RSM Australia unleashes the power of analytics with help from Data#3

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Objective

RSM Australia wanted to make better use of their Microsoft Dynamics 365 investment by aligning it more closely with their business strategy and increasing overall adoption across the organisation.

Approach

The relationship between Data#3 and RSM Australia spans more than 15 years, so when they needed additional expertise and trusted advice, it made sense to turn to their preferred Microsoft provider.

IT Outcome

Business Outcome

We knew we needed additional support to continue delivering the project to the standards we expected but were nervous about finding the right fit. It’s easy to work with Data#3. They aren’t just our provider, they are an extension of our team, and we know we can count on them when we need it.

Helen CarvossoDirector of Marketing, RSM Australia.

The Background

Established in 1922, RSM Australia has grown to become a leading player in Australia’s professional services industry. With more than 1,900 staff in 32 offices, RSM Australia provides financial and advisory accounting services, acting as a trusted partner to a wide range of business, government and individual clients.

Having introduced Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) previously, RSM Australia was finding underlying structural issues and limited technical resources were creating challenges in adopting its full potential.

The Challenge

Unsurprisingly, much has changed during RSM Australia’s century in business. While the values of friendly expertise and exceptional service have remained the same, the business’s remarkable longevity owes much to a willingness to embrace new opportunities. Director of Marketing Helen Carvosso said that staying ahead in a competitive sector requires an ability to look forward.

“We are currently busy working on our growth plans to 2030 and a strategic focus for us is our digital transformation, where using analytics and automation will be very important moving forward. We have invested heavily in learning about AI and leveraging data for our growth strategy.”

A significant investment to date has centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365), a portfolio of intelligent business applications that streamlines operational processes and drives greater efficiency. While the capabilities of D365 were thoroughly researched and matched the business’s needs, the roll-out had been problematic.

“We rolled out the D365 instance in January 2023. It wasn’t quite perfect and we knew that at the time, but we wanted people to start using it. The more people that started to use it, the more requests we were expecting and received for improvements, changes or additional features. We also knew there were some structural issues we would need to address down the line.

“Our CRM team didn’t have the technical capability we needed to begin addressing those structural issues – so we were looking for a partner who could act as an advisor, understand what we were trying to achieve, provide options, and help us find the best way forward.”

For RSM Australia, it was especially important that the chosen partner could identify potential implications of each course of action and minimise any impact on users and the wider IT environment.

“Our previous advisors had added fields as we requested, without providing the strategic advice on the impacts of some of these requests. We needed partners who weren’t just ‘yes’ people but could advise, guide, and challenge us to ensure we used best practices to build a future-proof system that would take us forward. We needed to add that additional technical competence and depth to our team.”

IT Outcome

With user requests coming in thick and fast, it was clear that the RSM Australia team needed the right processes in place and guidance from a trusted partner. After considering multiple partner options, it seemed to Carvosso there was a logical choice.

“There were downstream implications to any changes, and we needed to understand these. We had a long relationship with Data#3 in other areas of RSM and ‘Microsoft-Land’. That relationship spanned 15 years. The main driver to work with Data#3 on our Dynamics environment was their position as our Microsoft licence provider – they already provided our D365 subscription.

“What I like about the Data#3 team we work with is their empathy and non-judgemental approach. We’re working with an external provider as we don’t have all the answers – and sometimes we don’t know the right questions to ask. They encourage those questions, which helps them understand where I’m coming from too.”

The Data#3 team worked with a proven methodology, and this gave the structure that Carvosso knew was needed. They set about learning in greater depth about RSM’s business and technology eco-system, and understanding what a great outcome would look like.

“It was really very smooth. We set up regular meetings at the start to understand where we were and to roadmap our immediate priorities. We were easily set up on the ticketing system, which was all totally transparent, so we had visibility of where things were at. Now, we have established a regular cadence of meetings to suit business as usual, but when things pop up, the team is there to answer our calls and emails very quickly.”

In that early phase, more than 100 enhancements and changes were scoped out and implemented, positioning RSM to achieve greater benefits from their D365 environment.

“There are a lot of automation pieces here that help us to get work done. We can create workflows and understand the potential implications.”

By digging deeper, Data#3 was able to help RSM better align D365 with the activities of the business, so that staff time could be saved on repetitive tasks and refocused on the customer service they are known for.

“We applied some automation based on principal clients. It used to be extra work for a partner to go in and check a box to say a client now needs tax updates. Now, when a contact changes to client status, that checked box can happen automatically. We have been able to add functionality to apply different rules for clients and contacts with changes triggered automatically, saving manual effort.”

Business Outcome

The challenges that RSM faced in the initial D365 rollout had hampered enthusiasm for the product – but this is something Carvosso said had been turned around, with positive results encouraging greater engagement.

“Rolling out new technology and getting people to adopt it can be scary, if not outright off-putting. Now we have support to make it fit for purpose, so it helps people with what they are trying to do in their day-to-day jobs.

“Before we didn’t have the technical expertise to be able to make it work for them. We can now go to the stakeholders and understand their business priorities and make the system work for them, not the other way around,” explained Carvosso.

That expertise doesn’t only come from the Data#3 team. Carvosso’s group was keen to gain skills and confidence in working with D365, so they could handle the more straightforward requests while still calling on Data#3 for more complex changes.

“We learned a lot very quickly from the team. They shared best practices and how they prefer to be briefed – it was a different realm to what we were used to. We learned a lot about best practices for change requests from them,” Carvosso said.

“That has been great as it does help us too, to get a better brief, we know the right questions to ask. The Data#3 team has been helping us upskill, so we can use them for their technical expertise rather than day-to-day actions. It has been an opportunity for us to learn and develop as we continue the relationship.”

With early difficulties unravelled and a faster time from request to completion, the RSM team has observed a change in the way they are perceived by the users they support.

“We have been given the confidence and credibility to go back to our team when they have questions or development requests, and we have a hundred percent certainty that we have a process in place. We pitch it to our change advisory group and come back with solutions. The refined process means we have a hundred percent confidence when we report back to the business.

“Like any new relationship it took time to get to know one another – but when we started to report small wins back to the business, we could see the confidence building among end-users, in the platform and in us,” said Carvosso.

It is not only users who are able to work more effectively now. Carvosso’s team has also had a weight lifted from their shoulders.

“We are spending time better, not stressed about the time we are spending and worrying about having to fix problems. If we are notified of an issue, we put it on the list and know it is being taken care of. We’re able instead to spend our time educating and upskilling people on how to use D365 better rather than having to apologise for what it can’t do. “We have learned from Data#3 how to prioritise requests from inside the business and have a better idea of how much time and effort it will take. We have the confidence to think outside the box now, and before we go to Data#3 we consider if we can fix something internally.”

We have learned from Data#3 how to prioritise requests from inside the business and have a better idea of how much time and effort it will take. We have the confidence to think outside the box now, and before we go to Data#3 we consider if we can fix something internally.

Helen CarvossoDirector of Marketing, RSM Australia.

Conclusion

Part of RSM’s longevity is down to the business focusing on its strengths and understanding where it pays to seek expert help. Working with a partner that complemented RSM’s strengths and shared the same long-term view has been a game-changer for Carvosso.

“Data#3 showed that they very much see it as a long-term partnership, so when they scope something out, they are not creating a rod for their own back by making changes without question. They take time to make sure the outcome will really be what the business needs, even if it is not what we originally asked for – they push back if it is not the right thing.”

For someone that does not come from a technology background, Carvosso found the process unexpectedly enjoyable.

“Their biggest strengths were their patience and expertise. They will invest the time to understand where we are coming from and the challenges we face, they have empathy around that and offered solutions based on their technical expertise. “They had an understanding of us as a professional services firm, an understanding of our language and the nuances. They built a rapport, had a real sense of humour, and made it fun, not scary. It’s easy, they are like an extension of our team, and we know we can count on them.”

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In cyber security, change is constant, but some challenges remain stubbornly familiar. Do you remember the Anna Kournikova virus from over two decades ago? It spread rapidly by tricking users into opening a seemingly harmless email attachment. Fast forward to today, and it’s no surprise that email remains the number one attack vector. The only difference is that the stakes are higher, and as technology evolves, the threats grow more sophisticated. 

So, how prepared is your organisation to keep up with the evolving threat landscape? 

In our latest Security Minutes video series, with Mimecast, Data#3’s National Practice Manager for Security, Richard Dornhart, and Mimecast’s Senior Sales Engineer, Matt Youman, discuss the critical challenges organisations face and how they can stay ahead. From polished phishing attacks to overlooked attack vectors such as collaboration tools, here are the key insights you can’t afford to miss. 

Episode 1: The evolution of email attacks 

Cyber criminals are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools to revolutionise their tactics. In the first episode, Youman highlights the rapid rise of AI-driven phishing attacks: 

“In the most sophisticated cases, we’ve seen the use of large language model agents like ChatGPT. They can automate spear phishing campaigns that would traditionally take weeks or months to execute, in just 30 seconds.”

With tools capable of learning, adapting, and automating attacks at scale, organisations can no longer rely on traditional defences alone.  

Episode 2: Defending against business email compromise 

While cyber criminals use AI to evade detection, it’s imperative to remember that AI is also a powerful ally for defenders. Youman explores how Mimecast uses natural language processing and social graphing to identify behavioural patterns to help you catch threats that static tools miss. 

When Youman reviewed 2,000 emails that bypassed standard security tools, the results were staggering: payroll switch scams and other business email compromise threats had slipped through unnoticed. 

