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.
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.
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:
With tools capable of learning, adapting, and automating attacks at scale, organisations can no longer rely on traditional defences alone.
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
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.
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?
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:
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:
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.
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Pernod Ricard wanted to ‘lift and shift’ their existing virtual machines (VMs) into a cloud environment to give greater flexibility and simplify management.
The Pernod Ricard team performed initial research to give them a clearer picture of market options and how they could match business needs. They then assessed capabilities of technology partners, and following meetings with key Data#3 Microsoft Azure specialists, determined that Data#3’s capabilities and expertise matched all their required criteria.
The highlight of the project is we now have improved performance, increased confidence in our key applications, as well as a more secure environment, which means less workload for our teams.
Simon Burrows – Core Infrastructure Manager, Pernod Ricard Winemakers
With global headquarters in Paris, Pernod Ricard has a direct presence in 73 countries, and distributes its range of beverages to 180 countries. The business offers more than 240 of the world’s favourite wine, champagne and spirit brands, all carefully cultivated to support moments of ‘convivialité’ and connection.
As key IT infrastructure approached end of life, a decision was made to transition their virtual machines (VMs) to a Microsoft Azure public cloud, rather than replace with updated on-premises equipment.
From Pernod Ricard’s headquarters in France, and throughout operations including Australia, the business blends traditional quality with modern processes, making it a leader in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. Core Infrastructure Manager, Simon Burrows, said this progressive approach depends on a wealth of experience, as well as a smart approach to technology.
“In FMCG, technology is quite a big deal. We rely on technology ranging from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to customer-facing information systems, as well as operational technology that supports us producing bottles en masse. We’ve still got a lot of history in Pernod Ricard, in particular in the winemaking area, where some of our staff have more than 40 years’ experience of producing the best.”
Pernod Ricard used on-premises infrastructure, but was fast approaching the time for renewal. The equipment had served the business well, thanks to careful management by the in-house team. Still, in the interim, more technology choices had emerged, and cloud services had matured, and Pernod Ricard was keen to seize the opportunity to progress.
“We had older kit, and that becomes harder to secure, plus we were running out of capacity. We had the option to refresh the data centre or move to cloud. We had already decided that cloud was the right choice; the trend in the industry was that a lot more companies were embracing cloud, automating more, and that would mean we could focus our time on more business-strategic projects. It made sense to get out of managing a data centre and shift to cloud,” described Burrows.
The nature of Pernod Ricard’s rapid pace of business meant that it was essential to minimise any impact to normal operations. This made the decision of choosing our technology partner critical. Burrows said that experience and trust were important.
“We did get quotes from a couple of other potential partners. But we have been happy with Data#3 for quite some time, and they have worked on a bit of everything for us. A big factor was that they kept to their word, and were quick to address any issues, so we knew they could do what they said.”
Approximately 180 VMs were lifted from Pernod Ricard’s on-premises environment to the Microsoft Azure cloud. Data#3 was able to help Pernod Ricard to access Microsoft funding to assist with the migration, helping to realise value of the project more rapidly.
Pernod Ricard made the decision to engage with Data#3 early in the initial assessment phase, and worked in close collaboration throughout the project. A series of meetings and workshops helped to prepare for the move. Access to an experienced team paid off.
“The project was split into four or five phases, from designing the foundation we were migrating to, and working on a proof of concept to test that design, right through to migration. We had to address some issues on-the-go during the initial migration, but we were able to identify the cause and get it under control quickly because we had access to the right people. One of the benefits of the ‘lift and shift’ approach is that there is zero impact to the business other than an outage for migration of data, and this makes it transparent for the business,” explained Burrows.
Increases in frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks affect every industry, and Burrows said that security must inevitably be a key consideration in any significant change.
“Security was a big factor for us. Rather than just refreshing our on-premises environment, moving to Microsoft Azure meant we didn’t have to worry about the vulnerability that comes with a kit as it ages,” outlined Burrows.
While the initial approach was one of ‘lift and shift’, the Pernod Ricard team is identifying opportunities to transition to cloud-based applications where appropriate, and where there is a clear benefit to the business.
“A couple of apps were upgraded this year, for example we moved databases such as Oracle and SQL Server to cloud services, and we are about to do our web app using an ‘as a Service’ plan instead of installing software. We are using Microsoft Azure Load Balance and are starting to see more applications leveraging the benefits of Microsoft Azure.”
Pernod Ricard’s busy IT team worked hard to ensure that the migration happened out of hours. Moving a huge volume of bottles per hour means that any downtime can be costly, and commitments to customers must always be met.
“The migration took place on Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm, and the same times on Sunday. Then, on the Monday, we started at 4 am just to make absolutely sure nothing had been missed,” recounted Burrows.
While many IT projects happen without users noticing any improvement, the transition to Microsoft Azure was not among them.
“Even though it wasn’t a terribly aged kit we replaced, with an average age of six years, the business noticed an improvement straight away. In some cases, there was a four-fold performance improvement. It was a key project for us, and we seamlessly delivered a better user experience.”
While Pernod Ricard’s careful planning paid off, there were disruptions that could not have been foreseen at the start. Burrows described a “well-managed” shift to working from home during COVID-19 that allowed the business to perform well, and navigate other hurdles more effectively.
“It is good that we were able to work together closely, and that Data#3 was flexible, because we weren’t entirely sure when the business would be ready to set a migration date. We worked around challenges as our business priorities changed – for example, because of COVID-19, the business had to change one of the main distribution companies we use, and that project took precedence. The Microsoft Azure project was put on hold for a couple of months, then we had to focus on end of financial year, which is a busy time. All through this, we were able to make sure that drinks reached the shops,” said Burrows.
“It helped with Data#3 being flexible, they had done this before, which meant they had learned from previous migrations.”
The in-house team already boasted Microsoft Azure experience and collaborating with Data#3’s cloud specialists was seen as an opportunity to further add to that skillset.
“Nobody was resistant to the change, it was embraced as the team was keen to learn new technologies and happy to strengthen their market value,” explained Burrows.
For Pernod Ricard Winemakers IT Director, Simon Bennett, the partnership with Data#3 made all the difference.
“Our Infrastructure team, supported by Data 3, did an excellent job migrating our systems to the Microsoft Azure Cloud with no business disruption. A proven project methodology combined with expert guidance de-risked this complex project, enabling our teams to leverage the benefits of Microsoft Azure while continuing to deliver an important technology transformation program across agri-tech, consumer engagement, optimisation and automation.”
The Pernod Ricard Winemakers Infrastructure team, supported by Data#3, did an excellent job migrating our systems to the Microsoft Azure Cloud with no business disruption. A proven project methodology combined with expert guidance de-risked this complex project, enabling Pernod Ricard Winemakers to leverage the benefits of Microsoft Azure while continuing to deliver an important technology transformation program across agri-tech, consumer engagement, optimisation and automation.
Simon Bennett – IT Director, Pernod Ricard Winemakers
Given the critical role of technology in the FMCG sector, Pernod Ricard’s IT team is keen to continually add value. Escaping the time burden of managing on-premises equipment has allowed them to do exactly that.
