BT Openworld
Proof of concept
When the time came to roll out new technology, BT Openworld knew it needed a risk-free environment to prove its plans without adversely impacting the business or its customers

	We needed to be able to test all these elements by replicating our production infrastructure in a risk-free environment

BT Openworld is an international mass-market Internet business that provides a variety of services to consumers and businesses. “Business continuity and seamless service to our customers is paramount,” explains Simon Govier, BT’s technical design authority. “Our IT systems are central to the service we provide, and must be continuously available. Every addition or alteration must be comprehensively tested.”
BT Openworld had to embark on just such a testing programme when a core element of its IT infrastructure – Oracle databases – needed to be upgraded. As Breckin Barclay, consultancy practice technical architect at Computacenter, explains: “When a user logs onto the Internet or their email they go through one of BT Openworld’s active clusters, or one of three load-balanced, replica databases. As a result this technology is mission-critical.”

BT Openworld also wanted to make other changes to its infrastructure. These included changing its cluster management system to Veritas, updating the servers’ Solaris operating system and existing Sun storage solution, plus integrating a new backup solution and network switches. “We needed to be able to test all these elements by replicating our production infrastructure in a risk-free environment,” points out Govier.
This safe environment was provided by Computacenter’s Solutions Centre. Computacenter was able to entirely replicate the ISP’s production environment, enabling end-to-end testing around the proposed changes.
This process took around two weeks, as Computacenter’s project stage manager, John Barrett, explains: “By simulating users and potential transactions, we were able to prove that the new architecture would be able to perform in a live situation.

“ In fact, the tests were able to prove that the new environment would, in certain scenarios, be nearly three times faster than the current architecture.” BT Openworld was also able to test the integration of the new backup, storage and clustering systems to ensure that all elements were working as efficiently as possible. And the company used the Solutions Centre to simulate a phased migration to the new architecture, thereby de-risking the roll-out and improving implementation times.
The success of the project can be measured by the impact it had on the ISP’s customers – none. “The upgrade has now gone live,” says Govier, “and our customers didn’t know a thing about it.”

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Dundas & Wilson
Starting from scratch
Scottish law firm Dundas & Wilson had to develop an IT system from the ground up, which gave it the chance to get exactly the system it needed and prepare for the future.

	Our first objective was to maintain business continuity, which meant ensuring we had access to mission-critical elements of our IT

Dundas & Wilson is Scotland’s largest corporate and commercial law firm, with nearly 300 lawyers who offer a range of legal services including corporate, banking, employment, intellectual property, commercial litigation and IT contracts.
Until March 2002, Dundas & Wilson was part of the Andersen Legal Network. Then the firm decided to go it alone, which meant a race against time to develop a new IT infrastructure.
“ Our first objective was to maintain business continuity, which meant ensuring we had access to mission-critical elements of our IT, such as financial and office applications, Internet and email functionality, printing facilities and a corporate network,” says Laurence Ward, a senior partner at Dundas & Wilson. “Our second objective was to improve on the IT systems that we had before.”

Computacenter took responsibility for the design and implementation of the new infrastructure, which encompassed everything from security and storage to backup and remote access.
Andrew Sharpe, consultant at Computacenter, explains: “It is not often that an organisation tackles its entire infrastructure in one go. The breadth of technical skill required was tremendous. The end-to-end nature of the project provided us with an unrivalled opportunity to ensure that all the new systems were fully integrated and easily managed.”

According to Ward: “Security is key for the business due to the sensitive nature of a lot of the data we store and access. Safeguarding the integrity of our data is paramount. The new environment has, however, given us an enhanced level of protection.”

Time was tight. “To ensure that we could respond swiftly to any problems and maintain business continuity, we set up a special response team, and de-risked the roll-out as much as possible,” says Sharpe.
Despite the challenges, the new infrastructure has met Dundas & Wilson’s original objectives, as Ward confirms: “We have dramatically improved the reliability of the system, and can offer our users and customers continuously available services.”

Now Dundas & Wilson is looking to the future, as Ward explains: “We have a three-year IT strategy aimed at enhancing our service to clients. The infrastructure had to be able to support all these plans, and our increasing use of web technologies. We feel we have a scalable IT infrastructure that can dovetail to our future requirements.”

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Dorchester
Room Service
One of the world’s leading hotels, The Dorchester, has now implemented an IT infrastructure that provides unprecedented in-room entertainment and communications services for its customers.

	We now have an infrastructure that will enable us to grow. We are already looking at video conferencing, and linking the room telephone to the system to create video-phones

Since it first opened its doors in 1931, The Dorchester has aimed to provide every convenience modern technology could supply. It’s no surprise the hotel has found itself at the forefront of technology adoption, as Luke Mellors, systems manager, explains: “In addition to an entertainment system, guests have expectations in terms of business services such as Internet access and laptop connectivity. Such services enable us to be more competitive and to specifically target corporate customers. We wanted a solution that would enable us to develop a range of integrated, end-to-end services.”

David Wilkinson, general manager of The Dorchester, adds: “We basically drew up a wish list of all the services we thought our guests would like to be able to access in their rooms.”
This wish-list led The Dorchester to Neos Interactive and its cutting-edge entertainment and information system, NeosTV. This allows The Dorchester to provide multimedia and interactive features such as films, music, Internet, email, world radio, remote office applications and guest services from a single in-room solution.
The Neos system is just one part of a complex IT infrastructure. Designing the implementation and integration of this technology, plus the back-end network and server infrastructure, required a range of IT enterprise skills and a pool of extensive resources that were delivered by Computacenter.

Security was a key consideration, as Mellors points out: “We have created a closed environment that protects the system – and customers – from both internal and external security risks. As the system also allows guests to create and save files on the PCs’ hard drives, it is essential that these files are deleted once the room is vacated. We have linked the Neos system with our booking application so that the PC automatically clears the hard drive and restarts every time a guest departs.”

The Dorchester has taken the unusual and innovative step of training staff to provide first-line IT support to residents. “Our e-butlers and the high-quality in-room experience at The Dorchester distinguishes our system from other solutions in the market,” comments Mellors. The e-butlers are backed up by Computacenter, which is providing ongoing support.

“ This is really only the first phase in our plans to deliver in-room services to our guests,” comments Wilkinson. “We now have an infrastructure that will enable us to grow. We are already looking at video conferencing, and linking the room telephone to the system to create video-phones. We also plan to use the system to provide electronic concierge and shopping services to customers through partnerships with local firms.”

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