Relying on static rules and limited keyword scans is no longer enough. Utilising AI-driven solutions can help you think like attackers, making it easier for your organisation to fight back

Episode 3: Managing human risk in cyber security

It’s not just email. Collaboration tools, essential to everyday business operations, are also becoming an increasingly popular target for attackers. Yet they’re often overlooked in security strategies. Youman shares how Mimecast addresses this blind spot by integrating collaboration platforms into its centralised security solution, enhancing visibility and simplifying management. 

Are your collaboration tools secure? If not, attackers may already be exploiting the gap. 

Episode 4: Strengthening defence across your organisation’s platforms 

Even with advanced technology, people remain the final safeguard. Roles such as those in C-suite, IT, HR, and finance are prime targets due to their access to sensitive data. Youman emphasises that understanding and addressing human risk is vital to any security strategy. 

Did you know that Mimecast’s 30-day Email Threat Scanner not only uncovers risks but also identifies patterns of human error? Making it a great tool for helping you tailor training to individual roles. 

When was the last time you tested your human defences? 

Episode 5: Securing collaboration in the workplace 

No single tool or strategy can eliminate cyber risk. Reflecting on recent incidents, Youman highlights the critical need to look beyond email when protecting your organisation from cyber criminals.   

That’s why Data#3 and Mimecast advocate for a defence-in-depth approach. By layering advanced detection, automation, and human-centric strategies, organisations can: 

Episode 6: The Mimecast threat scanner 

The final episode showcases Mimecast’s Email Threat Scanner in action. This free tool provides a powerful way to uncover email-borne risks that have bypassed your existing defences. With access to the Mimecast console, you can: 

Act now, know your blind spots 

With everything we’ve learned so far, it’s easy to see that the evolving cyber threat landscape requires more than just traditional security measures. The rise of AI-driven attacks, sophisticated phishing campaigns and overlooked vulnerabilities in collaboration tools reveal critical security blind spots that many organisations still miss. Relying solely on static defences alone is no longer enough to stay ahead of cyber criminals.  

A comprehensive, defence-in-depth approach is necessary to safeguard your organisation against emerging threats.  Don’t delay, each day leaves your organisation open to more attacks. With Data#3 and Mimecast, you’ll take proactive steps to identify and address potential risks that will help protect your organisation.  

Mimecast’s Email Threat Scanner Report will give you actionable insights into your current security posture, helping you stay one step ahead of cyber criminals. Don’t leave your organisation’s security to chance—ensure you’re fully prepared for the threats ahead.  

Contact your Data#3 Security Specialist today to request your Email Threat Scanner Report and uncover hidden threats before they become a problem. 

Morgans empowers a future-ready workforce with IT managed services from Data#3

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Objective

Morgans needed to enhance its IT services to better support its people 24/7, by progressing to a hybrid working environment, and improving its procurement and management services.

Approach

The in-house team evaluated multiple providers and performed reviews in line with their policies to deliver a series of projects for digital transformation. Morgans selected Data#3 due to its previous relationship, demonstrable experience and shared culture.

IT Outcome

Business Outcome

We wanted the way we were interacting to feel like our partner was just an extension of our internal resources, and for it to feel organic as we moved to a partnership model for managed services, so Data#3 was a natural fit.

Matt NeubauerCIO, Morgans Financial Limited

The Background

Morgans is a full-service stockbroking and wealth management network, with over 500 authorised representatives and 950+ staff servicing more than 240,000 clients across Australia.

With technology playing an ever-growing role in the organisation, Morgans needed a true partner that would help them to harness their full potential. They wanted to work with someone they could trust to handle the day-to-day, while they focused on business growth activities.

The Challenge

From modernising and improving efficiency to providing new services, the IT team at Morgans is on a continuous quest to fulfil its role as a business enabler. For CIO, Matt Neubauer, it is important that while overcoming the everyday challenges of managing IT, that they could also see the big picture and recognise progress.

“When we first worked with Data#3 some five years ago, we were running Lotus Notes, we were developing systems in-house, we had a data centre four times the size we see today. It was very much an internal cloud environment, and cloud wasn’t a thing then.”

Rather than source technology partners for every individual project, something that would lack continuity and potentially drain time and attention, Neubauer was keen to develop a more enduring relationship. Although the right technical capability was a given, it was clear that an IT provider needed to be a strong cultural match, and to mesh well with Morgans.

“We were reliant on the skills, expertise and advice of our IT partner, and we needed them to play a role in guiding our direction from a technology perspective. Technology is a never-ending story: by the time you have finished one thing, you are already looking at something else, so it is a fast-moving space. You need to have access to trusted advice.”

As the role of IT grew and evolved in the business, and users’ needs went beyond the traditional 9-5 workday, the role of the in-house IT team adjusted to match. Rather than simply add out of hours support, Neubauer evaluated how to best use the strengths of his own team, while ensuring that the day-to-day operations were covered.

“When we were looking at our capability at that point, we decided as a business what was our strategic direction and where to invest our time, funds and resources. We decided that our internal focus should be where we can differentiate, and looked at the things we could do very well that were unique to Morgans.

“When it came to managing our data, network and servers, we looked at using a partner we could trust that not only had the capability, but also the flexibility to scale when needed.”

The IT skills shortage added weight to the decision to seek a managed services solution to fit the Morgans business environment. While 76 percent of Australian businesses are looking to hire skilled IT staff in 2024, half are finding themselves having to outsource overseas, with cyber security leading the hard-to-fill areas of expertise.

“We looked at the times we needed to cover, and we would have had to double our team to facilitate it, because we can’t cover both out of hours and business hours. We were not willing to compromise on keeping it onshore.

“We wanted all of the capabilities and resources to fit, we needed data sovereignty to remain in Australia, and we wanted company culture that matched ours. We wanted the way we were interacting to feel like our partner was just an extension of our internal resources, and for it to feel organic as we moved to a partnership model for managed services, so Data#3 was a natural fit,” explained Neubauer.

The Outcome

Morgans has significantly benefited from Data#3’s expertise across several business transformation projects, incorporating a suite of technology from Cisco, Microsoft, and Veritas to better support the hybrid workplace.

Leveraging the depth of knowledge and experience within this partnership, the strength and value of their relationship have become evidently invaluable. From migrating to Microsoft 365 and implementing Windows 10 to deployment of a Cisco Meraki SD-WAN and adoption of Microsoft Surface devices, the in-house IT team and Data#3 teams have worked shoulder to shoulder towards common goals.

“This gave us confidence when we were proposing a managed services partnership. We have similar values, and we are both Queensland based, so there is a lot of alignment there. The board felt very comfortable using Data#3 as a partner because they had already shown we would be in safe hands,” recalled Neubauer.

The transition to a managed services model was a process that Neubauer felt required experience and a well-designed process. As it was, the collaborative approach and tested Data#3 methodology meant that for most of the business, the managed services handover was a non-event.

“With each new development in our technology journey, it was as if the business didn’t know anything had changed. Someone working in one of the branches would be none the wiser. That was exactly what we hoped for – it is like when you turn on the tap and there is no hot water, you might curse the plumber, but you don’t thank them for every day it works perfectly. It is the same with IT, it is when something is wrong that you hear about it, so when it is quiet, we are happy.”

For the in-house IT team, though, Neubauer noted there were some more noticeable outcomes, including reduced stress and more time to focus on high value business enhancement activities.

“The biggest measurable difference was a reduction in incidents, especially those caused by patching limitations. These often crop up out of hours, and with the size of our team, we didn’t have people looking at patching on weekends and early mornings. Data#3 flags those things as they occur and by the time we walk in, most are already remediated.”

“It is great to avoid that Monday morning firefighting, because that sets the tone and used to consume time. Which also meant our people sometimes had to wait to access systems they needed to do their jobs.”

Amidst an increasingly complex cyber security landscape and facing ever more sophisticated threats, this important security measure was among the improvements that Neubauer was clear should not be underestimated. Central to the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Essential Eight measures, prompt patching greatly reduces vulnerabilities and cuts the window of opportunity for cyber criminals.

“It is becoming critical really in terms of the breaches we are seeing in different vertices, and once again we are very comfortable with Data#3’s security posture and the investment they are making to protect their customers’ data.”

Procurement, too, is an area where the Morgans team has welcomed Data#3’s expertise. Having access to a wealth of specialists has helped to make sure that investments are well planned and that the financial business can get the best return for its technology spend.

“We do our own research and keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the market, but it is so fast moving that we can’t be across it all. Another value that Data#3 has given is that they are a large business with specialists in different vertices, so we can engage and get them to do a market scan, or to do research on our behalf. We have done this a number of times when we have not known the solution but can articulate what we need to achieve,” said Neubauer.

“Then, when we have worked out the right outcome, they work with a range of vendors, and can negotiate to get us the best return on investment and manage our assets efficiently.”

For me, Data#3 is the epitome of the concept of a trusted partner. They are always someone we can call when we are looking at the next stage of growth, or when facing an emerging challenge. They will put Morgans first, give us sound advice, and recommend the appropriate path for us.

Matt NeubauerCIO, Morgans Financial Limited

Conclusion

To get the optimal outcome from an ongoing relationship, especially in a managed services scenario, Neubauer said that a true partnership is necessary. That, to him, means feeling that they want Morgans to achieve a successful outcome just as much as he does, and will place that above their short-term goals.

“For me, Data#3 is the epitome of the concept of a trusted partner. They are always someone we can call when we are looking at the next stage of growth, or when facing an emerging challenge. They will put Morgans first, give us sound advice, and recommend the appropriate path for us.”

On occasion, that approach has meant that Data#3 has sometimes chosen not to take on a project, instead connecting Morgans with their extensive network of technology partners.