“Our business reliance on technology has increased, and we are fortunate that we have reduced some of the workload we were doing on-premises, so that we can do more project related work for the business,” said Burrows.
The improved performance of essential applications, such as the beverage company’s Enterprise Resource Planning system, have been especially well received. This has, said Burrows, reduced the support time needed.
“We were getting more issues with the ERP day to day than we are getting now. There was a lot more potential for something to go wrong, we were getting infrastructure issues before that we simply don’t get in Microsoft Azure.”
For those considering a similar move, Burrows’ advice is to make sure that the right people within the business are engaged, and understand what is needed to complete the migration successfully.
“It is a matter of having the right sponsors in the business. If the business is losing interest, it would be easy for a cloud migration to be removed from the budget. People often overlook what is required from the business beyond the project team, so understanding and communicating this is important,” explained Burrows.
“Every drive for a Microsoft Azure migration is different, everyone has different reasons, and nobody should be migrating just because cloud is flavour of the month, there must be a solid business case. We have improved performance, improved confidence in key applications, and we have a more secure environment, with less workload for us.”
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Kubota Australia sought to achieve cost efficiency and reduced complexity by moving away from private cloud to a more scalable Microsoft Azure environment.
Through an extensive RFP process, the Kubota team defined their requirements and invited tender responses. Following a detailed review and selection process, Data#3 was selected due to their demonstrated depth of Microsoft Azure expertise and comprehensive managed services capability.
Data#3 brings structure, and they bring an extended talent skillset. I had to question whether it was cost-effective for us to do it, or do we use the infrastructure guys who work within our business and ask what outcome we need. Rather than our team rebooting a server at 2 a.m. they can be more strategic in their thinking, knowing we have that covered.
Dan Lodder – Head of Enterprise IT, Kubota
The Background
Founded in 1890, Kubota’s reputation for quality helped it expand to become a world-leading supplier of agricultural equipment. Since Kubota’s Australian operations began almost four decades ago, customers in agriculture, construction and utilities have come to depend on Kubota’s product excellence.
With a history steeped in tradition, Kubota also embraces the advantages of modern technology. When the business committed to transitioning its worldwide subsidiaries and headquarters to a Microsoft Azure environment, the Australian IT team was quick to identify the potential cost and flexibility benefits on offer.
Careful management of costs and growth enablement are two of the key elements of Kubota’s success. These guiding principles are evident throughout the business, and the IT environment is no exception. As cloud technologies matured, the incoming Kubota Australia Head of Enterprise IT, Dan Lodder, said there was an opportunity to rethink the way technology was delivered.
“There were two primary reasons for the change. Firstly, we were coming to the end of our Microsoft contracts with our existing vendors. Secondly, Kubota Japan signed a global agreement to get all Kubota locations onto the Microsoft Azure platform,” explained Lodder.
“I was walking into this with a mandate to make critical decisions at the right time. Coming from a role where Microsoft Azure was the primary environment, I was keen to introduce the benefits, but our in-house IT team hadn’t dealt with a platform like Microsoft Azure, so our choice of partner was crucial.”
“The IT team managed a number of data centres and this presented opportunities for process enhancements,” said Lodder.
Lodder pointed to changing times as the primary driver and said his predecessor in the role had already established that the end of the managed services provider (MSP) contract would be the right time for a change.
“In the past there was a big push for data sovereignty, so the Amazons and Microsoft Azures of the world didn’t have the same foothold.”
Now, with more geographic locations than any other cloud service provider1, including data centres in multiple Australian cities, Microsoft Azure has addressed the sovereignty issue comprehensively. Still, Kubota saw the benefit of combining this global service with local expertise and support.
“As a company with operations across Australia and New Zealand. We identified the opportunity to work with Data#3,” said Lodder.
Kubota selected a solution proposed by Data#3 that included uplift and consolidation of its network, replacing existing technology with Cisco Meraki SD-WAN. Multiple data centres were removed, with production workloads migrated to Microsoft Azure. The Data#3 team provides monitoring and support of the new environment under a Microsoft Azure Managed Services contract, giving Kubota access to a large team of certified experts across the full range of Microsoft Azure specialities. Support for Kubota’s network devices was also built into the solution, giving the in-house team greater freedom to focus on business growth activities.
“Data#3 brings structure, and they bring an extended talent skillset. I had to question whether it was cost-effective for us to do it, or do we use the infrastructure guys who work within our business and ask what outcome we need. Rather than our team rebooting a server at 2 a.m. they can be more strategic in their thinking, knowing we have that covered,” outlined Lodder.
“We are no longer running around plugging in cables, we are doing it all virtually now.”
The transition itself was straightforward, with the Data#3 and Kubota teams, backed by Microsoft, working closely together to transition workloads. Skills transfer played an important part in the process, with the in-house team embracing the opportunity to work alongside Microsoft Azure specialists.
“Moving from Infrastructure as a Service to Microsoft Azure was mostly a ‘lift and shift’ but we adopted new systems along the way, where there was a compelling reason to change. Data#3 was instrumental in identifying those services that would give us a clear advantage,” described Lodder.
“The biggest benefit is knowing what can be done, and always having the option of tagging along, which gave us significant skills transfer from Data#3. We have a couple of trainees rising in the ranks and learning as they go. The project meant we could have the right person in the room if we wanted to ask questions about, say, licences, the team at Data#3 would spend time discussing options, do the analysis and report back. This informal learning means our overall skills are improving in this new environment.”
Planning that transition began in late 2020, a time when the Kubota team was kept very busy supporting the business through changing COVID-19 related restrictions, and Lodder said effective project management was key.
“We took six months to fully migrate, because we had many interconnections back to Japan and needed one thing to finish before the next started. Each element had to be managed logically.”
Business Outcome
The new solution provides Kubota with improved performance, applications are running better, and the Kubota IT team no longer needs to devote its time to resolving infrastructure issues. They now have full visibility of their environment, so they can devote their time to high value projects
“Sometimes, silence is golden, and now we are getting no problems, there are fewer user complaints telling us something has gone wrong, and our overall solution queries are becoming less and less. I am trying instead to focus the team on what they can bring to Kubota, and I don’t want them doing mundane tasks that can be automated in Microsoft Azure or that we can leverage our partnership with Data#3 to do. They can provide the 24/7 access to helpdesk and senior engineers, so our team no longer needs to do that work to keep systems alive,” explained Lodder.
The professionalism that Data#3 brings provides value to the business and gives me confidence that the team can focus on operational issues instead of just lights on.
Dan Lodder – Head of Enterprise IT, Kubota
Working along with the in-house team, Lodder said that Data#3 now feels like an extended part of that team, and that finding a well-matched partner makes the experience far more valuable.
“We speak with the Data#3 engineers regularly, sometimes daily when we were mid project, and they are like our second team. We have a great in-house team, but we don’t hold Data#3 at arm’s length, we are in it together. Culture is also a really important factor – we don’t feel like we are asking them a favour when we call.”
Kubota has achieved its long-term success with effective cost management, a feature further supported by the in-house IT team who strive to return exceptional value for all expenditure. Lodder said that the worldwide push towards the Microsoft Azure platform fit this ethos perfectly, with his team quick to capitalise on the benefits.
