Page 79 - Open Soource Technologies 304.indd

Unit 3: Flow-Control Statements and PHP in Web Page

Notes
networks, and e-mail systems. Offices in the Americas were consolidating on Microsoft
Exchange Server for communications, but offices in Europe and Asia still had hundreds of
servers running IBM Lotus Notes.
Not surprisingly, having a collection of disparate systems caused problems. “We would have
one or more systems down at any given time, which caused stability issues,” explains Tony
DeGregorio, Global Chief Information Officer for Tyco Flow Control. “We also had trouble
communicating between systems and pulling together global address books and calendars.”
To improve stability and reliability and simplify IT management, Tyco Flow Control wanted
to consolidate its communications infrastructure. The company considered on-premises
solutions, but to keep its IT group focused on business value initiatives, and to save money,
it chose to use an outside vendor with the skill and experience to deploy and manage such a
large installation. Because of its past success with Microsoft Exchange Server, Tyco looked at
Microsoft-hosted online solutions, but wanted to consider other possibilities as well.

Solution
Tyco Flow Control prepared detailed requirements for the project and spoke with
representatives from Microsoft and other online vendors. Tyco quickly realized that the
Microsoft solution was the only one that would meet its needs. “We did not believe other
vendors were enterprise ready,” says.
Tyco saw Microsoft as a company with deep expertise. “With Microsoft, I saw an experienced
enterprise group with the clout and power to make the solution work the way I wanted it to,”
says DeGregorio. “I had a lot more confidence in Microsoft. The Microsoft contract promised
greater uptime and availability, and the company has data centers around the world with
robust failover and backup plans.”
Microsoft also offered greater features and flexibility. “With Microsoft, we could choose an
on-premises or a hosted solution,” DeGregorio notes. “We chose the hosted solution, and
Microsoft gave us the option of single-tenant or multi-tenant hosting. Single-tenant was
important to us for security, and that was not an option with the other vendors. Microsoft
also provided offline capabilities, stronger security, better archiving, and easy connectivity
with the Microsoft Office suite, which we use internally. That way, we can gradually move
existing Notes applications over to Microsoft Office SharePoint.”
Tyco Flow Control also had confidence in the Microsoft Partner Network. “When we looked at
migrating our systems, we found that other vendors were working with third-party companies
that I do not think had a lot of experience,” says DeGregorio. “With Microsoft, you have got a
lot of very experienced partners around the globe. We have migrated 8,000 users so far, and
will migrate the rest in the coming months.”
Benefits

With its move to dedicated Microsoft Exchange Online, Tyco Flow Control has ensured that
its e-mail solution is scalable, easy to manage, cost-effective, and reliable.

Robust Scalability
With its Microsoft-hosted solution, Tyco Flow Control has made it easier to adjust its technology
as its business needs change. “One area we wanted to address was scalability,” explains
DeGregorio. “As we acquire or divest pieces of our business, I did not want to have to buy
new hardware or end up with unused resources. We do not have to worry now; there’s a
good variable cost model that is very scalable for the business.”
Contd...

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 73