“There have been some instances where we haven’t used them based on the advice they have given. For example, when we have been working on a technical solution that isn’t one of their strengths or in their wheelhouse, our account manager will call out that it isn’t one of their specialities and will recommend a partner with the right specialised skills for the project. There are a lot of vendors who are keen to get whatever business they can, even if outside their skillset, which leads to subpar results.

“If Data#3 is engaging on a project, they won’t accept anything below an excellent outcome, what they commit to achieving, they will make good on that commitment.”

The true test of a partnership, concluded Neubauer, is knowing that you have an extended team of resources that are every bit as much there for you in difficult moments as they are to share in your successes.

“Data#3’s strength boils down to the definition of a solid partner, someone that you can call when things don’t go well and they’ll pick up the phone, they’ll be in your corner to make things right with a mutually agreeable outcome. They will go to bat for you.”

“Our Data#3 Account Manager has been on some internal calls for Morgans looking out for Morgans’ interests even if they are not necessarily of benefit to Data#3. They are collaborative, transparent, and they tell things as they are,” concluded Neubauer.

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Reserve Bank of Fiji invests in security solution for the future

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Objective

The Reserve Bank of Fiji wished to improve its security posture for better protection against increasingly sophisticated cyber security threats.

Approach

A selective tender issued, inviting a shortlist of IT partners with high-level security capabilities to submit a proposal. Data#3 was selected based on their high-quality, globally backed proposal, along with Fiji-based expertise and support.

Business Outcome

IT Outcome

We now have assurance that someone who is equipped with the right technical skills looking at things we may miss, enabling our bank to achieve increased visibility, global threat intelligence, and an improved cyber security posture.

Ariff AliGovernor for Reserve Bank of Fiji

The Background

As the central bank of the Republic of Fiji, the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s (RBF) functions include issuing currency and promoting monetary and financial stability in the economy, while providing policy advice and financial services to the government.

While the growing threat to the landscape has become increasingly challenging worldwide, several high-profile security incidents has highlighted the increased focus by cyber criminals within the Pacific region. For the RBF, limited visibility and a lack of specialised resources has made implanting effective security measures a challenge.

The Challenge

The RBF relies on a small, busy IT team to provide the tools that it needs to function. As the critical area of security has become more complex, specialist skills not available in-house were needed 24/7. For Manager Cybersecurity & Innovation, Rajnesh Chand, introducing a security operations centre (SOC) was a logical step.

“We knew we wanted to have a SOC solution in place, we knew how important it was. We had a vision, and initially we took it on in-house and put a solution together, and tried to get a sense of what having a SOC means. From this experience, we realised that it takes much more than a few security personnel to manage a SOC, given other priority security areas.”

External factors necessitated the need to raise the bar of expectations. The onset of the global pandemic increased the number of employees working remotely, which saw an increase in cyber security incidents in the region.

“There were other things that COVID-19 brought, especially security concerns, and we started to see breaches closer to home. These factors made us look outward for help, and we wanted to make it a less painful, more enriching experience,” recounted Chand.

“We knew there were SOC services available, and it made sense to change our approach to consider something managed for the extra support. With service organisations, they have the set-up, and the experience of implementing security solutions for longer than we had, so we knew we could reap the benefits of that experience.”

With the global skilled labour shortage, especially in experienced security specialists, implementing the right SOC choice would create opportunity for RBF’s IT team to develop its knowledge through a transfer of skills.

The current solution in place did not give the RBF the visibility and confidence about to focus attention where it was most needed, and with their analysis process still largely manual, more was needed if the RBF was to narrow down to the right datasets.

The Solution

Data#3 proposed a solution in partnership with global managed security service provider, SecurityHQ, that featured 24/7 SOC support and availability, with  built in incident response. Service and management of the solution were included, which featured a Data#3 Customer Experience Manager, in conjunction with the Fiji-based Data#3 team. Chand said that this combination of local service and global expertise gave him assurance that the RBF was in safe hands.

“First, we knew they had the capability. We knew the partnerships that Data#3 has, because we had already been long-term customers for our Microsoft licensing. We had been to some of their JuiceIT events, so we had exposure to their experts, and they have a local presence in Fiji as well, so there is knowledgeable support we can reach out to locally,” explained Chand.

During the tender phase, Data#3 and SecurityHQ presented their proposal in detail, taking time to gather information at every stage, and this attention to detail helped to prepare for the SOC for implementation.

“They really made us understand what the solution entails, how we could consume that service, and what we could expect. They showed us how they would set up the SOC, and what it would look like in reality, and that really stood out to us,” described Chand.

The combination of advance information gathering, and the work that the RBF had already done in their initial venture into trialling a SOC, helped ensure an easy onboarding process. Detailed instructions were provided on how to onboard, along with a knowledge log of how everything works.

“I think the first ten days we went through a learning phase, trying to understand what we should classify as a major alert. It was a good experience and gave us instant transparency in terms of things we may not have otherwise viewed as a threat. We introduced more rules to reduce false positives, and now we have a SOC that gives us visibility across all layers of security,” stated Chand.

During this period, the RBF team was able to experience first-hand what it was like to have a global team of security specialists monitoring their environment round the clock.

“Any analyst working on our system knows what to do with alerts and how to classify it according to our own business. Personally, it feels like having a light switch from zero to hero overnight,” said Chand.

As a part of the solution, the RBF conducts weekly meetings with Data#3 and SecurityHQ. These are attended by RBF’s IT team as well as the bank’s executive risk management team, and other business leaders where needed. This reflects the commitment by the leadership of the RBF to better understand and manage cyber risk.

Aside from the meetings, weekly and monthly reports that show incidents are generated and submitted to the team. The risk team also receives notifications of incidents. The managed SOC solution frees up time for the team to focus on other operational priorities, knowing that someone is constantly monitoring security.

“Having the managed SOC in place allowed the IT team to prioritise its focus on other areas, necessitated by the level of our security posture. Without the SOC in place, our IT team would need to work outside of business hours, always ensuring the phone is close by to make sure no warnings or suspicious activity were missed. Now, getting a call means it is a big issue, while anything else can wait for office hours. That has made it easier to sleep at night.”

The security measures and controls the Reserve Bank has put in place have improved our posture and given us visibility and insight into any security concerns in real-time.

Susan KumarChief Manager Currency and Corporate Services, Reserve Bank of Fiji.

The RBF has a mandate to supervise licensed financial institutions, and provide guidance on key issues including cyber security.

Governor for RBF, Ariff Ali, commended the team on achieving the compliance expected and reiterated the assurance afforded to the RBF team, now that they have the extra support from Data#3 and SecurityHQ.

“The security measures and controls the Reserve Bank has put in place have improved our posture and given us visibility and insight into any security concerns in real-time. This comfort allows the IT team to provide that advice previously absent with in-house support,” highlighted Susan Kumar, Chief Manager Currency and Corporate Services, Reserve Bank of Fiji.

“Because Data#3 has a local presence, we are able to have easy access to their services, while SecurityHQ offers us expertise in security. In addition, having a local relationship with Data#3 has provided great comfort to the RBF given its usual conservative stance with outsourcing,” said Kumar.

“The people there make a real difference – they have experience and expertise in technology across a wide client base, and are familiar with most of our challenges,” added Chand.

“When looking back at the progress already achieved, seeking specialist external skills through the managed SOC was a “no brainer”, as the reach of the service went far beyond anything that could have been reasonably achieved with the small internal team.”

In his reflection, Chand says, “coming across another Data#3 customer case study a few years back, I wondered whether we would ever have such a use case that we could publish and feel proud of as an institution. Now, we are in a good place, and we are proud of what we have achieved it.”

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Teachers Mutual Bank Limited earns time and focus through investment in a DaaS solution from Data#3

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Objective

To make the most of available skilled resources, Teachers Mutual Bank Limited wanted an end-user computing solution that would eliminate administrative burden.

Approach

Teachers Mutual Bank Limited sees the smart use of technology as a way to continually build on the service it offers to Members. Given the technology skills shortage affecting all industry sectors, it was vital to enable the bank’s valued IT team to focus on these high value tasks. Additionally, the bank wanted to switch from the capital expenditure of device acquisition to an operational expenditure model, and after reviewing proposals, the Device as a Service (DaaS) model from Data#3 best met the bank’s needs.

Business Outcome

  • Reduced administrative burden for IT
  • Modern, appropriate devices available for staff
  • Predictable cost of device program
  • Detailed reporting for easy tracking of program

Project Highlight

Data#3 does what they say they will do, it is exactly as it is written on the tin.

Gerard SmithChief Information Officer, Teachers Mutual Bank Limited

The Background

Teachers Mutual Bank Limited is one of Australia’s largest mutual banks in its 56th year of operation with over 230,000 members and more than $10.4 billion in assets. Teachers Mutual Bank Limited is comprised of Teachers Mutual Bank, Firefighters Mutual Bank, Health Professionals Bank, UniBank and digital bank Hiver. Teachers Mutual Bank Limited is a Certified B Corporation, aligned with its purpose to provide banking for good, for those who do good.

Providing the best return means the organisation must play to its strengths. Already, the IT team had begun a sustained effort to reduce admin-heavy tasks in order for its skilled resources to focus on projects that drive better services and deliver meaningful outcomes. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, it became clearer than ever that this approach was necessary.

The Challenge

Teachers Mutual Bank Limited has a busy IT team that strives to offer the best possible outcome for the Members it serves. Their expertise is in demand, whether to build new services and capabilities, or to secure those already in place. Teachers Mutual Bank Limited CIO Gerard Smith1 said that it has become increasingly important for IT staff not to become bogged down in administration, prompting him to assess where it would make best sense for certain tasks to be handled by a trusted partner.