“Cost is an important driver in business because we have to be competitive. We also prioritised reliability, and we have a dependable local vendor and the power of Microsoft Azure. We are satisfied with the reliability that global cloud can bring,” described Lodder.
“The new partnership provides us with the opportunity to bring more operational benefit by allocating our funds more strategically. I have found in the last 18 months Data#3 is incredibly cost-effective.”
When considering both a transition to public cloud and ongoing managed service, Lodder recommended avoiding preconceived ideas and get to know potential IT partners well, given the integral role they play.
Instead, Lodder advises to consider the skills needed, and the overall fit with the in-house team.
“The highlight was the Data#3 project management capabilities and the skillset that they bring. Data#3 brings teams of engineers and data experts to help. Whatever we need, they readily dip into their talent pool. They have a considered, well thought-out project management process to bring things all together.”
With the pace of technology change ever-increasing, Lodder said that an increasingly important part of the IT partner role is to filter what is important to Kubota. Regular, ongoing communication facilitates future planning, positioning the business well to capitalise on sound technology choices.
“We speak with our Data#3 Account Manager two or three times weekly, and they bring the relevant specialists into the discussions, whether they are focused on infrastructure and Microsoft platforms, a licensing expert, whatever is needed.”
“I wouldn’t give them the work continually if I didn’t like the people I was working with. I look for the good relationships, people who provide outcomes without us having to push too hard. They are affable and friendly, they make our lives easier, and they enjoy our successes, so as a modest-sized business, we can really punch above our weight,” concluded Lodder.
The Data#3 team is here to help you successfully migrate to the cloud by utilising our years of expertise to make the transition as smooth as possible. To uncover which modernisation option best aligns with your unique business goals, book in for your data estate assessment by filling out the form below.
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Project Objective
Qenos sought a unified communications solution that would enable digital transformation of its ageing systems and create efficiencies to drive better user experience across the business.
Approach
Having enlisted Data#3’s help to address previous technology challenges, the Qenos Information Systems team was confident the right skill and experience was available to deliver a successful outcome for this project. Given Data#3’s knowledge of the organisation’s existing systems, along with its Cisco Gold Partner status, Qenos agreed to work solely with Data#3 on the project.
Technology Outcome
Business Outcome
Project Highlight
The reliability of technology was important, and the biggest benefit to Qenos is that staff have confidence that the technology they are using will be reliable both in the office and when they work from home.
“Reliability was very important to us, so the biggest benefit has been that we now have reliable technology that we have faith in. We are licensed appropriately, and have the right technology for the end users we support.”
Jonathan Guy, Infrastructure Team Leader, Qenos
The Background
As the only Australian manufacturer of high quality polyethylene, Qenos is a key partner for resin manufacturers. They provide the building blocks for products that play a large part in our daily lives, from the containers used to pour our milk, to the bins we wheel to the kerb.
In the manufacturing sector, keeping costs low is key, so all expenditure is carefully assessed. When it was demonstrated that the cost of inefficient technology and the risk of failure was unsustainable, Qenos sought maximum business value from updating its communications infrastructure.
The Challenge
In a highly cost-driven industry, a reliance on old technology was causing frustration and limiting users as they went about their daily tasks. Ageing hardware meant the Qenos team was more reactive than Qenos Infrastructure Team Leader, Jonathan Guy, would like.
“We were relying on failing technology, old switches, and old PABX systems. The business was using old infrastructure, which was inefficient, prone to issues, and presented possible security concerns to the business,” explained Guy.
“We had talked about a solution with Data#3 for a long time, and this reached critical mass when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and we needed to rely more than ever on technology. Problems can be exposed if there is a crisis: in our case, the primary challenge during COVID-19 was enabling our people to work from home.”
The ageing infrastructure, much of it more than a decade old, was reaching end of vendor warranty support. Any outage could impact the business and cause a loss of revenue.
“We track the rate of failure, and had noticed that over the last 12-18 months, our edge switches were failing at an increasing rate. We ensure we have spares to swap out, because in our business environment, we don’t have the option to be exposed.”
For the Infrastructure team, the efforts of supporting dated equipment meant they had less time to proactively improve efficiency for staff. The equipment was inflexible, and difficult to maintain. Embarking on a digital transformation from such a starting point was a massive undertaking, but essential to supporting users as they go about their tasks.
Of all the ageing equipment, it was perhaps the phone system that impacted many users the most directly according to Qenos Procurement Category Manager, Justin James, who worked closely with Guy on aligning the project to the needs of the business. As users are more accustomed to the convenience and efficiency of being contactable on-the-go outside work, fixed PABX phones, with few capabilities beyond voice calls, were a barrier to mobility.
“We were heavily dependent on our old copper network and aged PABX system. We were the second-last organisation in Australia to maintain one which meant our people were more tied to their desks,” said James.
The Outcome
During previous projects, Data#3 had demonstrated a commitment to the success of Qenos, and invested time to learn about the business and technology environment. This familiarity and insight was important.
“Data#3 had a good awareness of how we operate, and our requirements, and the presales work that went into the project helped to make it deliverable,” said Guy.
An initial project proposal was devised, but when industry pressures, amplified by COVID-19, put the squeeze on costs still further, it was necessary to rethink some elements. While many activities were put on hold, the essential nature of the technology update meant that the business approved progress with strict requirements that needed to be met.
“From a commercial perspective, we are a cyclical business, so our income depends on what the market is dictating on polyethylene. We review all expenditures, and where we allocate dollars, the most important actions must take priority,” explained James.
“This wasn’t something we could walk into with our eyes closed, as cost pressures were significant. We investigated the necessary requirements to progress, and had several meetings with Data#3, where we used this information to reconfigure the project to something more digestible for our senior management team. Together, we identified specific requirements and targets to be achieved.”
The resulting proposal was an all-encompassing program of works, including a PABX replacement, and moving most analogue handsets to Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager). Cisco’s Collaboration Flex Plan brings together cloud and on-premises collaboration in a single package. A complete core and edge network upgrade was rolled out across the two Qenos sites, leading to greatly improved network performance and easier management.
“Meraki is also easier to manage than the enterprise products we were used to,” commented Guy.
Security was also in line for a comprehensive overhaul to better protect the business. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) estimates an average of 164 cybercrime reports are made by Australians every day, this equates to about one report every ten minutes1. With a transition to remote working due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the attention to security was timely. A range of Cisco security software was installed, including a next-generation firewall, Cisco Umbrella, and Cisco Secure (formerly Email Security), all integrating to give greater visibility and simplified management. This cohesive approach makes it easier for the Qenos team to track its licensing needs and ensure the right coverage. Much of the infrastructure was pre-staged on Data#3’s premises, making the roll-out simpler and less disruptive to Qenos staff.
“The management portal is web-based, so we can work from anywhere. Reliability was very important to us, so the biggest benefit has been that we now have reliable technology that we have faith in. We are licensed appropriately, and have the right technology for the end users we support. This is chalk and cheese compared to where we were,” outlined Guy.
Business Outcome
Among Data#3’s strengths, according to Guy, was a strong relationship with Cisco, and an awareness of the many financing options available. This capability put the comprehensive technology update within reach.
