Innovative Printing Systems achieves technology unification from Internet to desktop
Innovative Printing Systems, Inc (IPS) and Laser Express, Inc. were set to merge making it the one of the top printer sales and service companies in eastern Pennsylvania. Chris Lucci, President and Owner of IPS, wanted to integrate the technology aspects of both companies and called on Raven Technologies for the solution.
"I would like to personally thank Raven Technologies for helping us with our network connectivity between locations.
You guys did an excellent job building a solid tunnel and secure connection to run our inventory management software. I was also very pleased
with the website integration as well. Your company is always able to provide us with solid solutions at an affordable price. Thanks again for all your help!"
Situation:
IPS has a problem. They are separate companies that need to function and communicate as one. They need to integrate email, share data between offices, and utilize
a common financial application without spending enterprise prices.
Prior to the proposed merger, Raven Technologies developed an Internet site that provided IPS with the following functionality:
- User Login and Account Management for website subscribers
- Support Tracking and Reporting
- Customer profiling for quick Online Ordering
- Inventory Management and Reporting
- Contract and Lease Management
- Dynamic Site Content Management
Solution:
The combined organization wanted to maintain a separate Internet presence yet still share the same data. This goal was accomplished using existing templates and separate web spaces. The support queue for each site was segregated but employees were still able to compose searches and compile reports as a whole. IPS and Laser Express now shares the same inventory repository, company data, and ordering modules. Lastly, each site is capable of displaying its unique dynamic content.
Raven Technologies was able to migrate and integrate the laserexp.com domain seamlessly without any email loss. The IPS mail server was reconfigured and now services email for both domains. With a simple configuration change, Laser Express employees were back online with email.
Information sharing was another obstacle of the merger. This was overcome with a VPN solution and remote control technologies. Using Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection application, IPS employees were able to work remotely and efficiently while visiting the Laser Express office. The VPN tunnels also allowed data sharing and collaboration between both networks. Implementing the VPN and remote control capabilities drastically minimized the costs for inter-office communications.
Lastly, the financial application needed to be accessible from both locations. This goal was accomplished with the implementation of a Terminal Server. This installment provided the following benefits:
- A Terminal Services Client requires minimal resources to operate, therefore, extending the computer hardware life at the Laser Express location.
- Application performance is greater since it uses the resources of the Terminal Server.
- The Terminal Services users are still able to print to their local printers while in session.
- The bandwidth used with Terminal Services is much less compared to the financial application shuttling data via VPN.
In summary, the merged organization can now communicate and collaborate quickly and efficiently with solutions provided by Raven Technologies. For more information on how we can enhance your business, contact us.
For more information on Innovative Printing Systems/Laser Express products and services, visit them at www.ipsprinters.com or www.laserexp.com.