“We had already outsourced some areas and looked at what else we could give to other providers. Providing and supporting laptops was labour-intensive. We decided to lease laptops and wanted to make sure we weren’t spending a lot of time on admin tasks, so I considered whether it was something we could outsource to a partner like Data#3.”

Provisioning and supporting laptops was not only time-consuming, it was also disruptive. Other activities could be interrupted any time a user had a problem with their device, making it hard to sustain focus on priority projects.

“Provisioning a new laptop took at least an hour per device, so by the time it was imaged and ready for staff members, it would be close to 90 minutes in total. Then there’s the support, the maintenance issues that inevitably crop up. I didn’t want the team distracted,” said Smith.

“Instead of working through that endless list, the idea was to provide more meaningful tasks than troubleshooting devices.”

Workplace changes accelerated by changing COVID-19 restrictions served to highlight the wisdom of focusing on the core business needs. Given the role Teachers Mutual Bank Limited plays in the financial lives of its Members, business had to continue at all costs. The already busy IT team was stretched further still as it worked to keep the business operational as staff shifted from office to home, and then transitioned to a hybrid model. They were, said Smith, “some of the real heroes” at a time of immense upheaval.

“It felt like we doubled the amount of work in that first 12-months of COVID-19, and I think there came a point where everyone looked tired. Lightening the load by taking away some of the repetitive administration tasks, and the device troubleshooting, reduces that overload.”

Named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies (WME) from 2014-2022, Teachers Mutual Bank Limited has a reputation as an excellent workplace, but even these credentials do not make it immune to the global shortage of skilled IT workers. Smith sees carefully chosen ‘as a Service options’ as a way to complement the work of his team while limiting the impact if skill shortages in the IT sector worsen.

“Clearly, all industries are affected to some extent. From our perspective it has not been too bad; we are finding as we go through this time of change, that certain roles, like business analysts and security, are hardest to fill, and this is likely to continue. At the same time, IT is expected to do more within organisations, so we must make best use of our skills.”

The Technology and Business Outcome

Teachers Mutual Bank Limited opted for a ‘pay as you go’ Dell end-user computing (EUC) solution, with devices and services provisioned via a customised DaaS portal hosted by Data#3. This allows for streamlined procurement, and a decreased IT workload. When a new device is needed, a request is entered in the portal, and the assigned Data#3 DaaS Customer Success Manager fulfils the order from local strategically cached stock, without taking the bank’s IT staff away from their priority tasks and delivering a zero-touch deployment

“For the users, the experience was no different – the new laptop arrived at their house or office, wherever they work, it is just now issued by Data#3,” outlined Smith.

“Data#3 had already been handling purchase of equipment for us, so it made sense to continue. They have the devices in their warehouse for us, we provided the image for the laptops, and they do the rest.”

With a newly updated fleet of laptops, staff are enjoying the performance and collaboration advantages of more modern machines. With most working remotely at least sometimes since the pandemic, exchanging ageing devices for the new Dell laptops has been welcomed enthusiastically. With hundreds of staff, Smith said that a few device issues will inevitably crop up, and it is here that he has noticed the greatest difference, both in the immediacy of replacement when needed, and in lower support time.

“When there is a warranty issue, or someone gets the blue wall of death on their machine, we just load the job with Data#3 and they take care of the rest, we don’t have to touch it. From our point of view, it is easy. We can provide more meaningful tasks for our IT team, instead of endless troubleshooting. It also gave us the opportunity to review security practices around end-user devices, for example.”

Outsourcing tasks does involve a cultural shift, something that Smith said should not be taken lightly. Change can always be challenging, and managing the transition requires understanding and communication. While it has required a shift in mindset, Smith noted that prioritising projects with a core business focus among his busy IT team, while drawing on external resources for some of the day-to-day functions, has been a strategy that works well.

The biggest gain has definitely been in time and focus. In terms of cost though, we were previously buying the devices outright however under Data#3’s financed DaaS option the TCO is considerably lower and we no longer have to put on extra staff to deal with resourcing spikes that are necessary in various points of the lifecycle such as decommissioning and secure data wiping at the end of the lifecycle.

Gerard SmithChief Information Officer, Teachers Mutual Bank Limited

Although the process is zero touch for the IT team, regular reporting and strong communication are important factors of the DaaS program’s success. As well as having access to check progress of any support ticket, Smith and his team can track the device program at an overall or granular level. The Data#3 team provides regular updates and monitors ongoing needs.

“Data#3 has weekly catchups with my team, and I have a monthly, high-level meeting. The team feedback has never had any concerns, Data#3 is always a good organisation to deal with, we have a shared value set, and they are very invested in our business success.”

Conclusion

With the DaaS solution now in place, Teachers Mutual Bank Limited is considering further outsourcing options that will complement their IT team’s strengths. As well as the benefits of predictable costs and simpler cashflow that arise from shifting from a capital to operational expenditure model where possible, the increased time and focus enable the team to build on their excellent work through the pandemic.

“We are in a position to look at what further things we could give to a provider, any admin-heavy tasks, phone services and so on. I don’t think I would change back to managing laptops in-house, I would be very definite about it being an outsourced option. Data#3 has a standardised approach, they have got the strong processes, we remove complexity and put it in someone else’s hands, and as a national organisation they can provide that level of service across the country,” commented Smith.

“We have to play to our strengths to give the best to our members. My view is that, like us, Data#3 is an organisation that does what it says it will do and if we work with them, we can get rid of components that bog us down, so we can do other things without hindrance.”

When considering embarking on DaaS, or any other outsourced service, Smith’s advice is to establish clear expectations from the beginning.

“It is important to set the rules of engagement early, and make sure you understand what you are getting into, so that you can get the best outcome and make it a success.”

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BTC Markets Enables Growth and Boosts Security with Cisco Solution from Data#3

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Objective
As BTC Markets grew, the business wanted a network solution that could scale to match, while addressing important security requirements.

Approach

BTC Markets had a trusted relationship with Data#3. When BTC Markets moved to larger premises, and their existing network technology no longer suited their needs, they engaged Data#3 to design an enterprise-level architecture that would accommodate future growth and secure network connectivity. It was then logical to use Data#3 to implement the solution.

IT Outcome

  • High-speed connectivity
  • Rigorously enforced security applied to all users, wherever they may be
  • Secure and reliable connectivity between office and Microsoft Azure
  • Increased visibility of user traffic
  • Internet access for guests via segregated Wi-Fi and approval workflow

Business Outcome

  • Users have a consistent experience across multiple devices
  • Reduced risk of security incidents
  • Users can work safely from home and on-campus
  • The technology is ready to support continued business growth

Project Highlight

BTC Markets have the knowledge and reassurance that the implementation of the technology has enhanced the security, reliability and scalability of their network.

We are quite a flexible workplace in terms of the location of our people, so if people want to work from interstate, or from home, they need to connect to the network, and to product suites like Microsoft 365 in the cloud. Wherever they work, we want to make sure they get the best experience.

Andreas KafkaCybersecurity Expert, BTC Markets

The Background

Founded in 2013, BTC Markets has grown to become Australia’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. More than 325,000 users have traded over $20 billion on the BTC Markets platform.

After BTC Markets expanded into new premises, the skilled in-house IT team determined that the ageing network technology no longer met the organisation’s needs. A shift to remote working when the COVID-19 pandemic struck placed additional pressure on the environment, and meant it was necessary to adjust the business’s security stance.

The Challenge

After strong growth, BTC Markets moved into a larger premise, and the move prompted a fresh look at how well its enterprise technology environment could scale to serve an increasing number of users. At this point, BTC Markets Cybersecurity Expert, Andreas Kafka, identified issues that could affect user experience and hamper future growth.

“Last year, we decided to move into a new office location, based on the company’s growth, so that we would have more capacity for staff members. In our old office environment, we had identified a number of performance issues around the network. Also, the network equipment we had been using was not ready to scale with the business” explained Kafka.

“We were operating with limited Wi-Fi coverage in the office, and there was no redundant internet connection. Being an internet-based company operating fully in the cloud, internet connectivity is business-critical.”

Security was among the issues that most concerned Kafka. The legacy system offered very limited visibility of the corporate environment This did not allow for insight into users, representing a missed opportunity to understand and improve user experience. For an internet-based company, user experience is a key component for attracting and retaining the very best staff.

“We had a number of security controls in place, which we wanted to improve. . Therefore we knew we had to upgrade our network equipment,” said Kafka.

“We are under constant attack and need to protect our front-end, cloud native based AWS and Microsoft Azure, but also protect the back-end office operations, and that’s where Data#3 and our network project comes in.”

The challenges were heightened when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and health restrictions caused the workforce to rapidly transition to a remote working environment. As a cloud-based business, remote working was less of a culture shock than for many organisations more reliant on on-premises infrastructure but the change emphasised the importance of a strong, secure environment that supports flexible work options, while securing both network and users.

“We had a number of requirements, including remote access via VPN. We didn’t have a true enterprise solution, our content and web filtering were limited, we didn’t have network segmentation, reliability was shaky, and we couldn’t apply policies to network rules in the way we wanted,” outlined Kafka.

“We had to support a remote workforce, and COVID-19 restricted us from leveraging our office space. We still believe in face-to-face teamwork and teambuilding, though, and our preference is to have people in the office. We are quite a flexible workplace in terms of the location of our people, so if people want to work from interstate, or from home, they need to connect to the network, and to product suites like Microsoft 365 in the cloud. Wherever they work, we want to make sure they get the best experience.”

