Background story
We have been working with Kwik Kopy for several Years. We started with one branch of Kwik Kopy and in the past 12 months have brought four more Kwik Kopy franchises on as our Clients successfully.
Kwik Kopy franchises have several requirements, support when needed, backup of their artwork files and running the PrintSmith Kwik Kopy application for their business needs.
A few months ago we were referred to a Kwik Kopy in Melbourne who had growing concerns for the IT services they currently had and the cost of those services along with the ageing server that hosted all their artwork files for customers and was in desperate need of replacement.
Our approach, simplify their services to align with their needs and reduce overall costs.
Our first question to them was do you really need a server and all the additional costs that go with it? Answer No…
Ageing Server replacement
A server usually has a life of 3 – 5 years with warranty and are usually running to provide network access and share applications and data to all the users on the network, which is the case with Kwik Kopy. However, servers are usually best suited to Larger networks with multiple users, not a small office of less than 15-20 staff and in the case of Kwik Kopy branches only several of those staff accessing the computer.
Also with servers, there are the ongoing costs of, running them, supporting them, ensuring they are patched and then also the backup solution that is required to maintain them in the case of a disaster. And usually, the backup destination is a USB Drive (Not good practice).
Our Approach
We took another approach with this particular Kwik Kopy branch and said we will replace the entire server with a simplified Network Attached Storage (NAS) system. It will achieve everything you need but cost you a fraction of replacing the server. Our solution provided them with a multi-disk NAS system with a secondary NAS system for replicating the backups to it and then duplicating those backups to a selected cloud hosting platform for automated offsite backups.
A good NAS system is going to save money firstly it has built in software and backup solutions so there are no additional costs in software. And also the management of files and access to those files is much easier for internal staff as it is all done through a web console accessible from any of the other computers in the office with the right level of permissions. This device behaves like a server sharing resources without the overheads.
This approach saved this Kwik Kopy a tremendous amount of money on the server cost as the NAS system costs were only a fraction of the cost to replace and we were still able to purchase 2 of these devices to ensure replication and securing these backups was of the highest priority.
Ongoing IT Services
As for providing ongoing to this particular Kwik Kopy branch, we were able to provide a customised solution that ensured that their system was protected and maintained without the additional non-related services that they currently had in place.
Our end solution for them was to provide a low-cost management plan for all their desktops with monitoring for issues and also monitoring the NAS that replaced their server.
The tools and services we provided them ensure the following is maintained at all times.
- Remote Access to all devices when support is needed within integrated support ticketing through our client portal
- Centralised patching of workstations to avoid the risk of vulnerabilities to cyber threats
- Completely monitored and maintained Virus protection through our Webroot Partnership fully licensed and managed by us
- Backup monitoring to ensure all backups are running as expected
- Infrastructure monitoring of critical devices, Router, Firewall, Switch and Storage (NAS)
End Result
The end result is that this Kwik Kopy branch has now reduced their ongoing running costs, simplified the internal management of the network and are completely secured and protected against the changing Global threats.
If you need us to look at what we can do for your Branch please do not hesitate to
contact us. Or alternatively, call 1300 849 876.
