host connectivity issues in January 1998. After independent research from Generix, Attachmate proved to be a market leader in connectivity. The solution to a complex problem was a single product providing a very rich setting for host connectivity. Generix recommended Host Access Server from Attachmate.

Using this technology they have been able to mimic the current user interface within a browser. This has meant an easy transition for the Council's 2000 PC users. Keyboarding has remained the same. Existing visuals and overall design of the PC has not been drastically altered - an essential requirement for the user.

The solution now delivers very fast IP to IP connections; there are no protocol conversions and the server is easy to maintain.

Dave Johnson conceded that teething problems had occurred when a function key problem was detected with the software, which was not reflecting the hosts' actions. The outcome has delayed the system going live until April of this year. Fortunately, the problem has only cemented the relationship between Generix and Cheshire County Council due to the commitment shown by all parties, including Attachmate US and UK, to rectify the problem. An additional benefit is that the solution remains valid with Network Computers and similar thin-client access.

Future objectives:

Cheshire County Council is now addressing the total cost of ownership issues of desktop PCs. Dave Johnson comments: "Over a five year life span, actual operating costs of a PC are five times the initial purchase cost". (Gartners Group US statistic reports)

NetWizard introduced by Generix aims to save the Council 20-30% over five years. The key objective is to adopt a standard environment by enforcing defaults and basically 'locking down the desktop' and the use of techniques to automate software deployment. NetWizard also enables remote user support by allowing direct connection to network PCs. It can also act as an interactive tool to instruct users and remotely solve problems. It's a very cost effective and instantaneous solution. In conjunction with Generix, Cheshire County Council has built a firm foundation for its future investment in IT solutions.