“The established relationships that Data#3 has with Cisco played a significant part from a commercial perspective. They are able to get the best deals with Cisco, so those strong networks had a major influence,” said James.
The relationship was also very important when we identified a couple of opportunities after the procurement process deal was done, and we wanted to migrate to Cisco Umbrella, and migrate our Email Security. Data#3 was able to go in afterwards and get the right pricing for us, they were very flexible.”
While the IT team and business leaders are reassured to have dependable technology in place, resulting in a substantial risk reduction, for most users, the benefit is in increased mobility, access to modern collaboration applications, and the ability to work from home.
“It was very old technology that we were relying on. Now 95% of users have VoIP instead of relying on a PABX, they use headsets now, and can move around while remaining connected. Although we still have 5% of our old copper network in-place for specific operational needs,” said Guy.
When lockdowns prompted a sudden shift to working from home, rapid adjustments had to be made by the Qenos team as the business supported Australian organisations through monumental changes. Here, too, Data#3 was able to work with Qenos and Cisco to enable the workforce to collaborate.
“Working from home meant we now had a reliance on Cisco Webex, where we previously had a limited on-premises license for only a few people. Data#3 enabled us to leverage a Cisco Webex Cloud Services trial. This was beneficial to the business as it meant during a transition period we didn’t lose the services we had grown reliant on,” recounted James.
“The feedback was definitely positive around Cisco Webex and Cisco Call Manager, especially among our knowledge worker base. It was very quickly adopted, people are not tied to desks.”
“The established relationships that Data#3 has with Cisco played a significant part from a commercial perspective. They are able to get the best deals with Cisco, so those strong networks had a major influence.”
Justin James, Procurement Category Manager, Qenos
Conclusion
For Guy and James, it was important that Qenos had a strong alignment of business and technology, and this meant understanding the organisation’s characteristics well. Reliability and durability were more important than rushing to bleeding edge technologies, although the solution paves the way to introduce new applications and services in the future.
“We are happy with the knowledge that we are moving forward, upgrading to more capable systems. In the blink of an eye, everyone was working from home, which required that solid foundational infrastructure,” explained Guy.
With the luxury of more time, James said that more staff training on the new collaboration tools would have been an advantage.
“Most adapted quickly, but change is always tough for some.”
The choice to work with a single provider paid off for Qenos, especially when embarking on a major technology overhaul punctuated by a global pandemic.
“Data#3 made it their business to know what we are, what we do, what our systems are, and how they have been built over a number of years. Both of our organisations worked hand in hand. This played a significant part in their quickly understanding our complexities and our issues with existing infrastructure. The professionalism consistently displayed by Data#3 was key in getting the project delivered in consultation with us,” said Guy.
For James, too, that sense of partnership was indicative of the way the Qenos and Data#3 teams worked together, along with Cisco, towards a common goal.
“Data#3’s greatest strengths were their partnerships with Cisco, and the technical resources they could apply – they are very technically gifted, and their current knowledge means they know the answers. It was good to see their level of focus on us. Their management took an ongoing interest and attended regular meetings, and our account manager was always available to handle concerns. The team was flexible and focused,” concluded James.
“Engaging Data#3 as a sole provider in this project illustrates our trust in them.”
Objective
When an ageing network infrastructure approached end of life, an organisation in the engineering industry sought to replace it with a more intuitive and easily managed alternative. Not only did they want to reduce ongoing costs, they also wanted to deliver new capabilities to the business while reducing risk.
Approach
The organisation wanted any IT investment to work hard, so they spent time analysing future business expectations. Once they were satisfied, they had a clear vision of what was needed, they initiated a competitive tender process. Data#3 was chosen because it had the right mix of technology and expertise and understood the way the business worked.
IT Outcome
Business Outcomes
Undertaking a major network project can be daunting to any organisation, but it is important that you find the right partner who understands your business’s attitude towards technology as well as its future plans.
Kingsley McGarrigle – General Manager for Western Australia, Data#3 Limited
Background
As an organisation based in the engineering industry, managing many sites in diverse locations means that communication is key. As previous network infrastructure aged, and technology developments placed new demands on underlying infrastructure, frustrating outages often occurred. The organisation sought a solution that would greatly reduce this risk, while driving productivity and allowing for continued business growth.
The Challenge
With sites spread across various locations, communication within the wider group was paramount. The network performs an important role in keeping staff connected with the business and its customers. Data#3 General Manager, Kingsley McGarrigle knew it was important to the customer’s business, that as critical core infrastructure aged, any challenges that arose would be addressed quickly.
“With existing equipment that was aging, there was a higher risk of failure. The equipment was routing and handling all traffic across their networks, so the impact on business continuity if it failed was significant,” said McGarrigle.
“We knew that even though their tradesmen would continue to work, they would not be able to communicate with customers, between sites, or to the head office until it was solved. This would severely reduce their productivity and efficiency while adding extra pressure to their teams.”
Since the infrastructure had been installed, shifts in workplace methods led to different traffic patterns on the network. A growth in application use, and adoption of cloud technologies, meant the business was outgrowing its old network. In particular, users increasingly needed to work with higher resolution content from Citrix, CCTV, and other graphical applications. Outages affected efficiency and hampered the effectiveness of business continuity processes.
“The overall business is already good at understanding problems. Their users would act quickly when the network was not working, and they would find a way to work around it. However, even with this mindset in place, staff productivity was still impacted. Finding work arounds could also slow them down,” said McGarrigle.
With traditional networking technology, troubleshooting and maintenance can be time-consuming for IT staff. A more manageable outcome, employing a greater level of automation, would free time for skilled staff to work on other projects. The need for change, was not only about reducing problems. The IT team wanted to seize the opportunity to align its network technology to future business needs, so they set about analysing both the current situation and expected business growth to determine what would give the best return. It was anticipated that capacity needs could easily double over the next five years. Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI) was identified as a strong contender to meet the needs of the growing business.
“It was important that if the customer was going to invest a significant amount in replacing their equipment, we wanted to make sure that what they were getting was going to suit future requirements. The customer needed assurance that any new solution would support the business now and also allow for future business growth,” explained McGarrigle.
“The Data#3 team worked closely with the customer’s in-house teams who highlighted they were increasing their interactions with external parties. This meant the teams were accessing these external systems directly, and whatever we put in place had to cover how they saw the business change from that perspective.”
IT Outcome
Data#3 conducted several workshops, using (pdo)2 PredICTor methodology, to increase understanding of the existing network. These workshops also explored how ACI would solve many key issues the organisation was experiencing. ACI uses an intent-based networking framework that captures user and business intent, and uses this intelligence to dynamically provision network, security, and infrastructure services. It performs especially well in multi-site situations, matching well with the business structure. The workshops were designed to help staff gain a deeper awareness of the changes emerging in how the business uses the network.
Using Data#3’s PredICTor methodology, the implementation team of project managers and delivery engineers were able to ensure consistency across all sites. PredICTor employs a structured and transparent approach, so that the IT team was fully aware of progress at every turn.
