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T: 012 5630 [email protected]
Case Study
n3k and VitalQIP
A Solid Global Network Foundation for Arup
Arup is a highly successful organisation of professional engineering
consultants providing technical, design, creative and management skills to
the construction industry. Currently operating out of 76 offices in 32
countries with 7000 employees, Arup is made up of a number of inter-
related practices which provide project creation and management,
planning and engineering consultancy for a wide range of building and
infrastructure projects. The scope of work includes buildings, roads,
bridges, airports and sports venues, and some of their most renowned
projects include the Sydney Opera House, the
Pompidou in Paris, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and
the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympic
Games.
As the company, founded in 1946 by Sir Ove Arup,
continued to develop and expand, so did the need for
an IT network infrastructure capable of supporting the
resultant growth in services and data traffic. In
particular as the number of users escalated, the need
for Internet Protocol (IP) services to automate and
manage IP name and address services across the
global intranet and Internet systems became crucial. As unmanaged
growth could lead to delays or breakdowns in network availability with
consequent impact on the ability of the staff to operate effectively, it
became clear that an IP address management solution was imperative for
the continued success of the business.
The IT support ‘hub’ responsible for worldwide network services for the
Arup organisation is based in London. Eamon Murchan is the Server Team
Leader responsible for IP Namespace, Active Directory (AD), servers,
storage, and back-up services. Five years ago Arup was managing their
computer nodes and IP network addresses using the Dbase4 database,
which proved to be error prone and needed constant manual updating, to
Sydney Opera House
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
T: 012 5630 [email protected]
Page 2 of 4
show Arup the location of all the company’s computers on the network.
His long-term strategy was Microsoft 2000 and Active Directory (AD), but
he realised that he first needed to have his address space managed
reliably and accurately with a robust Domain Name System (DNS)
implemented as a foundation. Fortunately at this time Eamon was
introduced to n3k Informatik Limited, a network management solutions
provider who specialise in large IP networks, who
assured him they had the right solution for his
needs.
Eamon initially wanted to use a BIND based DNS
server on a Windows platform to underpin his AD
implementation, but n3k recommended the VitalQIP
DNS server as a fault tolerant solution that would
deliver a high degree of availability and integrate
with MS AD. It could also interoperate with other
BIND servers provided by other manufacturers when
needed. The VitalQIP DNS server was installed as a pilot and Eamon was
soon impressed with its performance – ‘it did exactly what it said on
the tin’. Using VitalQIP has given him complete management control of
his IP address space. He was particularly pleased with the VitalQIP GUI
Interface, which allowed him to manipulate and configure his IP names
and addresses with considerable ease.
‘I found I had a bird’s eye view of my IP names and addresses. I
was able to run customised audit reports and logs, and do forward
and reverse look-ups on the network – something I had never
been able to do before’, enthused Eamon.
Eamon was also impressed with the consultancy
services he purchased from n3k and found it easy to
build good personal relationships with both
consulting and support staff. He decided to try out
the VitalQIP training provided by n3k and was very
pleased with the results. Over the years he has sent
many staff members with differing skill levels on the
n3k courses, such as Advanced DNS, VitalQIP
Administration, and DNS in a Microsoft AD
Environment, and he has no hesitation in recommending them.
After the successful implementation of the VitalQIP DNS services, the next
phase of network development was to optimise performance, eliminate
single points of failure and simplify administration. Eamon eventually
Beijing National Stadium
Pompidou Centre, Paris
T: 012 5630 [email protected]
Page 3 of 4
decided against the MS DHCP server as it did not provide the required
resilience. Instead he implemented VitalQIP Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers. Now that he also has
Microsoft Active Directory installed, he believes he has the best possible
solution to IP services management – and one that is enabling him to
reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Arup’s business is now truly global and many employees need to be able
to work remotely. In order to be efficient they must be able to plug in
their laptops and work from any location. The VitalQIP servers and Active
Directory deliver network integrity and accessibility on a worldwide basis.
‘I now manage my global IP address space and over 120 DNS and
DHCP servers worldwide. Without VitalQIP and n3k our business
would fall over, it’s as simple as
that’, explained Eamon.
Over the years the relationship
between Arup and n3k has developed
to the point where Eamon feels
completely comfortable with them. He
relies on them for consultancy, training
and technical support. He believes
they provide him with exactly the right
level of support, updating him on
product developments and responding
quickly and efficiently to any network issues. In addition he is very
impressed with their User Days.
‘n3k provides ‘Best Practice’ for Arup in their consultancy, training
and support. We have a mature partnership which enables trust
and honesty. Most importantly however they are always
extremely responsive when I need them to be’, said Eamon.
Looking to the future, the Arup IT function is planning to move towards an
ITIL compliant framework, and VitalQIP for the Arup IP Address space
provides an ideal element for the Configuration Management Database
(CMDB). As Arup look to implement Service Management they are
currently reviewing VitalSuite Enterprise to assist them in meeting the
standard. In the meantime Eamon would not hesitate to recommend n3k
and VitalQIP to other organisations looking to automate and manage their
IP address services:
Sydney Opera House
T: 012 5630 [email protected]
Page 4 of 4
‘With VitalQIP and n3k I feel confident that I have the three ‘M’s –
I can Monitor, Measure and Manage the Arup IP network. You
can’t ask for more than that’.
Call or email us now to discover specifically how n3k can help you.
n3k Informatik Limited
The Square
Basing View
Basingstoke
RG21 4EB
© 2004. All brand or product names, service or sales marks, trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties.