H.B. Fuller

Success Story

Novell NetWare 6 strengthens H.B. Fuller infrastructure by providing high availability to network resources as well as centralized management and administration.

Overview

Founded in 1887, H.B. Fuller is a worldwide manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals, including adhesives, sealants and coatings. The company's products are used in thousands of formulations and applications to strengthen and improve the performance of products consumers use every day.

Challenge

With a limited IT staff, H.B. Fuller was in need of a reliable, cost-effective solution that offered high availability to network resources as well as centralized management and administration. The organization also wanted to offer employees Internet-based file and print services-allowing access to network resources from any location, at anytime.

H.B. Fuller also needed a solution to secure, simplify and consolidate its server environment. Without dedicated IT staff at each location, H.B. Fuller's technicians spent a considerable amount of time traveling from site to site updating and managing servers, a substantial investment in time and money.

In addition, the organization wanted to enhance internal collaboration by building a portal environment that would offer users secure, immediate access to company data and resources anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, H.B. Fuller sought to alleviate administration issues through enhanced desktop management and software distribution.

Novell solution

"With Novell technology, we can offer more services and resources without increasing our IT staff by even one person. This cost savings allows us to reallocate headcount to other projects and invest in future solutions."

Chris Nelson
Director of Global Technical Services
H.B. Fuller

H.B. Fuller selected Novell NetWare 6 and its Internet-enabled features, including iFolder and iPrint, to secure, stabilize and enhance its network environment. The organization engaged Novell Consulting to lend support throughout the entire implementation process.

"Novell Consulting augmented our technology expertise and helped expand our infrastructure's efficiency and performance," said Chris Nelson, H.B. Fuller director of global technical services. "NetWare 6 allows us to do more with less. Though still in implementation, features like iFolder and iPrint will greatly improve our employee productivity and efficiency."

iFolder, Novell's premier file management and back-up solution, will offer H.B. Fuller employees the ability to synchronize, back-up and access files and applications from any Internet-enabled device, enabling users to access and update files at work, home or on the road. iPrint, Novell's Web-enabled print solution, will eliminate location and network barriers by allowing users to locate and install printers with the click of a mouse, all through a Web browser. By empowering employees with iPrint, H.B. Fuller expects a considerable reduction in the number of printer-related inquires, allowing technicians to address other IT issues.

Novell Cluster Services, another component of NetWare 6, offers the organization fail-safe server capabilities while providing high available access to critical network resources and applications. If one server in the cluster fails, other servers in the cluster automatically take over, allowing technicians to transparently address server issues without disruption day-to-day business. The solution also offers administrators the ability to centrally manage the server environment, eliminating the need to travel from site to site.

H.B. Fuller also leverages Novell Portal Services to offer board members secure, single sign-on access to corporate news and general information as well as collaboration tools, including Novell GroupWise, message boards and discussion groups. "Our investment in technology differentiates our company in the marketplace. We aim to deliver the functionality and services our users need before they even realize the need," Nelson said. "Without Novell, we would have required multiple applications to sufficiently address our business and user requirements."

In its effort to further ease administration, H.B. Fuller selected Novell ZENworks for Desktops to centrally manage and deploy software repairs and upgrades to its 5,000 workstations.

Results

With Netware 6, H.B. Fuller now experiences a secure, reliable and robust network infrastructure. By empowering its employees with the freedom to access file and print resources anytime, anywhere, iFolder and iPrint will maximize technicians' time and enhance employee flexibility as well as productivity, while Cluster Services ensures the organization high available access to all network resources and has eliminated the costs associated with frequent field visits. In addition, H.B. Fuller now has the ability to offer a secure and seamless portal environment to its board of directors and has the architecture in place to expand these services to all employees.

ZENworks for Desktop's remote control functionality allows H.B. Fuller to efficiently manage and instantly distribute software updates to thousands of users, resulting in significant time and cost savings.

"Novell delivers unmatched solutions," Nelson said. "With Novell technology, we can offer more services and resources without increasing our IT staff by even one person. This cost savings allows us to reallocate headcount to other projects and invest in future solutions."