Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment - Ireland

Success Story

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ireland, implemented a Novell® solution to manage security and access for its users. The organisation also uses Novell ZENworks® to enable remote patch and update management, reducing maintenance costs while improving reliability and security.

Overview

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), Ireland, was established in 1997, but has existed in various forms since 1919. It is one of the most important economic departments in the Irish government, responsible for labour affairs, commerce, and Ireland's EU policy. It employs around 1,200 people, based at eight sites across Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland.

Challenge

The DETE deals with sensitive information, and requires its IT environment to be highly secure. As a government department, funded by public money, it must also demonstrate tight control over its finances and keep administrative overheads to a minimum.

The department's existing IT infrastructure, consisting of multiple disparate systems, required multiple user log-ons. It was difficult to manage users across the Department's existing NetWare® and Citrix* systems, because each user had distinct accounts in both Novell eDirectory™ and Microsoft* Active Directory*.

The lack of a comprehensive identity management solution also led to security issues. "The existing architecture was problematic," said Patrick Ryan, Network Manager for the DETE. "Users could install software and make changes to the desktops, introducing potential risks, and the IT team did not have sufficient centralised control to prevent alterations."

Because the Department used Microsoft Windows* 98 as its main desktop environment, there was little support for remote access. Rolling out software updates to 1,200 users was a slow, largely manual process, with IT staff often travelling between eight sites.

The new solution would tighten security, limit users' ability to make changes, and improve system usability through better identity management, while cutting maintenance costs.

Novell solution

"I am delighted with the Novell solution, and with the support we received from Maule Systems Consulting. Maule knows the Novell product set inside-out and really understands how to meet our business needs."

Patrick Ryan
Network Manager
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The DETE worked with Maule Systems Consulting, a Novell partner, to overhaul its IT infrastructure. Maule created a standard Windows XP image, rolled out to desktops using Novell ZENworks, and consolidated the department's identity management environment with Novell Identity Manager, Novell SecureLogin, Novell eDirectory and Novell BorderManager®.

The department uses Novell ZENworks to deploy software to the 1,200 desktops and to monitor server performance, sending e-mail alerts to the IT staff's PDAs so that problems can be solved as quickly as possible.

"We can now see when an individual disk drive is failing, and resolve the issue," said Ryan. "Before, we might not have noticed until the device actually failed, especially if it was at one of the smaller sites. And Novell ZENworks doesn't just cover NetWare - it works for our Windows and Lotus Domino* servers as well."

"As the system is so much more stable, the IT staff do not have to spend so much time fire-fighting," said Ryan. "With a reduced maintenance workload, the team is able to provide a better service to the Department and respond to proactive tasks more rapidly."

Implementing Novell Identity Manager and Novell SecureLogin to consolidate the Department's Citrix and eDirectory-based identity systems has provided a single point of control for identity management and a single sign-in for users. This has considerably reduced workload for IT staff, making it easier to create and edit user accounts, and reducing the need to reset forgotten passwords.

"We can now provide all of our users - even those in remote office - with secure access to Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes, Oracle* and other applications, with just one sign-in," said Ryan. "I am delighted with the Novell solution, and with the support we received from Maule Systems Consulting. Maule knows the Novell product set inside-out and really understands how to meet our business needs."

Results

"The Novell solution has significantly reduced our total cost of operations without compromising on security."

Patrick Ryan
Network Manager
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

By using ZENworks to handle software delivery and hardware management, the DETE can now maintain its entire estate of 1,200 desktops with just two dedicated staff, significantly reducing costs.

"We have seen a return on investment within six months of implementing Novell ZENworks," said Ryan. "The new solution is more reliable, reduces workload for IT staff, and improves our responsiveness to end-users' requests."

The security and identity solution from Novell has further secured the DETE IT infrastructure against unauthorised access, helping to protect sensitive information assets while making it easier for genuine users to access the resources they need. With a unified sign-in to Citrix and NetWare systems, 40 percent fewer calls arrive at the IT helpdesk, enabling the department to further cut its administrative overheads.

In the future, DETE is considering a migration to Linux* with Novell Open Enterprise Server.

"With the help of Maule Systems Consulting and Novell, the DETE has implemented a robust environment for its users which provides the high availability and identity protection they require," said Ryan. "With its automated remote software delivery system and advanced identity management, the Novell solution has significantly reduced our total cost of operations without compromising on security."