The customer's wireless network had several issues. The existing wireless network was essentially a patchwork quilt: that is, it was structured differently at each company branch.
As a result, the company faced multiple significant problems:
— the labor costs of managing such a network exceeded the acceptable norms,
— company employees were forced to use different authorization methods at different branches,
— warranty support for the WLAN equipment became unavailable,
— information security professionals were not satisfied with the current wireless network architecture.
All these factors prompted the customer to consider the need for WLAN upgrades.At the start of the project, the WLAN was operational at the main
office and across approximately 100 company branches in Siberia and the Far
East. In total, the WLAN consisted of about 1,000 access points and more than
10 WLAN controllers.
Key Challenges
- Assess the company's existing wireless network.
- Develop a concept for upgrading the wireless network across all departments and offices.
- Calculate a budget for the wireless network upgrade project, including the costs of both active network equipment and SCS upgrades.
- Do a radio survey of the existing WLAN at the company's main office and develop a technical plan for its upgrade.
Implemented our solution
We decided to divide the WLAN upgrade process into stages, as follows:
1. Start with a concept for upgrading the WLAN for the entire company.
2. Based on this concept, make budget estimates for the WLAN upgrade project.
3. Which, in turn, will serve as a basis for planning future WLAN upgrades.
Therefore, our primary task was to upgrade the WLAN at the company's main office.
The first step was a radio survey of the office with specific equipment, as well as mapping radio coverage for the final report. We did similar work remotely for other offices, using technical questionnaires for IT experts at their workstations.
The differences in network structure between the central office and regional branches were taken into consideration, and the customer received a consolidated report.
Subsequently, ICL Services architects designed a Wi-Fi network upgrade concept for the entire company, selected equipment that best served the customer's needs, and developed a project budget.
For the main office in Moscow, we took our work even further by designing standard documentation for upgrading the network, disassembling old equipment, and assembling its new counterparts.
The work was completed by December, and comprehensive reports and the customer with full consolidated reports and plans for future network infrastructure.
Results
- We surveyed radio coverage at the main office and remote offices.
- We designed a concept for upgrading the customer's network infrastructure while staying within the budget constraints and deadlines.
- We met the deadline for preparing working documentation and budget estimates for replacing the network infrastructure at the main office in Moscow.