Global Pharmaceutical Developer

Location:
San Diego County, California

Client background:
A global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative cancer therapeutics.

Service Type:
Network Systems Infrastructure Consulting Services and Network Management Services

Customer Since:
2001

Major Project Aspects:
 •Troubleshoot Network with Client’s “Test Audit”
 •Increase Reliability
 •Enable Multi-campus Communications
 •On-going Network Management
 •Future Risk Mitigation
 •Project Management

Objective: Optimizing the Network for Security and Compliance

The client is a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing therapeutic candidates to treat cancer and liver disease. Using its proprietary live cell, high-throughput screening technology and chemical genetics, it develops small-molecule apoptosis inducers to treat cancer. The company has three facilities in San Diego, all networked by data and phone. The network is essential to facilitate core business, including communications about clinical trials and product development. In addition, the company’s network activity must meet FDA regulations for data handling and backup.

As usage of the company’s network increased, the server infrastructure began to fail on a weekly basis, resulting in significant losses in revenue and production. The Director of Network Operations had to log 75-hour work weeks to deal with the recurring outages. The company began to look for ways to resolve congestion and failure problems within its network, which consisted of diverse equipment acquired in piecemeal fashion as the company grew.

Challenge: Identify Problem Areas on the Network

IT management knew they would need outside assistance to address network architecture issues. The company’s IT team was at varying technical levels, already spread thin and needed for core business objectives. The company determined that the cost of hiring new team members with the required skill levels to update the network would be prohibitively expensive. They evaluated automation suites such as Heat and Track-it but decided such products would not meet the company’s needs. At this point, they began to look for outside resources that could address the problem.

Using a large consulting firm was ruled out because of cost and the reputation such firms have for being overly bureaucratic. Furthermore, most resellers, structural engineering firms, and consulting firms lacked experience dealing with large networks that incorporated a variety of technologies. After meeting with representatives from Network Insight, corporate IT executives were impressed. “Other consulting firms did not have the skill level of Network Insight, especially in diverse equipment,” said the Director of Network Operations. “Network Insight had a better solution and seemed to offer more in the way of management services than competitors. In addition, I was looking for a point of contact with whom I could communicate both on a managerial level and a highly technical level, which I found with Network Insight.”

Solution: Outsourcing to Network Insight

“Network Insight met or exceeded every expectation I had; being experienced and credentialed myself, I have high expectations. Network Insight’s breadth of technical knowledge and ability to clearly communicate on a management and technical level stands out from their competition and makes our relationship successful. ”

-Director of Network Operations

Global biopharmaceutical company

To ensure that Network Insight was equal to the task, the director had the company run a “test audit” of an email server. Network Insight found all the expected problems—and more.

Impressed with the results of the audit, the client entered into an agreement with Network Insight to:

• Audit the company’s email server for tampering
• Fix any tampering issues
• Determine the threat level at which the machine was running
• Mitigate any potential future risks

Result: Optimizing the Network for High Availability

Network Insight met all expectations, pinpointing and resolving network problems and eliminating server downtime. Overtime for network managers was greatly reduced and the IT department did not have to hire additional staff to cope with network issues. A corporate network manager estimates savings from outsourcing the project to Network Insight to equal about $120,000 per year.

Because of the expertise Network Insight demonstrated in the initial project, the firm has been retained to handle several subsequent projects over a five-year period, including developing a tracking report on changes of equipment in order to monitor performance of engineers. “Network Insight is a small, efficient company that offers quick turn around and can tackle almost any problem,” remarked the Network Operations Director. “One of their biggest strengths is their ability to communicate on both a managerial level and a technical level. They are very personable and very flexible, with a controlled and sensible approach to projects.”

“In particular, we were impressed with the firm’s change management process. Most companies struggle to manage change as well,” he observed. The client even utilizes Network Insight to train internal staff on new technologies and new network designs.

The client believes any company can benefit from Network Insight’s services. “Their extreme breadth of knowledge, their understanding of new technologies and multiple products, and their constant research of new technologies makes them an ideal firm to work with,” the client concluded.

Download a PDF of the case study (416 K)