Client story The Town of Morrisville Reduces Cost & Complexity With Modern Networking
By Insight Editor / 21 Oct 2022 / Topics: Data center Networking Cybersecurity IT modernization
Facts at a glance
Client industry
Local government
Insight provided:
- Multilayered network design
- Services in partnership with leading technology vendors
- Planning and deployment of a network solution
- Ongoing network monitoring and maintenance
Insight services:
- Consulting services
- Professional services
- Support Services
Outcomes:
Download the client story
- Reduced network complexity
- In-house network management and troubleshooting
- Significant cost savings
- Cutting-edge, best-of-breed network solution
- Scalable network services with same-vendor solutions
The client
Morrisville, one of the fastest growing towns in the state of North Carolina, lies adjacent to the Research Triangle Park area and is central to Raleigh — the state’s capital and second largest city. Morrisville is an attractive location for technology, healthcare, and telecommunications companies, and in the past decade, the town’s population has grown from just under 19,000 to nearly 30,000 residents.
The challenge: Support essential & municipal services with a secure, easy-to-manage network
Morrisville’s network supports the local police department, the fire department, and many other municipal services — all maintained by a small IT staff relying heavily on managed service providers. So, when the CIO evaluated the network for its ease of management, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and functionality, it became apparent that it was time for a refresh.
The client knew that it needed its network switches replaced and a new firewall — but it also wanted to use the refresh process as an opportunity to find a modern solution that could be more easily managed in-house. In addition, cost wasn’t the only factor in the decision; the client also wanted to adopt cutting-edge technology to reflect its commitment to IT innovation.
Most importantly, since the network supports critical services and infrastructure, the switchover had to take place smoothly and with as little downtime as possible.
The solution: A modern, secure network with single-pane-of-glass visibility
The client had recently worked with Insight on other projects and quickly recognized that our expertise could help determine the right networking solutions to fulfill its objectives. After assessing the client’s needs and goals, including the need for the network to span across multiple physical locations, we suggested Fortinet® solutions due to their ease of management and transparency.
Insight provided a full-scale demo of Fortinet solutions for the client, resulting in the decision to proceed with our team’s recommendation.
In the end, Insight replaced the client’s entire network with Fortinet solutions, including 22 new switches for access, three internet circuits, and two FortiGate® firewalls with minimal downtime to the town’s services and critical infrastructure.
In order to support the client’s IT team and reduce the need for costly external support services, our experts provided both hands-on training and a detailed document outlining how to troubleshoot issues.
The benefits: Significant time & cost savings with full in-house management of the entire network
Today, the client’s IT staff can view all 22 switches from one web portal, drastically reducing complexity and downtime. Instead of submitting a ticket to the managed service provider, waiting for a configuration change on a disparate switch, and then finally being able to test the switch, the client can log into the firewall directly to make the change. Any troubleshooting can now be done from the single windowpane. Not only has this decreased downtime — it has also saved the client money on managed services and support fees.
Morrisville has been so pleased with Fortinet solutions that it’s expanded its Fortinet footprint within the environment, adding FortiGSLB for better cloud server load balancing, and FortiAnalyzer® and FortiManager® solutions for advanced threat detection and management and enhanced network security.
Ultimately, the client was extremely pleased with Insight’s ability to recommend, design, and deliver a cutting-edge network solution with few delivery issues and very little downtime.
