Elevate Xchange DEC 5, 2024, Holiday Party
(all writings furnished from GTN Solutions. Video furnished by Elevate Xchange)
After-Hours SDWAN Network Upgrade Project
A software-defined wide area network (SDWAN) is a virtual WAN architecture that allows enterprises to leverage any combination of transport services — including MPLS, LTE and broadband internet services — to securely connect users to applications.
Client Overview
A Tier 1 Managed Services Provider (MSP) supporting a client with 240+ locations in the financial industry, contracted for IT Field Services support. Client required the following to execute and complete the project: after-hours onsite smart-hands work, tech to bring laptop with Putty & Zoom installed and RJ45 console cable.
Issue
The MSP was unable to create a pricing solution that coincided with the client’s desired timeline/budget for a companywide SDWAN Network Upgrade. Services were subcontracted to a large Field Services Contractor in North America to find technicians local to the sites that pass background and drug screens, with the IT knowledge required to complete the project within the timeline/budget which proved to be unsuccessful.
Recovery of Service Support
GTN Technical Staffing was notified by the MSP that they needed help finding a staffing/scheduling solution within their desired budget. GTN was given a 2-week lead time. The project required 4-5 technicians to show up on time to designated locations 5 days a week to work with the client engineering team to facilitate the upgrade. GTN wrote a Statement of Work (SOW) that was approved by the client for the MSP that met all the requirements.
Operational Stand Up
As soon as the MSP gave GTN the greenlight that SOW was approved, the company immediately started onboarding technicians all over the Northeast and Southeast United States. Within the 2 weeks given, GTN had over 50+ technicians onboarded (passed background/drug screen) with the required IT knowledge ready to go onsite to client locations.
Priorities
The technician reliability issue that the MSP was running into with their client proved to be a massive opportunity for GTN. The work windows for the SDWAN upgrade were tight and technicians had to be on time to prevent further delays. GTN was able to recruit reliable technicians to show up on time and execute the work outlined by the client.
How GTN Reacted
GTN Field Service team immediately started working with MSP’s client on scheduling to ensure the project could continue without delays. For the following 4+ months, GTN staffed 20-25 sites per week to work with the client engineer team to perform the upgrades. See email from a client regarding the success of the project because of how GTN reacted to the MSP’s call for help.
Client Testimonial
The below email was from client Director of Arch Cloud/Infrastructure…
Thank you for all your support in meeting our 2022 goals for the SDWAN project. It was a challenging task scheduling resources for the number of sites in scope but you did an excellent job in managing them.
Business Benefits
Branches on SDWAN have improved the bandwidth, resiliency using diverse ISP providers and Wi-Fi capabilities.
SDWAN cutover: 229 out of 241 – 95% Complete
Count of Branch Number | Count of Lumen DIA Circuit Implementation | Count of Lumen DIA Cutover from System data | Count of Comcast MBB Circuit Implementation |
241 | 210 | 200 | 227 |
Router and Firewall upgrades – 100% Complete
Router Upgrade | Firewall Upgrade | Count of Comcast MBB Cutover from System data |
179 | 184 | 225 |
Summary
The MSP was able to quickly react and fill the void in service by choosing GTN. GTN’s ability to quickly place resources into action on all fronts made this a success. The partnership between GTN and MSP helped circumvent a difficult situation which culminated in a pleased client with avoidance of costly penalties to the MSP and any work stoppage.
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