Citric's infrastructure consultancy services cover everything needed to implement and maintain a secure, reliable and efficient server network. This is a big area, so on this page you'll find a description of just some of these services.
Server/Network Provisioning
Consultancy in this area provides the core services on which good networks are built. Whether it's a brand new network, an extension to an existing network, or a hardware renewal, we aim to offer you a complete service. This could include any or all of the following:
- Hardware Acquisition - we'll specify all the equipment you need, for the solution to work reliably and allow for at least three years growth. We can acquire hardware on your behalf, or you can use our recommendations with your own suppliers.
- Network equipment and cabling - we can take care of organising any required cabling, and we can plan and implement the physical arrangement of the datacenter with regards to power, cooling and network connections. We can also advise on comms (internet and voice) provision, and configure firewalls/routers to ensure secure and efficient internet access.
- Core Server Builds - once the network infrastructure is in place, we can configure the servers that will run the network - Active Directory, DHCP and DNS. From that point on, your network is ready to run.
Server Upgrades
At Citric, having been in the IT industry for many years, we're used to moving technology forward. There are different reasons for why upgrades are needed, but we're pretty sure we can help with most of them:
- New version of existing software: Server applications will always require careful planning to perform a version upgrade, and even when the manufacturer ensures it's as simple as possible, every network is different - that's when it's useful to use consultants who are used to performing many such upgrades in varying circumstances to ensure the upgrade goes smoothly.
- Add capacity: It's not unusual to outgrow a server during it's lifetime. In such cases we can add capacity to a server, or migrate the services and data to a larger server or cluster. We can also add capacity to other network infrastructure devices - adding hubs, increasing internet connectivity, connecting branch offices etc.
- Old hardware: If you've got software that refuses to work on anything but NT 4, we can provide you with a virtualisation solution that means you can run NT 4 on new hardware, alongside other programs running on Windows 2003.
- Platform upgrades: Windows 2003 is now in it's 3rd version (R2, SP2) and the next Microsoft Server Operating System (codename Longhorn) is imminent. If you still have Windows 2000 or even NT4.0 servers around, we can help upgrade and consolidate their services onto the latest operating system, ensuring you benefit from the security and performance advantages 2003 brings.
Small Business Server deployment
Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS 2003) is an excellent way for companies with up to 80 users to get the enterprise-level network features without breaking the bank. We offer a complete SBS installation service, that can include hardware acquisition, migrating existing machines and data (including non-Microsoft servers) and configuring client machines. Your new network services, including Exchange, SQL and ISA server, can then be monitored by us if required, to provide pro-active support.
If you already have SBS 2003, you may not be using all the advanced features - we can configure things like Outlook Web Access, push-email to mobile devices and home/remote working.
In addition, we can also provide migration services to companies that find they've outgrown Small Business Server (100+ users) and need to upsize their server infrastructure while maintaining their services and data. In these cases we can offer licencing expertise and rollout plans that ensure your growth can continue.
Backup Services
Thanks to the low cost of large disks in desktop and laptops, and the sheer amount of data users can now generate, a lot of pressure is being placed on backup systems. The increased amount of data needed to be backed up, along with the critical nature of that data means a reliable and efficient backup system is vital.
Citric can implement backup systems that require minimal user interaction (perhaps as little as swapping tapes once a month), but still ensure you can restore data from either as recently as possible (for example, using a snapshot backup 4 times a day means the last backup is no more than 2 hours before), or as long ago as 12 months.
In addition, Citric can offer remote backup solutions - using spare internet bandwidth to constantly backup files as they change to a remote server. This has several advantages over local tape/disk backups:
- There are no tapes to remember to change over.
- Because files are backed up as they change, you can always restore the latest version.
- There are no tapes or disks to lose - in the event of a major disaster, such as fire or theft in the datacenter, you can restore over the internet to a different location.
- You only pay for what you backup - a typical tape system for backing up to 40GB per day will cost over £1000. If you have a small new network, it may take a year or so before you need that capacity - whereas with remote backup, you can pay only to backup a few gigabytes in the first months and gradually increase the cost as you backup more.
Network Perimeter Services
Many network services require internet access to function, but this represents a huge threat to your business if this access is not properly secured. Citric can offer a number of solutions to secure and monitor incoming and outgoing access, to ensure you get the most from internet services, without exposing the company to unnecessary risk. These include:
- Firewall configuration.
- User internet usage monitoring, including policy formation and enforcement.
- Secure publishing of services such as remote access, email and web servers.
- Spam and website content filtering.