Kelly Computer Systems Case History
Back to Case StudiesFor a short
time after Bob Scarbrough, director of enterprise network consulting, joined network services specialist Kelly Computer Systems, he maintained his voice mail box at previous employer NetFrame Systems. One day
there was a message left there from the vice president of operations at FreeGate Corporation, asking whether Scarbrough could recommend a network consulting firm to do some work for FreeGate.
A product that turned the tables "Of course I immediately returned the call to let him know about Kelly Computer. To find such a 'bluebird' prospect was nice but, in a sense, the tables were
turned on us." When the Kelly team went in to hear the FreeGate story, they were so impressed with the product they immediately signed up to be a customer. "Although we already had an e-mail system,
we needed every other feature in the FreeGate Multi-services Internet Gateway and are now using them all," Scarbrough said. "The FreeGate system provides our corporate local area network, Web server
with firewall protection to keep hackers out of our LAN, FTP for file sharing within our network and DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) for managing our network addresses." Kelly Computer Systems
provides professional services for the design, implementation, management and support of information networks. Services include consulting; outsourcing for network operations and management; maintenance and
support; project implementation including design, development and installation; and reselling network and systems components. Kelly is a marketing partner with Hewlett-Packard, and also provides products from
Netscape, Novell, Microsoft, 3Com, Cisco, Bay Networks and others -- now including FreeGate. "Our own success as an early customer of the FreeGate system made it clear that we should offer the system to our
own customers and clients," Scarbrough said. Low-cost connectivity for branch offices "The FreeGate system provides an opportunity for us to address a new market. While most of our customers
operate enterprise networks with at least a few hundred nodes, most also have field offices and remote sites with smaller networks and a need to connect with corporate. The FreeGate system is an ideal,
low-cost connectivity solution for networks of from 10 to 200 users." A significant advantage is the ability of the FreeGate system to accommodate a firm's existing environment, Scarbrough pointed out. For
example, it's no problem for a FreeGate system to operate with an installed firewall from CheckPoint Software if a customer wants to continue using it. At its own installation, Kelly Computer used the FreeGate
system to displace an earlier separate firewall, because the integrated firewall of the FreeGate system is much more convenient to manage. "We also like the dual Ethernet capability of the FreeGate unit. It
provides an additional level of security by creating a 'DMZ' that separates the corporate LAN from the Internet connection to the outside world." Link to Helsinki will save money With FTP
capability, Kelly Computer has been able to connect its field office in Seattle with corporate network resources, and will be connecting Helsinki, Finland. "This is a great benefit, because our field offices
can upload and download customer software patches with headquarters to keep development, updates and maintenance moving along. Teams can work together and exchange results regardless of the distance between
offices." The FreeGate system is expected to save the Helsinki office alone from $500 to $1,000 a month in communication charges, according to Scarbrough. He pointed out that customers also respond to the
cost savings that FreeGate offers them. "Customers are amazed that they can achieve Internet connectivity for under ten thousand dollars -- and have the system up and running in less than a day,"
Scarbrough said. "Most expected to spend from thirty- to fifty-thousand dollars for a solution with several components that they would then have to manage.
In the future: secure extranet and remote access "For our own installation, the functionality of the FreeGate system gave us the opportunity to bring Web site management in-house, ending our reliance
on a service provider to host the site. That provided us with much more flexibility to keep the site up-to-date and under our control," he said. "In the near future, we expect to make use of the VPN
(Virtual Private Network) software for the FreeGate Multi-services Internet Gateway. We'll use it to expand the capabilities of our network to provide secure remote access for our telecommuting employees, and to
implement an extranet. "VPN provides a secure and manageable way to connect customers and partners on an extranet, and that's an ideal set-up for a company like ours. We'll be able to make many service and
development functions available on-line to our customers. Operations that now require several phone calls or a site visit will be easily accessible through our Web site." |
