Sales Tools
Computer Manufacturer Sets Up Teleworking Program
| Background In an effort to cut costs and improve productivity, a multinational manufacturer of computer workstations decided to implement a teleworking program that will allow 300 members of its European sales and engineering staff to work from home several days a week. The company sets up a pilot program involving a small number of teleworkers to determine what services and equipment it needed for teleworking. Modem speeds proved adequate for most members of the sales force, who use the system primarily to download electronic mail and sales orders, and frequently need network access from hotel rooms over analog lines. Engineering staff, on the other hand, who use powerful UNIX workstations to download large CAD/CAM files, decided they needed ISDN speeds to telework effectively. |
Application
Current Approach The Need |
Computer Manufacturer - Previous Network
The Solution
To accommodate the needs of both its sales and engineering staff, the company started looking for a remote access solution that would support both analog and ISDN users. The solution also had to provide high-level security and allow remote users to be managed using standards-based network management tools. Finally, the solution had to conform to all European and Asian protocols and be homologated on a global basis so that it can be rolled out to sales and engineering staff worldwide in the future.
How it Works
The workstation manufacturer selected the MAX 4000 as its central site server because of its support for analog, ISDN and other services, its sophisticated security features and its standards-based network management capabilities. Each MAX can support up to 120 callers over four PRI lines ö a feature that allows it to handle more teleworker traffic as the company's teleworking program grows. Digital modems installed in the MAX allow analog modem users to call in over the same digital access lines. Compatibility with RADIUS authentication services allows the company to centrally maintain and manage its teleworkers' security profiles and a third-party token-based authentication system.
| The IP routing
capabilities of the Pipeline 50 allow teleworkers to
access information anywhere on the company's worldwide
network, regardless of which network segment or
subnetwork it resides on. Pipeline 50s also pack enough
power to download files at 128 kbit/s using MP Plus, an
Ascend protocol that uses both 64 kbit/s channels of an
ISDN line to transfer data. Pipeline 50s have proven easy to install and operate, too. Before a Pipeline 50 is shipped to a teleworker, support staff configure it with an IP address, user name, password, ISDN telephone numbers and connection and session profiles. Support staff also arrange for the installation of the teleworker's ISDN line. A service engineer will be sent to an employee's home, if necessary, to connect the Pipeline 50 to the ISDN line and the user's workstation. As the teleworking program gains momentum, the company plans to install multiple MAXs in its backbone network nodes in France, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan. |
Ascend Equipment
The Benefits |
Computer Manufacturer - Ascend Solution
Copyright ©1998 Ascend Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
