Elec Lightin’ Art
Elec-Lightin’Art finds the perfect hosting partner in Office-IT
Elec-Lightin’Art is a wholesale specialist in lighting, home automation and electrical installation material. With several locations in Antwerp and employees frequently on the move, the need quickly grew for a solution that would allow them to work efficiently from any location.
Since the server infrastructure also needed renewal, they opted for Office-IT’s extended hosting formula.
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With a very extensive product range and branches in Deurne, Mechelen and Turnhout, Elec-Lightin’Art has grown into a reliable partner for both installers and private customers. Each location has specialists who, thanks to years of experience, can provide customers with correct and professional support. To continue growing without losing oversight, the company invested in 2011 in a business management system to automate all administrative, logistics and sales processes.
Reliability
The introduction of the CRM package put increasing pressure on the outdated server infrastructure. As a reliable partner, Elec-Lightin’Art needs an always-available, dependable IT system. In April 2015, they began looking for a solution that would minimise downtime and guarantee a safe working environment for all mobile users. They found the perfect answer in Office-IT’s hosting offering.
“By outsourcing our infrastructure and its management to Office-IT, we not only save costs but also reduce risks to an absolute minimum, and I gain more time to focus on strategic matters,” explains Geert Bruwier.
More time for strategic matters
Previously, Elec-Lightin’Art managed its central server in-house. This took up a great deal of time, time that was not always available. “IT is not our core activity. By moving our server into hosting and entrusting management to Office-IT, we can be sure that our applications remain optimally available.”
Configuration
Elec-Lightin’Art chose the private hosting formula of Office-IT for its three branches. There is a permanent connection with the datacenter in Deurne, where end users work via remote desktop. In addition to camera surveillance, there is sufficient power backup. For internet connectivity, multiple providers and carriers are used with Service Level Agreements to guarantee availability 7/7. “Recently, we added a 4G+ backup, and in early 2017, fibre will be implemented in our datacenter in Olen,” says Eric Liekens, CEO of Office-IT. “We aim for an availability of more than 99.5%. Our infrastructure provides peace of mind to our customers. Alongside high service levels and redundancy options, they can determine the individuality and setup of their own servers.”
Security and backup
As a WatchGuard Gold Partner, Office-IT offers high-end firewall solutions. A secure and redundant communication architecture (VPN) was set up for the three locations. This redundant setup provides the required guarantee of continuity.
“The server is business-critical, so proactive maintenance and permanent monitoring are essential. If a threat arises, an alert is generated and Office-IT acts immediately to prevent problems.”
Maintenance and updates are carried out at previously agreed intervals outside office hours. Thanks to the fast connections between sites, backup data can be synchronised, ensuring that in case of an incident, the latest data is always available.
Switch-over
Elec Lightin’Art is very satisfied with both the solution and the implementation.
“The switch-over went very smoothly. The deadline was respected, and communication was always proactive. Our employees are reachable anytime, anywhere, and can work safely and efficiently from any location. This is exactly the solution we were looking for. The personal approach from Office-IT was a great added value.”
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“The hosting formula from Office-IT is exactly the solution we needed, without having to invest in our own infrastructure!”
Elec Lightin’ Art