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Workshift Systems Corporation has developed
a strategy to tackle the challenges of system availability
as well as timely and hassle-free upgrades, thereby allowing
companies to focus on doing business, not on operating
and maintaining their computer systems. |
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Pierre
deVarennes, Broker Owner of Royal LePage Performance Realty,
is proud of the technological advances of his organization,
noting that, "we are tremendously excited about the
fibre optic network solution we are now implementing,
with the help of Workshift Systems Corporation.
Pierre
deVarennes
Broker/Owner of Royal
LePage Performance Realty |
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Workshift Systems Corporation
has been providing leading edge information technology
(IT) solutions for over ten years. Having developed successful
strategies for streamlining and outsourcing IT, Workshift Systems Corporation
can demonstrate to companies both small and large the
benefits of implementing a connected office solution.
Simply put, connected offices employ the latest thin client
technology which replaces an organization’s existing
desktop computers with terminal client access stations,
sometimes called dummy terminals. By installing a centralized
server and exchanger server, only one modem and one tape
backup unit are required to support an entire network,
as opposed to multiple servers as well as modems and hard
drives for each user. The terminal client stations enable
access to any needed software applications from the centralized
server as well as retrieving and returning data to the
server, eliminating the need to store information on each
client terminal. The entire operation is connected via
high speed fiber optic cabling, ensuring fast, reliable
access.
Alternatively, a 128-bit encrypted wireless connection
can be used, offering ease of access and high security,
given that this is the technology employed today by major
financial institutions. Similarly, clients can opt for
DSL (high speed) or 56K dialup connections. Another option
is the ‘air card’, which gives a secure, cell-phone
type connection to the network. Users of this technology
are billed only for their data throughput instead of actual
time online, which can reduce overall costs substantially.
In looking to update and simplify its IT systems, Royal
LePage Performance and Team Realty brought a number of
typical operational challenges to Workshift Systems Corporation. As a
large, residential real estate organization, one of the
company’s chief technology issues was a lack of property
data mobility between offices. This meant that agents
were restricted to accessing the information they needed
from their primary office location only, rather than having
the freedom to connect in the most convenient and proximate
location to their clients. Agents also expressed frustration
with the existing technology from a reliability, speed
and performance perspective. Lost productivity due to
maintenance issues, non-standardized hardware and software
compounded the problems. Facing significant human and
financial costs, Royal LePage turned to Workshift Systems Corporation
to develop and deliver a connected office solution that
would tackle their many technology hurdles.
Royal LePage’s connected office, currently being
implemented, did more than address the frustrations of
reliability, availability and maintenance. It also enabled
sharing of accounting data throughout multiple locations
and provided a standard desktop for all stations and offices
with licensed, supported software and fast, dependable,
high-bandwidth commercial fiber internet connections.
Agents are no longer restricted to returning to their
primary office location to write up offers or research
properties, they can simply plug in at the nearest convenient
place, be it another Royal LePage office, their home,
or even a cybercafe and get down to business. The resulting
agent productivity will undoubtedly demonstrate financial
gains to the organization, as will the initial savings
of over $100,000, despite the configuration’s requirement
for the purchase of new equipment.
One might expect that the annual cost of providing such
reliable, leading-edge IT service would be daunting but,
in fact, the thin client solution implemented by Royal
LePage will save the organization $122,000 annually. That
number helps put into perspective the amount that many
companies waste each year on piecemeal upgrades and maintenance
costs, not to mention the lost worktime associated with
ineffective tools. Typically, even with the cost of converting
or replacing existing equipment, a connected office solution
can result in a savings of between 20 and 35 percent of
existing annual costs. Add to this the convenience and
reliability factors to this along with increased productivity,
and an organization is looking at a substantial net gain.
Pierre deVarennes, Broker Owner of Royal LePage Performance
Realty, is proud of the technological advances of his
organization, noting that, "we are tremendously excited
about the fibre optic network solution we are now implementing,
with the help of Workshift Systems Corporation and Telecom Ottawa. It
represents a major improvement in how we help our agent-clients
access our information resources right across the city.
The savings in systems maintenance alone, over the next
18 months, will more than pay for the initial deployment
costs. The bonuses: faster, secure and more reliable connectivity,
significantly reduced maintenance headaches and reduced
software licensing costs. We applaud Workshift's expertise
and quality service!"
Any business, small or large, with distributed users,
including those requiring remote access, can benefit from
the connected office solution. David Adderley, Partner
and Chief Operating Officer of Celtic House, a venture
capital firm whose business spans the globe, confirms
that this technology means, “when you are traveling,
you’re not out of the office. Workers now have access
to the full functionality of their desktop from anywhere
in the world that they can access the Internet, be it
in a hotel, at an Internet café, or at home. You
don’t even have to carry your own laptop, which is
an added bonus in terms of convenience and security.”
Laptops, and the information on their drives, can be stolen
or damaged, making that data quite vulnerable, whereas
the terminal server solution offers the same level of
protection for remote users as it does for those accessing
the system from right in the office.
The connected office clearly pays off in terms of productivity
and convenience. Most importantly, it ensures your firm’s
infrastructure investment is being maximized, since it
is accessible 24/7 for each user, regardless of where
they are in the world. |
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