Being one of the leading auto component manufacturers in India and driven by aggressive growth plans and strategic acquisitions, the company was slowly transforming itself into an end to end metal forming company. The existing IT infrastructure consisted of a legacy database and network operating system. Application development was handled in house, and the front end tools used for development were also a couple of generations behind. The messaging, collaboration and document management application was again on outdated technologies. They needed a secure, reliable and scalable IT infrastructure that would keep pace with its rapid expansion plans.

In line with these requirements, Quadra proposed an end-to-end Infrastructure Solution, starting with a file/print and directory services server; migration to an enterprise communication and collaboration solution; a centralized portal and knowledge management solution; enterprise project management solution; firewall/caching solution for secure Internet access and IT asset management, patch management and deployment solution. Additionally, all the existing desktops were migrated to the current versions, for increased stability and performance. Users at their five plants were served using a thin client based solution over WAN links. Further, in order to provide a secure and flexible development environment, Quadra proposed migration of their existing legacy applications to a web based model, to enable them to develop high performance web based internal LOB applications. Tight directory integration was provided to ensure manageability and security.

The organization has realized several tangible benefits, both cost and productivity based. For example, managing over 300 desktops spread over several locations, with a skeleton IT staff was proving to be a big burden on their IT resources. This used to affect their development and maintenance of their internally developed LOB applications, as scarce IT resources were being diverted for troubleshooting end user problems. However, features such as remote management have reduced their workload on this count by almost 90%. The patch management and deployment solution has further reduced the IT department's workload, by automating application deployment, patch management and IT asset management. Further, moving away from a client/server architecture to a web based development model will enable them to centralize application deployment and maintenance, as well as reduce resources on the client side. With the use of thin clients in strategic locations, client side costs are cut even further. The powerful integration of their portal and knowledge management solution, along with their enterprise project management solution has enabled their employees to gain access to multiple functionalities through a unified portal, significantly reducing end user training required for new products, as well as boosting productivity through more effective usage. A low cost, secure firewall with additional functionalities such as active caching and bandwidth management took care of all Internet access worries. The enterprise database together with the information worker desktop enabled them to rapidly build a low cost BI solution. In quantitative terms, cost reductions in terms of shorter training costs for about 200 information workers, increased productivity, lower manageability and administration costs would be in the region of a few lakhs annually.

The above customer solution has been profiled by Microsoft Corporation, and is available on their global website at www.microsoft.com/india/casestudies/lgb.aspx

A leading automobile ancillary manufacturer needed an effective and efficient system to automate the flow of information within the organization and between its suppliers and customers to ensure optimal product quality and timely delivery. Research and development staff, for example, needed to be able to efficiently and accurately collaborate with customers in the design process. Suppliers needed visibility into parts inventories to avoid work stoppages.

After exploring several packaged and custom applications, the customer decided to go in for a industry leading portal and knowledge management solution, deployed by Quadra. Within the portal, each supplier and internal resource has access to a dedicated site, where all communications and related information can be stored. Various file types used by the organization could all be stored and indexed, regardless of their physical location, in a single virtual repository on the portal. The portal also includes a central, searchable file store for internal users. Changes made to a document trigger an e-mail alert from the portal to the relevant person, with a link to the document included in the message. This mechanism aided the organization a great deal in its quality control documentation, as they were frequently subject to change. Audio and video conferencing was also provided within the portal, which enabled web casts from the top management to be made available on every user's desktop, without having the need for using a conference hall. Similarly, training videos could be archived and reused, without ever having to incur recurring costs. The portal also provided integration with project management and messaging solutions, thereby enabling a "single dashboard" experience for end users. This dramatically cut down on end user training time. Business intelligence data could also be accessed from the site, enabling instant access to crucial data. This contributed to increased competitiveness in the market.

A leading manufacturing organization in South India wanted a reliable and scalable messaging, workflow and collaboration system that would enable it to be in touch with its suppliers and customers worldwide, and facilitate easy and speedy flow of information for its business processes.

The existing hybrid solution was migrated to a unified enterprise groupware solution that took care of the organization's current as well as future projected needs on messaging and workflow. As a precursor to implementing the messaging solution, the entire directory services was revamped and setup afresh, to avoid any potential issues from the remnants of the legacy directory infrastructure. The messaging architecture was designed in such a way to provide optimum utilization of scarce bandwidth resources, by means of a distributed messaging servers, while at the same time maintaining reliability and ease of administration. A clustered environment was set up at the datacenter to ensure high levels of availability. An online backup solution was also configured to provide a disaster-proof environment. This also provides room for a future information archival system. The current solution is future safe and provides scope for the organization's plans for growth.

A medium scale agricultural biotechnology firm wanted an end-to-end IT solution to manage distribution, sales process and R&D activities within the company. The current solution was based on a legacy network operating system, with a legacy database server. The solution had outlived its usefuless, and it was time for the organization to upgrade its technology infrastructure.

It was decided to implement an ERP solution to address the various business processes. This required a robust, end to end infrastructure solution. Keeping in mind the key customer requirements, namely single point administration, improved performance, single click access to information and network security, Quadra designed and implemented an integrated network infrastructure solution that encompassed a network operation system, database server, email server and a collaborative portal. This enabled improved business performance, enhanced customer satisfaction and easy access to business critical information.

The above customer solution has been profiled by Microsoft Corporation, and is available on their global website at www.microsoft.com/india/casestudies/rasi.aspx

A mid sized foundry and machine shop hit a bottle neck in its business operations as it was planning to take its operations globally. To effectively address international markets, it needed to computerize its business process to improve access to information and improve customer response and satisfaction levels. Further, the company also wanted to transition to an email based environment, with workflow for quick and speedy communication.

Quadra designed and implemented a robust intranet solution, which enabled departments to access information seamlessly. A perimeter firewall and proxy server was deployed to allow for secure and speedy internet access, and also to publish their mail server on the Internet. An intranet portal solution was also deployed to enable employees to access and share information. To develop a streamlined, custom built business solution, a local developer was engaged by the company. The organization benefited from protected data storage, reliable printing and the capability to run a line of business application. Remote manageability was also enabled, to enable us to assist the in-house IT department in managing the server resources.

The above customer solution has been profiled by Microsoft Corporation, and is available on their global website at www.microsoft.com/india/casestudies/sandfits.aspx

Being a growing export oriented firm, the organization needed to process and manage huge amounts of documentation. The company also need to create an IT backbone, that would take care of networking, intranet and database consolidation. Billing and inventory processes also had to be integrated into a single, easy to manage solution.

At the heart of any LOB application for the organization would be a strong IT backbone. Quadra designed and deployed an integrated network infrastructure solution, that provided a robust platform, with networking, mail and database capabilities. A local developer provided a custom built business application. The easy to manage, reliable and secure infrastructure has enabled the organization to streamline business processes, and to create a central and secure data storage. This has enabled employees centralized access to information, thereby improving team performance and productivity. The powerful and scalable mail platform also enabled employees to keep in touch with associates and customers, globally, in a speedy and efficient manner. Features such as anywhere web access to email boosted employee productivity greatly. Remote access, as well as shared modem and fax services enhanced utilization of resources.

The above customer solution has been profiled by Microsoft Corporation, and is available on their global website at www.microsoft.com/india/casestudies/centwin.aspx