The UARCO team also experienced server hardware problems with HP's
NetServers, but isolated the trouble as buggy Pentium chips. Eventually, UARCO
switched to Compaq servers.
"The Monday after the cutover, we trained users in how to log on.
Cutover team members helped users get started by setting passwords,
familiarizing users with the new system, and showing users how to access the
hosts. Our corporate training staff trained users on the Baan ERP software,
Lotus Notes, and other apps. After that, the team enjoyed the successful
cutover, celebrated, and moved on to the next site," Gouverneur said.
Users access the Baan ERP system through a telnet session and refer to
related International Standards Organization (ISO)-compliant work instructions
in Lotus Notes to perform customer service in the call centers and to
track orders. On each user's node, other software besides WinFrame Client
includes Microsoft Office, WRQ Reflections, SoftLinx Replix Fax 3.1, AnswerSoft
SoftPhone Agent 3.0, custom Microsoft Visual Basic applications, and
intranet Web applications.
Gouverneur's team left little to chance with its contingency plans. Sysol
said, "We have a standby WinFrame server for all sites, fully loaded so we
can sustain the load if two sites are down because of concurrent outages for
multiple hours. We've had only one power supply go bad once, so we have been
very lucky. Citrix WinFrame licensing was the biggest stumbling block in the way
of maintaining a hot backup server, because Citrix requires a copy-protected
diskette for each 10-user pack of licenses. This approach makes licensing a
standby server for emergencies difficult and costly. It also makes remotely
managing licensing of the servers difficult, because someone must put a diskette
in the server's floppy drive." In a special arrangement, Citrix supplied
serial numbers that enabled a switchover to a hot backup server without an
administrator having to feed floppy disks to the server.
As for the users on the business end of the terminals, Gouverneur said, "They
love it. I'd say we have up to 50 percent better productivity as a result of the
new solution." Gouverneur remarked that the WinFrame/NT solution not only
increases productivity, but also makes administration and support easier. For
example, he said, "Our support staff can use the Citrix WinFrame Shadow
capability and take over a user's terminal to help solve problems."
Support, administered centrally from Barrington, includes three staff
members for remote server administration, two for remote workstation
administration, and three to work the Help desk. Sysol said, "NT
thin-client computing saves from 70 percent to 90 percent of the cost of
maintaining desktop PCs, which would cost UARCO about $8000 per PC yearly. We
prefer administering a WinFrame system with Wyse Winterms over NT desktops. This
approach is easier because we have to distribute software only once instead of
individually on hundreds of desktops."
UARCO management also prefers this solution. According to Gouverneur,
officials expect a two-year payback on their investment, through higher quality
and customer satisfaction, improved communications, and lower training and
system administration costs. For example, UARCO calculates a cost reduction from
$16 million to $10 million yearly to provide 200,000-plus price quotes. The
project also benefits sales, because accessing Baan ERP through WinFrame reduces
order fulfillment from hours to minutes. To read about some of the opinions
Gouverneur and Sysol had about the migration, see "An Interview with UARCO."
Looking Ahead
The UARCO team isn't resting on its laurels. Gouverneur related, "We
are adding 300 more thin-client nodes for UARCO's Impressions division. Because
of the unique business requirements, convincing this division to go with the
thin-client model was difficult, but we had a successful pilot that sold them on
this idea."
Gouverneur is bullish on the future of network computing and the
thin-client model: "The hoopla surrounding thin-client systems is
justified." But he cautions that IS managers need to scrutinize the network
computing model carefully to ensure that it will benefit users' specific job
tasks in a given environment. Thin-client computing isn't for everyone, despite
its attractive cost savings. "Customer service reps, administrators,
clerks, knowledge workers, and analysts can benefit from thin-client computing.
But give PCs to developers, graphics and mobile users, or anyone who needs
removable media, more than P5/200 power, or local mass storage devices,"
Gouverneur remarked. Based on his experience as an early-adopter, Gouverneur
said, "I strongly believe the future is bright for WinFrame, and with
Microsoft's Hydra, it's even brighter."