“It was a key priority for the Data#3 team, that as the new technology was deployed there would be as little disruption to business continuity as possible. We know that things change, and our teams worked closely with the customer to make sure that the project was as agile as needed to support the business,” explained McGarrigle.
This flexibility was especially valuable as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. Dealing with sites and customers in many locations, each with its own set of rules, made for a highly complex situation. True to their reputation for service excellence, the organisation worked with its customers to help them navigate a disrupted landscape. As some projects were fast-tracked, while others had to slow to suit changing legislation, the window of opportunity for implementing the new network frequently shifted.
“The customer took the time to understand what COVID-19 meant to them as an organisation and how they could move forward. Our team was then able to adjust resourcing to match what was needed,” said McGarrigle.
With various work sites spanning several differing time zones, and its projects often operate around the clock, there is ‘no good time’ for downtime, and reliability is key. The application-centric nature of the Cisco ACI architecture gives it a more common framework, making issue resolution more intuitive for both network operations and systems teams in the organisation. Centralised network management, and visibility of on and off-premises traffic, erode the management burden associated with traditional networking technology. An important element was automation, with approximately 75% of core networking tasks now automated by Cisco ACI. Aiding the IT team still further, real-time network health monitoring means near-zero downtime, so the customers skilled in-house team can spend less time on problem solving.
Business Outcome
One of the core benefits of the organisation’s approach is sustainability, with a focus on effective management of economic, environmental, and social impacts of its business. This matched well with the Cisco emphasis on more efficient infrastructure that reduces power demands and is manufactured with the environmental impact firmly in mind. It was important that Data#3 factored in this prime consideration.
“With any solution we deliver to a customer, we need to understand what their core values are and what drives the organisation. This allows our teams to make sure the investment they are making in technology not only does what it needs to, but also leaves the door open for digital transformation as the business grows,” said McGarrigle.
Addressing productivity challenges caused by the previous network was of utmost importance, since any inefficiency can affect project margins for the leading engineering business. Workers can now reliably connect and communicate and use even the most graphic dense applications without a hitch.
“This new technology positions the organisation to better support their users. As traffic patterns change, they can increase the use of Software as a Service applications, and they know the devices we have put in will cater for that,” commented McGarrigle.
It could have been easy for the challenges of COVID-19 to derail such a critical project, but with customers and colleagues around the world needing support, their IT team was determined to get the job done, even if that meant making some adjustments.
“Despite these adjustments, our team still delivered the new solution to the approved budget requirements. The organisation has over 100 sites that they provide connectivity to across the world, so this was a major achievement for their in-house IT team who now have a network that offers a strong foundation for future technologies,” explained McGarrigle.
Conclusion
Choosing the right partner is a critical success factor when embarking on a project. The organisation’s decision to leverage Data#3’s expertise, as a Cisco Gold partner with Cisco Master specialisation, along with a track record in similar projects, was a key part of the journey.
“Undertaking a major network project can be daunting to any organisation, but it is important that you find the right partner who understands your business’s attitude towards technology as well as its future plans,” explained McGarrigle.
That choice does not necessarily mean a partner that complies with every demand. It is valuable to work with experienced project managers and engineers who know when to challenge established thinking.
“When we first spoke with the customer, they had a traditional approach to replace the equipment, a very structured approach, where new equipment would sit side-by-side with the old. The impact of that would have been longer outages which would be detrimental to business.”
“Our partnership with Cisco meant the customer was able to leverage the experience and knowledge of our highly skilled team to utilise a different approach that minimised downtime by changing the way that equipment was configured. We took into account what was important for the customer so they could get the best outcome in the most efficient way,” concluded McGarrigle.
Key Challenges
IMDEX ’s teams needed a tool to manage exorbitant amounts of data from multiple systems, making it difficult to avoid downtime and secure their infrastructure.
Key Results
By automating monitoring on a 24/7 basis, Splunk helps IMDEX’s teams address issues proactively, cutting costs and keeping mining operations as safe as possible.
Data-Driven Outcomes
Being able to give time back to our resident analyst has been very rewarding. It means we’ve spent more time collaborating on projects designed to improve everything from security to customer experience.
Sameera Bandara – Information Security Manager, IMDEX
Based in Perth, Western Australia, IMDEX is a leading global mining tech company whose solutions keep mining operations around the world running smoothly and safely. No stranger to using technology, IMDEX supplies real-time geological data and other critical information to drilling contractors and resource companies.
However, its own teams needed a system to manage large amounts of data in their day-to-day operations. IMDEX needed a way to consolidate its multiple systems and tools to get a holistic, real-time view of all its data. As a result, the organization partnered with Data#3, an Australian IT services and solutions provider, to start using Splunk to transform its operations.
IMDEX’s teams use a multitude of systems and operational, informational and security tools for their daily operations. With an overwhelming amount of information to sift through, they often faced bottlenecks and delays, and it was especially difficult to determine the root cause of an issue when incidents arose.
At IMDEX, these delays come at a cost. When applications malfunction and customers experience service downtime, IMDEX faces financial penalties if the issues aren’t fixed quickly enough. And in this line of work, delays and incidents could be perilous, affecting the safety of mining operations.
The organization turned to Splunk and partnered with Data#3 to consolidate its system logs, giving its teams a holistic view of data in real time, freeing up 80% of their time to focus on driving innovation and fixing issues in advance, instead of wasting hours resolving errors while downtime drags on. Splunk helped automate IMDEX’s systems, providing reports and flagging potential security issues so its teams can proactively resolve issues.
Before Splunk, IMDEX’s teams had to monitor their services manually, which was incredibly time-consuming. Thanks to Splunk, IMDEX has automated monitoring to keep tabs on its systems 24/7. If any services slow down, alerts are proactively shared with team members who can then address the issue immediately. What’s more, Splunk has helped IMDEX store all its machine data centrally and save on storage capacity expenses by more effectively categorizing and allocating its data.
Our collaboration with IMDEX and Splunk is a great example of how a well-built security platform that harnesses the power of data can reduce risk, cut costs and even generate revenue, oftentimes with benefits well beyond cybersecurity.
Ameen Al-Majzoub – Information Security Manager, IMDEX
Following a tough 2020 for all, IMDEX quickly turned its attention and resources to returning its workforce at Perth back to the office as safely as possible. Following government guidelines on capped numbers and social distancing, the team used Splunk to manage and monitor the number of employees returning to the Perth office through employee swipe card access logs. IMDEX not only tracked the number and location of employees in real time, but also captured relevant contact tracing data to adhere to strict government COVID-19 regulations.
IMDEX is doing even more with Splunk, collaborating with Data#3 to explore how they can use Splunk to fine-tune other processes, such as looking for any fraudulent transactions. The team gets alerts if any suspicious behavior occurs — such as duplicate invoicing, asset write-offs or other erroneous transactions — so they can take immediate action. Moving forward, IMDEX is exploring additional ways to use data to bolster security, stave off ever-evolving cyberattacks and improve the customer experience for success today and tomorrow.
Business Needs
With extensive operations across multiple sites and data growth of up to 25% a year, Glencore Coal Assets Australia sought to modernise with cost-effective, easy-to-manage data protection. They wanted to shrink the backup window and replace a legacy solution that risked a single point of failure with proven, reliable and high-performing data protection.
