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Case study: Treasury Solicitor's Department
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» The Treasury Solicitor's Department moves forward with new network
» Exceeding limitations
» Best for price
» A highly adaptable system
» Always available
» Better network management
» Challenge
» Solution
» Results
» Customer at a glance
» Partner
» Technology highlights
» For more information

Customer testimonial
"We've been using HP network equipment for some time and had been impressed by its durability. We were open to other technologies but when we compared HP's technology to its competitors on price, it came out on top."

Duane Parris,
Technical Projects Manager
Treasury Solicitors Department (TSOL)

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The Treasury Solicitor's Department moves forward with new network

The Treasury Solicitor's Department (TS0L) is one of the largest legal organisations in the UK, employing well over 600 people. It provides high quality and competitive legal advisory and litigation services to government departments, agencies, research councils, national museums and other administrative bodies in England and Wales.

Exceeding limitations
Given the sensitive nature of its work, the TSOL has to ensure that all its IT systems operate as effectively as possible. During the course of a technology health check in September 2002, it found that its internal network—built on an HP mesh design—had reached the end of its lifecycle. Duane Parris, Technical Projects Manager at TSOL, explains: "We had exceeded the design limitations of the system—it was meant to have only 12 switches, but we had 14, and users were paying the price. They weren't always able to access key applications, were often losing their connections and were sometimes getting bumped off the system altogether."

TSOL also wanted a network that would grow with the business. It is currently installing a variety of systems, including a case management solution. The old network would have to be upgraded to handle new volumes of traffic anticipated.

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Best for price
After looking at solutions from Cisco and Extreme Networks, TSOL purchased a solution from HP, its existing network supplier. Parris says: "We've been using HP network equipment for some time and had been impressed by its durability. We were open to other technologies but when we compared HP's technology to its competitors on price, it came out on top."

The hardware was installed by one of HP's partners, SCC, a leading provider of networking and storage services. Parris says: "SCC configured the switches and ensured that the network design was properly implemented. We found their engineer to be extremely sound and knowledgeable and were very happy with their service."

The new network fits in perfectly with the organisation's growth plans. Because it has a star typology as opposed to a mesh topology, new cabinets and switches can be added whenever demand arises.

A highly adaptable system
The new system is already having a positive effect on existing users. They can now access applications faster and no longer lose connectivity. As a result, the infrastructure is ready for new applications and employees of TSOL are able to work more efficiently and provide clients with a higher standard of service.

The TSOL has been able to achieve these benefits because of the new network system's design. The old system was a "flat network" which essentially allowed all the network hosts to share one main wire; the new system introduced an HP routing switch at its core that splits the network (main wire) into different segments, with a limited number of hosts connected to them. This has resulted in an infrastructure that is more manageable, expandable and robust than its predecessor.

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Always available
Another routing switch sitting at the core ensures the infrastructure is resilient and available 24 hours a day. Parris says: "We didn't want an environment where our network could come crashing down because of a single point of failure. Hence our network has two routing switches at its core so if one fails the other will kick in automatically."

The two switches also control the flow of data around the different segments of the system. In this respect, the two routing switches act like traffic policeman, directing data down different network highways. Parris explains: "If you have many computers sharing the same piece of wire you get mass congestion and higher levels of collisions. Now thanks to the two HP routing switches, we can direct data to different segments of the network and provide employees with a better service."

Better network management
The TSO is also in the process of installing HP's OpenView Management software. It will help the organisation manage the switches and locate any network difficulties in an instant. For example, if a high-speed link, switch network device or port fails, the software alerts TSOL IT support team of the failure, accurately citing possible causes, aiding in the swift resolution of the problem. In the past, TSOL engineers were sometimes alerted by the users, and would follow time consuming and labour intensive procedures to isolate and resolve the problem. In the future, TSOL will be able to find out which switch or cabinet is failing and send out an engineer to deal with the fault swiftly.

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Challenge
  • The TSOL existing network had reached the end of its lifecycle and needed to be replaced.
  • The organisation needed a more robust and resilient network.
  • Users were finding it hard to access applications and were being bumped off the existing system.
  • The TSOL needed a network that could grow with the business—it is currently recruiting more staff and installing a variety of systems.

Solution
  • The TSOL is using an HP star design network to transfer data around the organisation.

Results
  • Employees can now access applications faster than before.
  • Users no longer get thrown off the system.
  • Staff can provide clients with a much better service.
  • Using HP's OpenView Management software, the organisation can detect network problems immediately and eradicate them.

Customer at a glance
Industry sector: Law
Name: Treasury Solicitor's Department
Headquarters: London
Telephone: +44 (0)207 210 3065
Number of employees: 650+

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Partner
Company: SCC
Headquarters: Birmingham
Telephone: +44(0)121 766 7000
Number of employees: 2,000
Business: networking and storage services

Technology highlights

Hardware

Software

HP services
  • Lifetime warranty with next-business-day advance replacement (available in most countries) on most products for as long as the customer owns it *
  • Telephone support available during normal business hours
  • Technical product support available via e-mail
  • Comprehensive network design and configuration services offered at no extra charge

* The HP ProCurve Routing Switch 9300m series and Secure Access 700wl series have a one-year warranty with extensions available.

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For more information

When you are ready to explore the benefits a ProCurve Networking solution can offer you, call HP at 1-800-975-7682.

To learn more about ProCurve Networking's Adaptive EDGE Architecture™ solutions, visit our home page.

Purchase: In the US, HP business solutions, products, and supplies can be purchased at your local HP partner, or bought directly from HP either online or by calling 800-613-2222.

Finance: HP finance plans provide all the benefits of new technology without the risk or cost of ownership. For details, call 888-999-4783.

Accessibility: HP is committed to providing products and services that are accessible to people with disabilities. For more information, please visit the HP Accessibility web site or call 888-259-5707.

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