IT Outcome

Initially, BTC Markets sought consulting help from Data#3 to design a network that would offer greater insights, stronger security, and improved management. A series of discovery workshops helped to identify the exact requirements and align technology options with business direction. This early phase began before Kafka joined the business, and he inherited an engagement already underway, but he was happy to continue the trusted relationship that had been built between BTC Markets and Data#3.

“There was an original initiative where we had a Data#3 engineer come in and define a logical and physical architecture for the new network. We were happy with the proposal, and it was the logical next step to engage Data#3 for the implementation phase.”

With the high-level design and bill of materials approved, a detailed design was created by the Data#3 engineer, supported by the relevant technology partners. This outlined the configuration that would be needed. Unsurprisingly for an internet-based business, cloud management platforms are at the heart of the solution, with Cisco Meraki dashboard for switches, wireless, firewalls, 4G internet backup, and software defined WAN (SD-WAN). Cisco Umbrella was chosen to provide a secure web gateway for both on-premises and remote users. Cisco Identity Services were included to deliver a dynamic and automated approach to policy enforcement, simplifying delivery of a highly secure network. AnyConnect client software was deployed to give clients always-on web security, so they could work securely from any device, in any location.

The outcome is a secure, policy-based network that is user and application defined. As one of only a handful of Cisco Gold Partners in Australia, Data#3 was recognised as a Leader in Customer Experience and Enterprise Networking in 2020, and this focus was evident in the consideration of the user’s needs as they adapt to new working conditions.

“The majority of the implementation work was done by Data#3, including all configuration and set-up of equipment. We had myself and another person from BTC Markets to help with the physical installation of equipment, and configuration of a few things on our side, as well as some solution components. It was an 80-20 workload share,” recounted Kafka.

With COVID-19 restrictions still affecting users, and many embracing the flexibility of hybrid work, Kafka said that network traffic has not entirely returned to previous patterns. He anticipates that adjustments may be made as more workers return.

“Since we implemented the new network, we have had few people in the office, mostly tech support staff, so we haven’t had a full load on the equipment yet. The solution also included VPN access, and that has been rolled out, so now it is easily possible for remote workers to use their devices to access the resources they need via secure remote connections.”

Kafka’s team has adapted well to the new technology, with the support of Data#3. He described the introduction of enterprise-level networking technology as involving a “learning curve”, making it essential to work with a partner that is equipped to offer guidance through this vital phase. He cited one security feature that decrypts and inspects internet traffic for malicious events, impacting functionality on a small number of websites. This was overcome with custom configuration, making specific exceptions for the trusted sites involved.

“When it came to such hiccups, we were able to turn to the Data#3 engineer to help us resolve them,” commented Kafka.

Business Outcome

BTC Markets can now be assured that it has put enhanced, enterprise-level security in place to protect its people and assets. When a user logs on to a BTC Markets machine as an authorised user, the network adapts to the device, providing effective and secure policies that meet requirements set by the business. While industry standards are not onerous for Bitcoin trading businesses, BTC Markets opted to meet the ISO 27001 international standard, assuring staff, customers, and partners that, among other things, the business meets a higher standard of information security.

“The certification covers network security requirements, and the kit brought in definitely helped us to also comply with our own security controls and requirements. BTC Markets chose to comply with ISO certification, even though it is not mandated, to demonstrate to customers and technology partners that we are doing the right thing. It creates trust in the industry and clients that we have a highly trustworthy exchange of cryptocurrency in place, setting us aside from our competitors.” explained Kafka.

The new network offers higher reliability, business continuity has improved, and risk of downtime greatly reduced. Importantly, Kafka said that clear documentation has been established, so that the IT team can make any changes needed with far less stress.

“Visibility is absolutely better. When we moved office last year, we didn’t know what had been done. The network equipment we had in the office was inaccessible, we couldn’t log into the console unless we plugged a laptop into the management port directly. Now, we can just log in to a dashboard, see what’s happening, who is connecting with what app, and network events are all visible to us.”

Kafka, though, was quick to point out that security is about more than just technology. He advocates communicating well about any changes, so that users understand and support the underlying aim to make the business and its customers secure.

“All our staff undertake cybersecurity training, so that they are all aware how important it is and what is at stake if we were hacked. If we are clear about what security controls we need to implement, it is easier to get buy-in when we need new network equipment.”

Conclusion

Rather than seeing the implementation of the new network as an end of the project, Kafka said it should be viewed as an ongoing process.

“When my predecessor planned the solution, it was said that this is a great solution that just runs in the background. While that is partly true, in that it does not require constant monitoring or maintenance, if we want full value we should not ‘set and forget’. We need to log in and respond to incidents, to look for recurring traffic patterns, and investigate them for signs of malicious activity,” described Kafka.

While this may have been initially “underestimated,” Kafka said it brought home the importance of working with a trusted, knowledgeable partner that doesn’t walk away at the end of implementation.

“Some of the learning is by doing, the engineer doesn’t just hand over on the last day and expects us to be experts. His expertise was excellent, and he was happy afterwards to answer all our questions and find the right support to help us out. We appreciate this aspect of our relationship with Data#3, we never feel like the door is closed. Data#3 is definitely on the priority list to do work for us in the future because we know we can rely on them, they have people with right skills and the right attitude.”

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Vision Super Achieves Cost Advantages with Data Centre Refresh from Data#3

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Objective

Vision Super needed to replace their ageing data centre environment with a modern approach. While the flexibility of public cloud was attractive, costs were a concern.

Approach

Vision Super engaged with Data#3, leveraging their partnership with HPE to review their requirements and identify the most appropriate solution. It was determined that an on-premises offering hosted at separate data centre locations paired with comprehensive Project Management services would meet the high-level performance requirements whilst ensuring redundancy.

IT Outcome

  • Reliable, modern data centre environment
  • Increased security, redundancy & DR functionality
  • Flexibility to grow in line with business expectations
  • DataCentre Care premium support from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Business Outcome

  • Seamless transition to the new environment
  • Prevented risk of unsupported equipment
  • Cloud-like experience at a better cost to the business

Project Highlight

The skilled and dedicated project manager from Data#3 made the entire process run smoothly, with no disruption to users and no stress to the IT team.

The project was entirely driven and justified by risk reduction, and a key success criteria was that nobody noticed, and we met that, which meant we made a safe transition. From an IT operations point of view, the team is able to achieve a lot more by having everything consolidated under a single pane of glass, our ability to monitor and deal with things before they become problems has increased. This means we can deliver a better level of service to our user community.

James MilneHead of Technology, Vision Super

The Background

Since 1947, Vision Super has helped Australians to plan for their retirement, as well as offering expert advice on insurance and investment options. Today, the organisation manages around $12 billion in assets for 85,000 members, and in 2020 was recognised with a ‘Best of the Best’ award by Money Magazine for keeping costs low and service levels high.

Vision Super’s data centre was due for an update, and the business recognised that the legacy equipment would increase risk if it were not promptly updated. Rather than simply replace like-for-like, incurring a large capital expense, a pay-as-you-go model was preferred.

The Challenge

Vision Super was dependent on legacy hardware, and although vendor support had been extended, Head of Technology, James Milne, was conscious that holding onto an ageing data centre environment would place limits on the business.

“We had a number of on-premises machines, and these weren’t advancing us in terms of additional capability. There was no opportunity for scaling, and in a like-for-like replacement, we would have to provision for the greatest amount we would expect to use over the life of the equipment. Although we are growing, we would have to provision 100% above what we need now to give us five years, which doesn’t add up. We would also have to manage all that capacity,” explained Milne.

Those management considerations were significant, given the small in-house IT team was responsible for supporting Vision Super’s workforce, as well as undertaking a comprehensive digital transformation.

“Most of our staff were office-based, primarily in our Melbourne head office, and around 15% were mobile. The largest group are office administrators who use our admin systems, take contributions from members, provide customer service, or manage investments, and these people are the heart of our organisation,” said Milne.

Complicating matters, the usually predictable business trajectory was impacted heavily by the COVID-19 restrictions, and the small IT team worked tirelessly to support the business through a sudden change in work practices.

“We knew our legacy systems had limits to growth, because when we hit the challenge of suddenly switching to a work from home model, and we had to provision a lot of machines when people were home-based, we hit our capacity limits fairly firmly. We had to very carefully manage capacity to provide adequate performance for our people,” recounted Milne.

Addressing disaster recovery needs was also a consideration for Vision Super. The business has a strong focus on minimising risk, with Milne committed to ensuring that “no matter what”, the organisation wouldn’t miss a beat as it serves its customers.

IT Outcome

Like most organisations, Vision Super was keen to limit less predictable capital expenditure in favour of regular monthly costs. With this in mind, the expectation was that a cloud solution would be the most likely outcome. Milne, though, had done his homework, and was conscious that cloud overspend is rife.

“We were coming from traditional, legacy-based machines that were located on-site, so we knew it had to change. The big discussion for us was about a potential move to cloud, and that was the initial assumption, because it is the modern way. We went through the motions of pricing on-premises options but buying new hardware to replace the old was not particularly attractive,” outlined Milne.

Data#3’s proposal offered a third option. Leveraging HPE’s ‘edge to cloud’ GreenLake platform and SimpliVity storage environment, along with Aruba networking, it delivered a cloud experience, complete with an OPEX cost structure instead of capital expense, but with the advantages of an on-premises solution. With research showing approximately 70% of applications and data still residing on premises, HPE designed the platform to give organisations the flexibility and scalability to stay competitive, while retaining a greater level of control.

The inclusion of project management in Data#3’s proposal was something that had not been included in Milne’s initial wish list, but the more he discussed it, the more he felt this would lift the pressure from his team and ensure minimal disruption to Vision Super’s users. While he said that a complete data centre update is a “massive undertaking”, having a dedicated and highly skilled resource focusing on the project made a tremendous difference.

“The solution was delivered without downtime, without any staff disruption, and without any special training needed for staff, essentially there was never a ‘big bang’ involved. We could provision and start moving workloads and conduct a gradual ramp-up over the course of three weeks. Everything was handled in a steady, controlled way, and we had to announce to the business it was completed, because with no disruption, nobody had noticed,” said Milne.

“For me, as the executive responsible, that couldn’t have been a better result. This is the biggest single project we have executed in the last three years. I didn’t lose a night’s sleep, nobody complained.”

It was important to Vision Super that the busy in-house team would be able to support the solution themselves, so gains in manageability were keenly considered. The solution included ongoing support from HPE, and Milne said that the simpler, ‘single pane of glass’ management reduced the burden on his team.

“Our IT staff now have a lot more time for other priorities – there are only three in the group, so any time we can win some time back, it is a good thing.”

Milne noted that, in contrast to their previous pressures when reaching capacity limits, the business actually had more capacity than was needed. His team was able to effortlessly accommodate the needs of the steadily growing organisation.

“Because of the way the hyper-converged systems handle compression, it was difficult to estimate the resources required, and we found that we had in fact drastically overestimated, so that was fantastic, we had our expectations exceeded,” said Milne.

While there was no immediate impact on most users, there was a more profound difference when it came to tech groups such as those handling business integration.

“We have been able to deliver much greater responsiveness in terms of provisioning new environments. They call us, and by the time the phone call ends, we have done what it used to take three days to do. The new environment has given a lot more flexibility to those tech teams, and we are expecting it to change their way of working as they make use of that efficiency. We can spin up and pull down virtual machines at less cost. In the past, we would rely on them telling us the urgency level of their request and put them in a queue accordingly. Now, it is done in a few clicks,” explained Milne.

Business Outcome

Vision Super has earned a reputation for keeping costs low for members, and this is reflected in the IT team’s efforts to ensure the best return on investment. In keeping with this ethos, Milne scrutinised the numbers carefully.

“When the HPE GreenLake solution we were offered ticked a lot of boxes, and we analysed the cost of cloud, it surprised us. So much so that we got the numbers checked. The analysis was right. Cloud costing is also often unreliable, in that most people find it ends up being more expensive than predicted. We are in the position of knowing we can expect steady growth instead of needing to scale suddenly, we are not dealing with huge fluctuation, and there would not be a great deal of benefit with our current architecture to move to a cloud-based system.”

While Vision Super aims to keep costs low, Milne said it is important to look at the overall cost, including the resource time of the IT team. While the Data#3 proposal was not the cheapest, it offered additional value that others did not.

“We had worked with Data#3 before, and although we talked to various vendors, they won our business with a higher quote than some others because they insisted on pricing in the project management. We preferred the responsibility sit with Data#3, which was very successful, and we are very satisfied with our choice. It was the project manager that really delivered a very stress-free project. The alternative would have meant one of our staff members dealing with the project full-time,” outlined Milne.

“Throughout the process, Data#3 and HPE were very collaborative, they were acting as project managers, which is what we wanted from them. The actual design was fantastic, and it was delivered well. They were very tolerant of us when we had to jump through hoops to demonstrate the solution had the best member value, they kept the quotes open, managed shuffling the resources that were lined up when we had delays our side, and understood the constraints we were under. Data#3 just shone as the clear favourite.”

While the usual HPE performance is evident, that was not the driving force behind the project. With Vision Super’s 85,000 members trusting the organisation to secure their financial future, the responsibility is taken very seriously.

“The project was entirely driven and justified by risk reduction, and a key success criteria was that nobody noticed, and we met that, which meant we made a safe transition. From an IT operations point of view, the team is able to achieve a lot more by having everything consolidated under a single pane of glass, our ability to monitor and deal with things before they become problems has increased. This means we can deliver a better level of service to our user community,” explained Milne.

This risk reduction included a disaster recovery solution that eliminated dependence on a single location, should a man-made or natural catastrophe occur.

“Our office effectively became a branch office, there is no equipment we absolutely depend on, which is a major milestone. Because we opted for a hyper-converged solution, the same applies to either data centre, if something disastrous happens, nobody would notice in terms of going offline, beyond maybe two or three seconds of hiccups. We have not just removed reliance on our CBD office, we have removed any single point of failure on the data centre side,” said Milne.

Conclusion

Having worked with Data#3 on previous projects, the Vision Super team trusted that the right outcome would be delivered. Milne said that he was happy his confidence in the relationship continuing beyond initial implementation was warranted.

“Data#3 has also been very good since we went live, they have absolutely delivered. They were there for us when we encountered some minor issues, owned them, and didn’t step away – I am very happy with the relationship. Their greatest strength is their responsibility, and I value that more than anything. I have the complete sense that they take their responsibility seriously.”

Having seen many peers grappling with cost blowouts related to cloud transitions, Milne recommends thorough analysis and comparison of overall expense when considering a data centre refresh and is pleased that this extra scrutiny paid off.

“Our resource usage is significantly below what we projected, which is the opposite of most reports in terms of cloud migrations, where usage tends to blow out and it can be hard to trust calculations. The biggest deliverables have been uptime, and notably lower operational risk. We have just been through a cyber assessment, and we have mitigated a number of risks with this solution,” recounted Milne.

“It has been noted as a success in the business. If only most go-live experiences were as straightforward and uneventful. We are very happy with the outcome.”

 

1. HPE Greenlake Edge-to-cloud platform (2021) [Online] https://www.hpe.com/us/en/greenlake.html

Infrastructure Refresh Positions Credit Corporation for a Bright Future

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Objective

Credit Corporation (PNG) Limited sought to replace ageing information technology (IT) infrastructure to improve performance and bolster its cyber security.

Approach

Credit Corporation required external help to assist with upscaling its current IT infrastructure and environment. After a thorough vetting process, IT services and solutions provider, Data#3 Limited was selected to assist Credit Corporation with improving its IT environment.

IT Outcome

  • Reduced security risk
  • Faster application performance
  • Simpler management
  • Ready to scale as the business grows

Business Outcome

  • Reduced user frustration
  • Higher productivity
  • Increased growth opportunity
  • Removed risk of licensing violations

Project Highlight

Stable IT systems have resulted in enormous productivity improvements.

Data#3 addressed the most urgent aspects immediately and prioritised well. Now, we are in a much better position, and making plans for our strategy going forward.

Jonathan BunduIT Manager, Credit Corporation

The Background

Credit Corporation (PNG) Limited commenced business in 1978 as a general finance company and over the past 42 years has grown to become one of the South Pacific’s most progressive financial institutions.

Currently, the Group operates offices in five countries within the South Pacific region and helps retail and business customers with financial solutions to suit every stage of their journeys.

Credit Corporations IT environment included a piecemeal/fragmented range of equipment from many/a variety of vendors and lacked cohesion. There was little visibility of the licensing situation, and management was difficult. Poor application performance meant users were frustrated, and growth opportunities limited.

The Challenge

A range of IT software and infrastructure have been added over the years to meet the business’s needs of Credit Corporation. Consequently, the business had an ageing IT infrastructure, with poor integration, and restricted visibility, meaning Credit Corporation’s IT team was put onto a responsive footing. When Credit Corporation IT Manager, Jonathan Bundu joined the business, his priority was to stabilise the situation, and introduce core IT infrastructure that would provide the basis for digital transformation.

“When I came on board in 2019, the Credit Corp management team was keen to achieve more with our technology investment. Some legacy systems were due for replacement, and we wanted to make sure we invested in the right licensing options to ensure that our environment was fully supported for the future. This prompted us to source a new infrastructure model,” outlined Bundu.

Credit Corp knew that a new IT strategy and roadmap would pave the way for future growth with modern technology making it easier for staff to collaborate and provide more efficient services to their loyal customers.

“We didn’t want to miss this opportunity to raise the productivity and efficiency of our teams, and with access to the right core technologies, we could increase the speed at which our teams could connect to systems. The increased demands on storage, due to increasing volumes of data, affected the speed of our systems, which in turn impacted front-line users. Our team was very keen to embrace modern, efficient technologies that could help us to provide the best service that we pride ourselves on,” said Bundu.

Like most financial institutions, security needed to be a prime consideration for Credit Corp. Legacy system hardware is not always suited to today’s cyber risks and can restrict protection. The complexity also makes it challenging and time consuming to document security policies, processes, and system configurations, while newer technologies give far greater visibility. Bundu also identified that backup systems could be improved, so that data could be retrieved faster and with less effort.

“Because the security landscape constantly changes, businesses must always monitor for new vulnerabilities. Like every organisation, we must consider ourselves a target for cybercriminals, and our executives took the responsible step of prioritising expenditure to ensure we had a secure environment designed to protect against constantly evolving threats,” recounted Bundu.

“We knew external expertise would be valuable, so we had a look at local providers. We knew what Data#3 was capable of, so we invited them to help us.”

IT Outcome

A key recommendation from Data#3 was to first take remediation action to stabilise the IT systems already in use. This would minimise risk and disruption as the new environment was put in place. As part of this process, all Microsoft Windows Servers were upgraded, and a security report was produced by Data#3’s consulting arm, Business Aspect, a wholly owned subsidiary.

“They worked with us on identifying the root areas that were causing system issues and helped us to fix what we could at that time. We worked on a roadmap to get our systems into a stable, scalable state,” described Bundu.

Bundu said that he scrutinised the proposed solution from Data#3 carefully, challenging the team to demonstrate that every part of the plan could be fully justified.

“We took a critical look, so we understood the logic behind each recommendation, and how it met our business priorities. It all made logical sense, which made it easy to position to the board and executives.”

Those recommendations included a full upgrade of core systems infrastructure at the Credit Corporation head office and disaster recovery site, chosen for a combination of robust security, high performance, and ability to scale. Based on Cisco Unified Computing System servers and HPE Nimble Storage, with HPE StoreOnce backup storage, the solution gave Credit Corporation the dependable/stable core IT infrastructure needed as the business continues to grow. Virtualisation capabilities were provided by VMware, easing the management of the Credit Corporation IT environment, while Veeam was chosen to offer superior data protection.

“I liked the scalability and security around the whole proposal. This was a critical area, and we needed to address backups, data protections, and offsite disaster recovery. Going down the path of Cisco, and using HPE storage infrastructure, meant that in the event our business has the chance to grow, the solution is scalable. Previously, we had a variety of different systems, which was harder to manage, and by bringing it all together, updating software and hardware is made more manageable,” explained Bundu.

Despite careful planning, travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the Credit Corporation IT team and Data#3 team now had to revise and adjust their collaborative efforts to ensure the project’s successful execution.

“By then, COVID-19 was here, and we had restrictions, the initial plan to have equipment sent over, and experts on-site for deployment didn’t eventuate. We had to be more creative; the guys from Data#3 did the setup in Australia, documented everything that needed to be done, and where everything should go, we had couple of sessions to prepare, and shipments were sent across to PNG, Vanuatu, and Fiji. Once here, our team provided remote connectivity to the Data#3 experts, and they guided us through,” recounted Bundu.

With the solution in place, the Credit Corporation IT environment is stable, and managing the day-to-day is far easier. Much of the ongoing monitoring is handled by Data#3, with the Credit Corporation IT team managing the day-to-day with the help of the detailed documentation now in place.

“Data#3’s biggest strength was undoubtedly their skillset, their expertise, and the shared knowledge of their solutions was second to none. I have worked with teams previously, and some of these things took years to implement, but these guys took just days to remediate vulnerable apps and put in solutions. Their rapid pace really stood out,” said Bundu.

Business Outcome

Given the rise in cybercrime that has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, Credit Corporation benefits from the bolstered security of its new core IT infrastructure. The risk of data loss has also been addressed with the introduction of a dependable data protection solution. Another significant risk eliminated, was incorrectly licensed software, which can result in considerable penalties.

The stability of the IT environment, however, has resulted in the greatest transformation. Applications now run smoothly, with reports running up to 200% faster, and an increase in user productivity.

“For our users, productivity has leapt hugely. People must sit back and remember what it was like before, because right now everything works, which is one of the biggest achievements. We don’t have so many complaints about system issues, our systems are stable, with regular monitoring,” said Bundu.

Credit Corporation now has an IT environment that supports user efficiency, which in turn reduces IT support needs/requests. This provides the Credit Corporation IT team with the opportunity to take a proactive approach in meeting users’ needs and planning future enhancements that will keep Credit Corporation ahead of its competitors.

As governments and communities plan their path out of the COVID-19 restrictions, Bundu sees Credit Corporations role as essential to helping businesses get back on their feet.

“It was a bit different, dealing with the various lockdowns and bubbles, and the business impact on tourism-driven economies has been huge. Our management knew something needed to be done and we used the downtime to prepare our systems, to get everything stabilised, so that when business picked up, we would have the right platforms to play our part in recovery.”

Conclusion

The experience of completing a major project during a time of global upheaval has validated Bundu’s belief that both strong expertise and the right partnership are crucial. While his team is experienced at dealing with challenges involving logistical challenges and internet disruptions, he said it was necessary to seek help from external IT partners such as Data# 3 when completing crucial IT projects.

“The team was awesome, the expertise the guys had was good. They had patience with us, knowing we didn’t have the same skill set they did, and they documented everything to guide us through. They held our hand most of the way,” recounted Bundu.

The logical approach and prioritisation, based on Credit Corporation’s most immediate business needs, passed Bundu’s scrutiny, and he recommends challenging IT partners to demonstrate this level of examination.

“Data#3 addressed the most urgent aspects immediately and prioritised well. Now, we are in a much better position, and making plans for our strategy going forward.”

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Fiji National Provident Fund Gains Visibility of Devices and Software Licenses

Objective

To better manage its Microsoft licenses, the Fiji National Provident Fund (“FNPF”) needed clearer visibility of its end-user machines and its physical and virtual server environment.

Approach

Complying with licensing requirements is important to the FNPF as it recognises the harm that non-compliance could do to its reputation. Meeting requirements were problematic and despite the concerted efforts to track assets, there was a mismatch between those physically counted and the IT team’s records. FNPF approached Data#3, as a trusted partner, for help.

IT Outcomes

  • Visibility of all physical end user devices
  • Greater visibility of physical and virtual server environment
  • A full picture of software in use

Business Outcomes

  • Reduced licensing costs
  • Removed risk of reputation and financial loss from non-compliance
  • Improved asset management processes

The expertise of the Data#3 team was important. The SAM analysts had high expertise, and took time to understand us, and make recommendations on how to optimise our solution – this was highly valuable to us.

Uraia Goneyali, Manager of Technology and Innovation, Fiji National Provident Fund.

The Background

The Fiji National Provident Fund (“FNPF”) is mandated by law to collect compulsory contributions from employees and employers towards the retirement savings of all workers in Fiji. As well as retirement savings, FNPF provides benefits such as housing, medical and education assistance to more than 400,000 members.

With a prominent role in the lives of the Fijian community, FNPF values its reputation highly. Balancing the number of known Microsoft licenses with the number of counted assets was problematic. FNPF sought assistance from Data#3 to ensure all compliance requirements were met.

The Challenge

The FNPF needed to get a new Microsoft licensing agreement, but in spite of the best efforts of the IT team, it was unclear how many user devices were active. The number of physical and virtual servers was also unclear. For Manager of Technology and Innovation, Uraia Goneyali, the situation was frustrating.

“There was a big mismatch between the numbers on the ground captured, the record of computer assets maintained by Finance, and the number of desktop installations seen by Active Directory. When we compared the three, we couldn’t know what we had or where we were. It was important that we had a clear understanding of how many SQL and Windows servers we had, so we needed to undertake a regular audit to try and get the numbers.”

Aside from the frustration this caused the IT team, the situation was also time-consuming, with lengthy daily checks and twice-yearly audits to try to manage the situation. Management of the IT environment was difficult, and Goneyali said that when you can’t see assets, it is difficult to secure and manage them, or to realise their value.

“The physical assets didn’t match what we could see on the network. We knew we needed to have better visibility of our SQL and Windows servers, either physical or virtual, that were in use in our environment. Prior to Snow, we couldn’t be sure exactly how many we had, how many were in test environment, and how many were in production,” continued Goneyali.

The IT team at FNPF is intensely aware of the importance of ensuring that software updates and patches are timely, and this plays a key role in risk management. Increasing visibility was seen as a way of ensuring that every machine would meet the required standards. It would also allow for any unnecessary software to be identified and uninstalled, avoiding overspend and reducing risk.

IT Outcome

The FNPF team followed Data#3’s recommendation of a software asset management (SAM) solution that harnessed Snow; a powerful tool that gives a unified view of software across the physical and cloud environment. The first priority was to establish a Microsoft baseline.

“Our initial challenge, because of many different configurations on different devices, was to get the Snow agent onto all machines. Once that was done, it was a walk in the park,” said Goneyali.

The advantages of increased visibility were quickly felt. Having invested many resource hours in their efforts to track assets, suddenly Goneyali’s team could get a complete picture.

“Before, our six-monthly audit would take a whole week, followed by a month to compile reports. We would conduct a daily check in, taking one to two hours. The new SAM solution has changed our workday. For the first time, there is visibility across our entire network, of all servers and clients. We weren’t sure when users were in the office without manually looking, but now we have increased visibility to know what is there as well as whether they’re in the office or not,” explained Goneyali.

“Over three years, we could never confirm the count before the Software Asset Management solution. Now we can.”

The newfound visibility went beyond administration of software licenses to have a direct impact on efficiency. In particular, FNPF has been able to optimise the use of its servers.

“On the server end, we were able to identify servers with a low ratio of virtual machines to the physical host, and optimise the ratio. We were able to turn off servers that were not utilised a lot, and even removed some servers.” outlined Goneyali.

“The IT team was always adding resources to servers and not understanding what was on them, which was a big issue. We are now able to segregate grouping of production and development machines in one host, and to consolidate production machines on production hosts so we could manage the hosts separately.”

Enhanced visibility is affecting decisions throughout the team going forward, and enabling greater efficiency. When FNPF’s development team is creating a new application that needs a SQL database, Goneyali said that the team can see SQL servers already available.

“The development team can use a pre-existing SQL server, rather than spin up a new one.”

Through 2022 in any given month, over 30% of the growing expenditure on software and cloud services will be unused.1

Business Outcome

With clarity around the number of devices in place, Goneyali worked with Data#3’s SAM specialists to identify the best licensing options available. As Microsoft’s largest partner in the Pacific region, Data#3 was ideally positioned to structure a new Microsoft agreement. Even before the initial baseline, FNPF had achieved substantial savings, and these increased as the SAM solution progressed.

“When we took up the SAM package, we saved about $240k after the initial baseline – and that figure would be even higher from our original starting point,” said Goneyali.

“Almost all of the virtual machines had data centre licenses, which are more expensive.”