Business Results
Solutions at a glance
“This was a strong collaboration between Data#3 and Dell Technologies that enabled the customer to upgrade their existing environment to a solution that would ensure high-level protection, storage and growth for the next five years.”
Ben Egan, Group IT Team Manager for Glencore Coal Assets Australia
With extensive mining sites and operations across eastern Australia, Glencore Coal Assets Australia (‘Glencore CAA’) generates, keeps and uses a lot of data. Ben Egan, Group IT Team Manager for Glencore Coal Assets Australia, enumerates: “We’ve got about a thousand windows servers, SAP and SharePoint. We’ve got safety systems, training systems, and then traditional file servers and block storage; and Quintiq, our logistics and commercial system, which controls from pit to port, as we call it – from getting the coal out of the ground, onto the trains, and all the way to the port and sold. So that’s quite an important piece.”
With all this data to protect and a data growth rate of 20% to 25% annually, Glencore CAA set out to find an advanced data protection solution. “Backup window time was an issue,” says Egan, “along with ease of management.” Glencore CAA was running Veritas NetBackup media servers at each site, controlled by a single main server, putting their backups at the risk of a single point of failure. Added to these concerns, Glencore CAA wanted a more cost-effective solution.
“We’re very Capex driven,” says Egan. “Cost is a very big part of what we do, so any solution we looked at was going to be scrutinised from a cost perspective.”
Better Prospects
Based on what Egan refers to as their “positive experience and relationship” with Dell, Glencore CAA included PowerProtect DP series appliances in their search for a better data protection solution. “We compared the PowerProtect DP series with NetBackup appliances,” says Egan, and the DP series came out on top.”
Glencore CAA worked with Data#3, a Dell Technologies Titanium Solutions Provider Partner, to vet the solution. Chris Perkins, Data#3 Account Manager, says, “This was the strongest partnership I’ve seen in a while. Quotes and information that would usually take 24 hours were turned around in only a couple of hours and then sent to the customer shortly thereafter. There were multiple discussions and meetings planned for quality assurance to help the customer understand the benefits and features of the new solution.”
Once the purchase decision was made, Data#3 worked closely with Dell to ensure a fast and smooth delivery, assigning a project manager to assist Dell with installation and implementation at the sites in the event of any challenges. The team met weekly to update Glencore CAA on progress.
Glencore CAA leveraged Dell Services’ partnership with Data#3 to deliver an outcome-based design, implementation, migration and early operational residency using a blend of resources. The assigned project manager worked closely with logistics and account stakeholders, as well as individual mine-site teams to ensure business continuity and that site operations were not impacted. Now, with a DP series appliance at each site, Glencore CAA no longer has a single point of failure to worry about. “Each DP series appliance can operate on its own,” says Egan. “It’s not reliant on anything else to run. With all of our sites, that was very attractive to us.”
The Lay of the Land
Most of Glencore CAA’s data is on-premises in traditional data centers or server rooms at their mining and operations sites. Glencore CAA uses the native DP series tools for management, monitoring and reporting. Says Egan, “From a management view, it’s much easier. And we’ve definitely seen a reduction in our backup window. They’re 100% done in eight hours, and 99% done in only four hours – with a success rate of 95-99%.” The average deduplication rate is 49:1.
Glencore CAA boasts a 100% restore success rate with their DP series appliances, and restores are fast. Says Egan, “Recently one of my engineers restored a SQL database – 1.5 terabytes of data – in four hours. That gives you a good indication of the speed of restores we’ve been experiencing.”
Rock Solid
Glencore CAA has a mix of DP4400 and DP5800 integrated appliances at their sites. The backups from these appliances are replicated between Glencore CAA’s regional data centers and transferred on a monthly basis to two existing Dell EMC PowerProtect DD series appliances, which previously served as Glencore CAA’s backup targets. After six months, the backups are moved from the DD series appliances to scalable Dell EMC ECS object storage via Dell EMC Cloud Tier for archiving.
“It’s rock solid,” says Egan. “Implementation was managed by the Dell engineers, and one of my staff helped with that. It was all quite smooth. Management has been easy. It’s almost set-it-and-forget-it. Once it’s set up, you don’t really have to touch it.
“It’s all managed out of the Avamar console. Avamar drives not only the backups and restores from the active tier, but also pushes the data to ECS, which is in this case the cloud tier. That’s one of the value propositions: If you use an integrated solution, then you don’t have to do any kind of fiddly work to push the data from the DD series to or restore the data to the DD series from ECS. It’s all managed.
“The main reason for going to ECS was cost related,” says Egan. “Right now our ECS is about 290 terabytes with five nodes, and in the next six months we’ll be adding another two nodes.”
Staked for Growth
Glencore CAA’s data growth of 20% to 25% annually will compound over time, so the ability to expand secondary storage cost effectively with ECS will be vital to keeping costs in check.
“We’ve had a positive experience with Dell through PowerProtect DD series appliances, and now through the DP series,” says Egan. “We’ve reduced our backup times. From a management point of view, it’s much easier, and there’s less risk than having that single point of failure with our NetBackup solution.”
Says Perkins, “This was a strong collaboration between Data#3 and Dell Technologies that enabled the customer to upgrade their existing environment to a solution that would ensure high-level protection, storage and growth for the next five years.”
Objective
The resources industry accounts for six of Australia’s top ten goods, and provides a substantial contribution to the nation’s economy1. This Data#3 customer sought to inform a digital transformation strategy by prioritising software investments that aligned to the overall organisational goals.
Approach
In today’s changing world, organisations must embrace modern technology to survive. With a goal of realising operational efficiencies and improved digital experiences for all stakeholders, this customer prioritised digital transformation into each IT decision. With software maintenance renewals due, there was an opportunity to consider alternative solutions. The customer issued a request for quote, evaluating responses from several potential providers. Frustrated by prior experiences of empty promises of ‘value-add services’ that evaporate once the purchase order was received, this client selected Data#3’s Software Portfolio Management service to help them make the right licensing choices.
IT Outcome
Business Outcome
“Our greatest strength is our customer-centric focus. Our Licensing Consulting Services are not about selling software, but rather augmenting our clients to ensure they’re making informed software decisions, minimising waste and maximising returns.”
Paul Crouch, General Manager for NSW & ACT, Data#3 Limited
The Background
The resources industry accounts for six of Australia’s top ten goods, and provides a substantial contribution to the nation’s economy. As a service provider to the industry, the customer operates on a 24/7 basis, so it is essential that chosen technology providers can maintain pace.
Working methodologies have significantly evolved within the resources industry over just the last few years. This evolution is not restricted to work sites; management, logistics and trade have all evolved significantly when compared to the methods of only five years ago. In this rapidly changing environment, the customer was aware of the key requirement to leverage their technology to constantly reinvent its service offerings.
Challenging the Status Quo
The emergence of cloud has ushered in a wealth of new opportunities for businesses. Whether streamlining processes, enabling mobility, or inventing completely new services, the digital transformation choices are endless. However, this unlimited variety comes with its own requirements: without expert management the flood of applications can create difficulties for IT departments to maintain budgets, and can blow out spending as a result. Software is fundamental to the customer’s ongoing success, yet poor visibility of its software position made it difficult for management to fully understand what was happening in the business.
