Success Stories
Infrastructure Services: CSC Helps a Banking Group Enhance Network Reliability and Speed
Client:
One of the largest banking groups.Challenge:
- The need to control and track access to sensitive corporate data and information is paramount for the client. Therefore, it decided for a total refresh of the existing infrastructure including modernisation of data and voice networks and an extensive refurbishment of the bank’s ATM, self-service terminal and point-of-sale platforms.
Solution:
- CSC leveraged appropriate resources and expertise to provide local area network management and support services at the client’s principal operational centres, and delivered help desk services.
Results:
- CSC has already completed LAN refresh for 19 of the client’s campus sites thereby maximising network connectivity, improving reliability and reducing costs.
The client handed over the management, maintenance and support of its data and telephony networks to the Telkom/CSC consortium. As a part of the agreement, the alliance had to refresh the client’s existing network with new appropriate local area network (LAN) designs.
The project was initiated in October 2005 and the rollout included the following deliverables:
- Audit of all LAN multi-tier design sites identified for possible network refresh
- Gap analysis of existing LAN design and new proposed design
- Detailed design for each of the campus sites
- Network refresh of each campus site
Challenges
- Control and track access to sensitive corporate data and information by replacing the existing infrastructure with a new one
- Ensure minimum or no network downtime while network refresh is implemented
- Normal business availability with respect to user, server and application connectivity in the campus site
- Skilled professionals required to create the new physical design for the campus site
Solution
The CSC Network Management System (NMS) teams working on the network refresh for the campus site divided the task into three phases: Design, Planning and Implementation phase.
The design phase involved gap analysis of existing LAN design and new proposed design and development of new design document. In the planning phase, the team identified all the requirements for implementing the network refresh. The implementation phase involved installation of new core switches and connecting them to old core switches, server migration of all servers to new core switches, User Acceptance testing to check the network connectivity of each networking port and decommissioning of old core switches.
Methodology
The CSC team used its world-class and endorsed project management methodology, Repeatable Project Management (RPM), along with Catalyst, to demonstrate its approach to initiate, design, implement, manage and coordinate changes in large organisations.
Apart from this, the project progress is continuously monitored and tracked through periodic meetings. A structured change management process is in place to ensure that the project management board has the opportunity to make timely trade-offs between cost, time and scope.
Results
CSC has already completed LAN refresh for 19 of the campus sites. The client has experienced improved network reliability and speed, connectivity, redundancy and provisioning for expansion.
While CSC’s technical expertise was a fundamental part of the successful implementation of the solution, its specialist market knowledge and understanding of client’s business as a whole also played a critical note.
This project highlights how we can deliver results to the clients with a multinational team and the methodologies used by the organisation. With this, we expect that the excellent results already achieved are a sign of even better things to come for us as well as our customers.