Case Study: Global Star Design, Inc

Global Star Design, Inc. (image by Jessica Bottali) creates unique home and garden decor for customers and retail channels. Specializing in ceramic and resin goods, Global Star Design features both seasonal and everyday trend-forward items in their showroom. They also carry a wide range of eco-friendly materials such as recycled glass, paper, and wood products.

The Problem

Global Star Design outsourced their IT management needs to an independent IT contractor. The administrator at that contractor had a full time job so managing Global Star Design’s network was not a priority. Most of the support they provided was after hours or on weekends. When Global Star Design’s staff needed assistance during the day, the help was not there.

• Software Updates: There was no automation or policies setup to run Windows and third party software updates. Staff would constantly get notifications that their software was out of date.
• Server Backup: The server was backed up locally to a portable USB drive and to a removable drive that was taken offsite weekly. There weren’t any notifications sent once a backup job was completed. The backup jobs were also never verified and tested. Transportation of the removable drive to the offsite backup site was irregular and unreliable.
• Server Group Policies: Many of the network shares, printers, and other settings were not centrally managed, making network management difficult and time consuming for the 10+ workstation network.
• Remote Access: Staff often needed to access files at home or when traveling. Connecting to the existing VPN solution was too slow, especially when accessing PowerPoint or Quickbooks.

The Solution

• Remote Management and Monitoring: A remote management and monitoring solution was installed by LevelUp MSP to automate the management of Windows and third party software updates. Users no longer got pop-up notifications to update their software. LevelUp MSP also leveraged this system by automating all other repetitive tasks, We also identified trends within the network to help pinpoint potential problems before they arose.
• Revamp Backup: A new backup system was installed into this newly upgraded infrastructure. Backups were done nightly with the proper notifications delivered. Replicas of the servers were also stored offsite for disaster recovery purposes. Additionally, those offsite backups could now be tested quarterly for their validity.
• Setup Group Policies: Windows Server provides a tool called Group Policy that enables users to set virtually anything they want, from drive mappings, printer installations, software updates, to desktop restrictions and so on. Now, when a new computer gets added to the domain, all settings are automatically applied without the need to reinstall everything again. Changes are simply installed from the management console, and within 90-120 minutes all machines on the network are updated.
• Remote Desktop Gateway: Because traditional VPN technology is just too slow , a new server was set up at Global Star Design for remote access. Now, users can securely log in to a server located within the office network from anywhere in the world. Access to resources is quick, reliable and most importantly, functional.