The customer’s small IT and procurement teams play a key role in supporting the around the clock maintenance of the customer’s business. Juggling licensing and maintenance requirements was a time-consuming process.
“When an organisation is dealing with a lot of vendors, it takes a lot of time as you manage information such as banking details, expiry dates, and agreement terms and conditions. Streamlining to a single partner can reduce overheads and provide a better financial outcome for the business,” said Data#3 General Manager, Paul Crouch.
Like most businesses, as the customer fought to keep pace with technological change, varying staff and teams had added software licenses for many purposes, which resulted in an often-confusing situation. Without a clear view, the IT team was hesitant to cancel software that had no clear use, in case it affected seemingly unrelated operations, like “a game of software Jenga.” With renewal dates misaligned, contract arrangements were inconsistent making it difficult to budget. The situation was a distraction that hampered the path to digital transformation.
Software maintenance renewal was due, but faced with a tangled web of contracts and times, the customer decided it was time to take a step back and seek help to assess the situation.
“They had renewals coming in from companies they had never heard of, and then they were being told they were no longer supported. If budgeting was hard, administration was almost impossible; something as simple as a vendor name change in their commercial systems, triggered a spectacular amount of paperwork.”
With many high-profile hacks against other organisations made possible by unpatched software, knowing that the business depended on out of support software was a wake-up call.
“Fortunately, the customer knew that the risks posed did not meet their security profile, and this understanding motivated a need for digital transformation.”
91% of organisations are engaged in some form of digital initiative2.
The Outcome
Commencing work immediately, the Data#3 team firstly established a baseline position, documenting every software license in place. This initial exercise gave the customer new insight into the inner workings of the organisation, and helped the IT team to understand ways to efficiently adapt and grow, in a tumultuous business landscape. Without this insight into the organisation, the digital transformation would be rendered slower, and less effective.
Next, the licensing specialists evaluated both short-term and long-term commitment periods, negotiating with vendors on behalf of the customer, to secure more favourable agreements. By obtaining renewal incentives, the customer was able to achieve early savings of $40,000. Further spend optimisation resulted in an additional $15,000 in savings for the customer.
“The Data#3 team contacted each business and arranged a better deal well ahead of the renewal times. In doing this, the customer had the assurance they would be supported, as well as continuing to reduce costs,” explained Crouch.
That behind-the-scenes work, using Data#3’s Software Portfolio Management(“SPM”) service, involved analysing requirements throughout the business, then exploring investment options to assess their suitability. Because most software has multiple purchase possibilities, the Data#3 team evaluated and forecasted the impacts of each alternative, presenting the customer with a report outlining which choice best matched their business requirements. Such decisions are now based on trusted, data-driven insights.
Where the standard software reseller approach profits from chaos and a lack of clarity, the SPM fee for service model thrives on order, clarity and collaboration, creating the ability to realise operational efficiencies. For the customer, the greatest efficiency came from consolidating the number of software partners they dealt with, so that instead of an impossible juggling act, they could deal with just a few, and maintain a clear, consistent view of when renewals were due. Once the customer had chosen their preferred licensing options, transactions were conducted with a low, transparent margin, so they always knew that they were getting the best deal available. A cost savings of $124,000 was created in the first year – a sizeable amount in an organisation with an annual IT budget just over $850,000.
“Software is the highest non-human expense in most IT departments, but with the improved visibility of the environment, the customers’ IT team can now conduct an annual review of their software landscape and make changes as needed. The flexibility to adapt and change can also lead to substantial cost savings for the business,” said Crouch.
The clarity that the customer gained has made it easier to forecast annual budget allocation for software licensing. The accurate records make it possible to track spending and usage, and see where duplicate solutions can be consolidated. Where previously there was an overlap of some licenses, this has been streamlined so that every part of the business has the functionality required, removing overspend and technical support effort.
“A key focus for the customer was to have the right partner, one who would empower their business to maximise the value of their technology investment and provide the software needed to enable digital transformation,” explained Crouch.
With the Data#3 team of licensing consultants handling negotiations and researching market trends, the customer’s IT group has escaped a sizeable administrative burden. No longer bogged down with keeping across the details and managing a complex software portfolio, the IT team can now concentrate on their key function: empowering the business with technology.
Conclusion
Moving forward, the customer feels confident to be collaborating with a partner who helps them think differently about their software investments, guiding the business in a commanding and advantageous position.
“Businesses that are facing similar challenges with their software environment and looking for a way forward, should consider leveraging a software subject matter expert to ensure you are maximising the return on your software investments. Doing this can reduce costs, significantly simplify software budgeting and remove an administrative burden,” said Crouch.
“The time of your staff is important, so finding a software partner like Data#3 who can deal with a broad range of vendors on your behalf, allows your staff to focus on higher priority tasks that matter most.”
In addition to saving time and money, the availability of Data#3 licensing specialists as part of the extended team means that someone is proactively identifying opportunities and mitigating risk within the software portfolio. The agreement also provides the customer with an ongoing priority service on all licensing enquiries, quotes and orders.
“Our greatest strength is our customer-centric focus. Our Licensing Consulting Services are not about selling software, but rather augmenting our clients to ensure they’re making informed software decisions, minimising waste and maximising returns,” concluded Crouch.
1. Austrade, (2020) Australia – a solid trade performance. [Online] https://www.austrade.gov.au/news/economic-analysis/australia-a-solid-trade-performance
2. Gartner (2020), Digitilization Strategy for Business Transformation. [Online] https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/insights/digitalization
To implement a new virtual infrastructure solution at the Tropicana mine site to help reduce complexity, improve application performance, minimise costs and strengthen disaster recovery capability.
Replace existing server, storage and backup infrastructure with a simplified IT platform for all virtual workloads to support operations over the next five years and beyond.
A robust, scalable and secure infrastructure that provides greater capacity, is easier to manage, and helps reduce risk through lower Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO).
Improved application performance and reduced complexity to streamline operations, resulting in efficiency and productivity benefits.
“The simplified technology stack helps us to streamline application performance, increase capacity, reduce risk, and minimise costs.”
Adam Wahby, Systems & Infrastructure Specialist, AngloGold Ashanti
The Background
Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti Ltd is the third largest gold miner in the world measured by production. The company currently operates 14 gold mines in 10 countries.
AngloGold Ashanti’s two gold mines in Australia, Sunrise Dam and Tropicana (70%), are located in Western Australia and produce approximately 18% of the group’s total gold production.
The Challenge
AngloGold Ashanti Australia was experiencing challenges associated with its virtual infrastructure at the Tropicana mine site, located 330km east-northeast of Kalgoorlie.
The legacy architecture was over five years old and consisted of many moving parts, creating a great deal of complexity.
It was also increasingly difficult to meet critical business requirements with regards to workload performance and capacity, as well as RPOs, RTOs and Disaster Recovery.