Cost though, was far from the only priority. In gaining visibility and ensuring all updates and patches are applied, FNPF has enhanced security. An equally important risk identified by Goneyali was that of non-compliance. He said a potential loss of reputation could be costly.

The reporting features of Snow didn’t only reduce the time spent by the IT team, but also allowed for faster, more accurate reporting back to the business. The Data#3 SAM team was able to support Goneyali in turning this into a business case for the Microsoft licensing agreement.

“The reporting features of Snow allows us to report on assets we didn’t know we had. It has the information all in one place, which is very helpful for management of our infrastructure. We really like the reporting capabilities,” said Goneyali.

“We get reports monthly from Data#3’s SAM team, and we are able to tell what is underused, by drilling into the reports. Finding these details is easy; before, it was all manual, but now we can see it all at a glance.”

Conclusion

With clear information readily available, FNPF is better positioned to make business and IT decisions about its existing assets. The clarity allows it to confidently progress with more favourable software license agreements and, as an additional benefit, to maximise use of physical and virtual servers. The implementation of the Snow tool, as well as the ongoing SAM agreement, has saved FNPF considerable costs and prevented potential issues associated with non-compliance. To achieve this, the right partnership was crucial.

“We have worked with Data#3 on licensing since 2010, so they had an understanding of what we had, and they put in a lot of time to try and optimise the SAM report so it would make sense to us. They helped us find what licenses we had in excess, helped with compliance, and told us how many we had over our needs,” stated Goneyali.

“The expertise of the Data#3 team was important. The SAM analysts had high expertise, and took time to understand us, and make recommendations on how to optimise our solution – this was highly valuable to us.”

With efficiencies saving hours every day in the IT department, though, Goneyali has no hesitation in pinpointing the greatest outcome of the engagement.

“The biggest highlight is that now we don’t have to run audits to find out what is there. We just look at the dashboard,” he concluded.

1. Gartner (2018). Software Asset Management for the Cloud: Consumption Management and Optimization Take Center Stage. [Online] https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3894124/software-asset-management-for-the-cloud-consumption-mana

Bank of us boosts processing power to underpin business growth

HPE SimpliVity streamlines IT delivery at the only Tasmanian customer-owned bank

Objective

Replace ageing servers, storage and networking to improve operational efficiency

Approach

Compared competing solutions using the decision criteria of redundancy, resilience, simplicity and cost

IT Matters

  • Reduces restore time for largest database from four hours to five minutes
  • Cuts complex SQL procedures from twenty minutes to four minutes
  • Supports implementation of new applications and latest software versions

Business Matters

  • Improves customer service by reducing system downtime
  • Supports compliance with banking regulations
  • Frees IT staff to work on more business-critical projects

Background

When it was granted its banking licence, Bank of us changed from being a building society to become the only Tasmanian customer owned bank. Following the transformation, business growth and regulatory compliance could no longer be supported by the ageing IT infrastructure, so a new platform was needed. HPE SimpliVity was the answer.

Challenge

Support for new bank status

Bank of us is the only Tasmanian customer owned bank. It is owned entirely by its 30,000 customers rather than by public shareholders, and profits are invested back into products and services to provide a better banking experience.

As a financial institution, Bank of us began as the Launceston Equitable Building and Investment Society, nearly 150 years ago. It subsequently merged with Bass Building Society to become Bass and Equitable Building Society (B&E), which became Bank of us when it was granted a banking licence in 2017. A member of the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA), the bank now has eight retail stores, 120 employees and A$800 million in assets.

“HPE SimpliVity has provided us with better resilience so we can operate our infrastructure and perform system maintenance more efficiently and easily. It has allowed us to focus our skilled IT resources away from onerous system administrative tasks onto delivery of new products and service projects, which add much greater value to the business and our customers.”

Ben Moreland, Network and IT Systems Manager, Bank of us

Core banking and other IT services are delivered to all locations from a production data centre in Devonport, which is mirrored by a disaster recovery (DR) site in nearby Ulverstone. However, business growth increased banking compliance and some ageing infrastructure underlined the need for a re-think.

“The DR site mirrored our production site, which was quite costly because we needed to have identical infrastructure at both sites,” says Ben Moreland, network and IT systems manager.

“We would operate on HPE servers that were connected to an IBM SAN, and there were iSCSI connections to Extreme Networks switches. While it worked, it gave us a headache, especially as the hardware got older. Having to deal with three different maintenance contracts and three different vendors was quite difficult, and it was a lot of effort to keep those systems running.”

The Bank of us core banking system runs on an IBM AIX POWER8 server, but everything that connects into that operates on Windows® virtual servers. As the banking system improved and developed, more virtual servers had to be rolled out, which put pressure on available CPU and memory.

“We were constantly having to move servers around to different nodes to ensure we could have the memory and CPU available to operate the forever growing number of servers we needed to run our core banking environment,” says Moreland.

Since it acquired bank status, Bank of us also had to satisfy the increased scrutiny of APRA, the Australian financial institution regulator, which meant improving its redundancy capability and system resilience. Also, with growing databases, the bank had to rely on Veeam and tape backups, and some restore times were unacceptably long, which led to downtime.

“Our largest database took about four hours to restore onto the DR site ready for use,” says Moreland.

“While we could get our core banking systems online with customer-facing services such as internet banking within 15 minutes to half an hour, we could only offer limited banking services in our retail stores until our auxiliary databases were restored.”

“The servers, the SAN and the Extreme switches were all approaching end of life and running out of warranty, and this all played a part in our decision to upgrade and implement a better infrastructure.”

Solution

Migration to hyperconvergence

Bank of us approached Data#3, an HPE Platinum Partner and trusted IT services and solutions provider. Data#3 suggested two options that would help solve the bank’s technology challenges—a straight replacement with HPE servers and storage and Aruba switches or an HPE SimpliVity hyperconverged solution.

Having also considered a Nutanix hyperconverged system, the bank opted for HPE SimpliVity because it offered the best redundancy, resilience and cost and because its simplicity would reduce the resources and training required to operate it.

“Another reason why we decided to go with the HPE SimpliVity option was the trust and good relationship we have with Data#3. It also retained the HPE brand which we knew, trusted and were very familiar with and it ran off VMware®, which would allow us to retain our licences,” says Moreland.

HPE SimpliVity 380 incorporates HPE ProLiant DL380 servers and is a compact, scalable 2U rack-mounted solution that delivers server, storage and storage networking services.

Using implementation services from HPE Pointnext, Bank of us installed two HPE SimpliVity 380 nodes at its main production centre and one at the DR location. They are connected to Aruba 3800 switches and are covered by a 24×7 HPE Foundation Care support contract. The infrastructure now includes some 45 virtual machines.

Benefit

Increased power with reduced maintenance

Increased processing power has transformed operational efficiency for Bank of us. The four hours it took to restore the biggest database has now been reduced to five minutes due to hyperconvergence and deduplication. Another example is that one of the more complex SQL stored procedures that runs queries on a large database used to take twenty minutes and now runs in four minutes.

“We don’t have to limit servers any more. Previously, we always had to consider the minimum number of CPUs and minimum amount of RAM we could run things on because we were running out. Now, we can just apply the recommended requirements and not be anywhere near the maximum capacity,” says Moreland.

Bank of us now has 11 TB of physical storage rather than the previous 6 TB, which enables it to regularly carry out more backups and because reports can be generated more rapidly, technical staff find that productivity has risen. The time taken for some tasks has been halved. Coupled with HPE SimpliVity single pane of glass management, this has freed IT staff to work on other projects such as security, which is an extremely critical area for the bank.

“It has definitely cut down our system admin teams’ supervision time by 5 to 10 hours a week. Having a single pane of glass for network, storage and servers means not having to log on to three different systems to monitor three separate solutions. We’ve even presented the SimpliVity dashboard on a TV in our IT area so it’s always visible. That level of management means we can monitor it throughout the day and can always see what’s going on without having to stop work and log on to check it,” says Moreland.

“With HPE SimpliVity we know that in a disaster situation we can be up and running for the customers much more quickly and our VM servers require less reboots and maintenance because they are not running on ancient hardware.”

Migrating to the increased power of HPE SimpliVity also enables Bank of us to implement new applications and run newer versions of existing software, which were precluded by the legacy systems.

“We have started a core banking system upgrade that will take six months, and it requires a fleet of new servers with much larger resource requirements,” says Moreland.

“HPE SimpliVity has allowed us to undertake a project, which we would not have previously been able to do because we were at capacity with the number of servers we could accommodate. Now, if someone says they want a server that needs 16 GB of RAM we are not at all worried. We know we can put that server onto our HPE SimpliVity environment, and it will run at its requirement and not impede anything else.”

“With dedupes, restoring a server or taking a backup feels almost instantaneous. With just a couple of clicks a server is there in front of you.”

Ben Moreland, Network and IT Systems Manager, Bank of us

Switching from the old infrastructure to hyperconverged has been good news in the data centres, enabling the bank to save 10U of rack space. It has also reduced drainage of UPS battery capacity, extending run time by 15 minutes—a useful benefit if disaster occurs and every minute counts.

Previously, IT staff had to travel to the DR site to plug in external drives, so they could kick off restores but that has now been eliminated because dedupe to the DR site node happens automatically. Also, it runs over the existing WAN infrastructure, so the bank has not needed to spend thousands of dollars on a dedicated high bandwidth point-to-point link.

“In the next couple of years, we are planning to move some services to the cloud but we implemented HPE SimpliVity at the right time. It enables us to meet current growth demands and is good solid hardware that will provide us with three to four years of on-premises availability, as we transition some systems to cloud hosting providers,” concludes Moreland.