Overall, the key challenges included:
Solution
AngloGold Ashanti Australia sought to replace the existing server, storage and backup infrastructure used to host the virtual environment. This included simplifying the technology stack to streamline operational processes, improve capability to meet business objectives including RTOs and RPOs, and reduce costs.
From an IT perspective, the new solution had to provide a modern, simplified IT infrastructure platform for all virtual workloads to support Tropicana operations over the next five years and beyond. The solution would also need to resolve issues relating to operational activities such as data storage and backup, disaster recovery, performance, monitoring and capacity requirements.
After a comprehensive tender process, AngloGold Ashanti selected Data#3 as the preferred partner to deliver this project. Data#3 proposed a solution that addressed all of AngloGold Ashanti’s key business and technical requirements, and within budget and time parameters.
Delivery of the new solution included project management, planning and design, deployment, data and workload migration, functional and disaster recovery testing, operational product training, onsite knowledge transfer, plus final build and operational documentation.
Technology deployed included:
IT Outcome
The new solution deployed at Tropicana mine site addressed and resolved a number of key IT infrastructure requirements for the company.
Firstly, onsite IT personnel now have a simplified virtual environment to manage. Workload and processes have been streamlined, and the team now has greater visibility over the system’s operation and performance. This helps to free up internal resources to focus on more critical IT requirements.
Secondly, backup and recovery capability has improved, helping to minimise risk and ensure business continuity. The Tropicana site now enjoys reliable and predictable backups and restores, as well as functional disaster recovery fail-over and fail-back.
And finally, the enhanced speed and capacity of the new virtual infrastructure means AngloGold Ashanti Australia can optimise performance and scale up to accommodate future growth.
Business Outcome
The technical benefits of the new solution aim to improve application performance and contribute to efficiency and productivity gains.
Maintenance and operational costs are reduced, and internal IT resources no longer have to manage complex and ageing infrastructure.
Reduced risk is a crucial benefit of the new environment. Low RPO and low RTO means any downtime is limited.
Key business benefits include:
Conclusion
The new virtual infrastructure deployed at AngloGold Ashanti’s Tropicana mine site is now an integral part of the company’s business.
“The simplified technology stack helps us to streamline application performance, increase capacity, reduce risk, and minimise costs,” says Adam Wahby, Systems & Infrastructure Specialist, AngloGold Ashanti Australia.
On the back of the Tropicana site deployment, Data#3 has been engaged to implement the solution at Sunrise Dam – AngloGold Ashanti’s second mine site in Western Australia. Data#3 has also been asked to develop a solution for AngloGold Ashanti’s regional office in Perth, plus a migration to a co-location facility later in 2018.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of Jason Windows’ licensing profile, and to identify any compliance risks to ensure better visibility going forward.
Audit existing Microsoft licenses to identify purchases, obligations and any over- or under-provisioning that may lead to non-compliance.
Improved visibility of Jason Windows’ environment, whilst ensuring compliance with Microsoft licensing requirements.
The Background
Jason Windows has been supplying quality products to the Western Australian building industry for over 50 years.
As one of Australia’s manufacturing success stories, Jason Windows has provided custom-built windows for 80% of houses built in Western Australia.
The company pioneered the introduction of aluminium windows and doors in WA in the early 1960s and depends on the progressive use of technology, in particular automation, to survive in a highly competitive manufacturing sector.
The Challenge
When ICT Manager, Daniel Bersan, joined Jason Windows, his primary goal was to drive innovation and reduce manufacturing costs through the efficient yet innovative use of technology. Before he could embark on the route of streamlining business processes, he needed to fully understand the Jason Windows software environment.
“Nothing formal was in place to give me the insight I needed, I was essentially starting from day zero,” said Bersan.
“We had no formal processes in place to understand our budgetary obligations and I was concerned about the risk to the business if we weren’t compliant.”
For the busy team of skilled IT professionals at Jason Windows, the desire for better visibility was also about the ability to plan and budget more accurately. In a business that depends on efficiency, it was vital to get a clear view of licensing obligations and the need to know what was deployed, how, and when was essential.
“I knew it would be too expensive to put contingency measures in place for everything we do,” said Bersan.
“Instead of second-guessing actions, I needed certainty that we were getting value from our software spend.”
Jason Windows had to act to find clarity in the software environment.
IT Outcome
Bersan had enlisted Data#3’s help in a previous role, and he sought advice from his trusted contacts about how to tackle the situation. Data#3 recommended a full audit of the software environment, so that Jason Windows could gain visibility of the current situation, including awareness of any gaps.
The business was concerned that spending money on a software asset management (SAM) solution would not yield results. It was when Data#3 demonstrated the results achieved by other similar-sized organisations utilising SAM that Jason Windows recognised the benefits it could deliver.
Consulting with the Jason Windows IT team ensured they had a clear understanding of their requirements before they made the decision to utilise Snow software. Beyond the initial audit, they had ongoing visibility of software usage and spend, ensuring investments are well managed, with decisions based on accurate information.
“Data#3 had a willingness to work with us as a team,” said Bersan.
“The trust was there from a long-standing business relationship, and everyone was won over by the professionalism of the Data#3 team.”
Embarking on the software discovery process was a step into the unknown for Jason Windows, but they were very keen to learn exactly what they were responsible for. The Jason Windows ICT team worked closely with Data#3 to run the initial audit.
The result was pleasing. Jason Windows had no cause to fear unlicensed software leaving them vulnerable to risk. Moving forward, the IT team now have full visibility of their obligations.
“We have a clear, simple report, with various spreadsheets showing the exact situation,” said Bersan.
“This created a level of comfort for staff and we can be one hundred percent sure we are doing the right thing.”
Business Outcome
Thanks to the introduction of SAM, Jason Windows can see their exact Microsoft software position. They have eliminated the unknown aspect of licensing and reduced the risk of non-compliance.
Beyond that, the business is in a better position to plan future software investment without any budget going to waste.
“I have a clearer understanding of what I need to invest in and what I don’t,” said Bersan.
This clarity equips the IT team to change the perception of their role within the business. They had to prove themselves and take the project to the Board, explaining the need for risk mitigation in terms of software licensing. The company’s leadership now has full awareness of what their exposure might be if adequate licenses were not purchased, and the value of managing the situation closely.
While the compliance position of Jason Windows was quite healthy, thanks to the attention of the IT team, the report did expose the transactional nature of IT purchasing, something they are now addressing in the drive for efficiencies.
“When the housing market turns around, we know we’re ready, we can see what we’ll need and what it will cost,” said Bersan.
Conclusion
The audit of Jason Windows’ software environment, and the implementation of a SAM solution, ensure the IT department can budget accurately and mitigate the risk of non-compliance. The ability to budget accurately is a key measure in improving the perception of IT within the business.
“I have a much better idea of future licensing purchases based on the audit numbers,” said Bersan.
“In a business where custom-products are measured to the exact millimetre, accuracy matters. The same precision used in manufacturing,” said Bersan, “must apply to ICT, so knowing the exact software situation is vital.”
“When we measure a window, it has to be perfect, and we are so confident in our quality, we guarantee it for ten years. Our technology also has to be perfect, it has to exactly fit the requirements. This project helps us to achieve that,”
Daniel Bersan, ICT Manager – Jason Windows