Client story Global Motion and Control Technology Corporation Gets Compliant and Fully Managed Microsoft Exchange Environment
By Insight Editor / 27 Apr 2020
Facts at a glance
Client industry
Motion and control technologies
Insight provided:
- Rapid Microsoft Exchange based solution design and build
- Migration of 4,000 mailboxes to Insight data centers
- Ongoing managed care across compute, storage, network and backup
Insight services:
- Consulting services
- Managed services
Outcomes:
Download the client story
- ITAR and SOC 2 compliant infrastructure
- Complete solution implementation on accelerated timeline
- Scalable, OpEx consumption model
- Highly secure email platform
- 99.999% uptimes guaranteed with full site resilience
- Proactive managed care with 24/7 servicing
The client
The client is a Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technologies that serves customers in a wide range of industrial and aerospace markets across more than 100 countries. The company has been a pioneer in bringing engineering innovation to market for over a century. They operate in 50 countries and employ more than 50,000 people worldwide.
The challenge: Fast migration to ITAR-compliant email platform, despite global environment
As a trusted provider of motion technologies, the company delivers for all sectors, including government. The nature of their work means they are subject to numerous federal regulations regarding imports/exports, controls, data privacy and more.
The company had recently begun to migrate from IBM® SmartCloud for Government to Office 365®, though a population of roughly 4,000 users within the organization were subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Their IT organization hoped to reduce support needs for their messaging infrastructure, as well as reduce its total data center footprint.
They identified Microsoft® Exchange as an alternative. The company’s IT and security leadership wanted to make sure they deployed an email and calendaring solution that was highly available, met ITAR compliance and aligned with their standards for business continuity.
Although conversations began early in the year, the coronavirus outbreak was gaining traction as the solution was being developed, creating unexpected external challenges due to impacts on the global supply chain. Regardless, the company still intended to have this solution implemented by mid-year.
The solution: Rapid delivery of a scalable, secure and cost-effective managed solution
The Insight team was introduced to the client’s leadership through a mutual connection. Through our conversations, Insight was chosen to support the firm on this project, over the incumbent services provider.
We presented the client with several options for Exchange deployment: (a) deploy a traditional, stand-alone Exchange server in the client’s data center, (b) deploy Exchange in the client’s data center and let Insight manage it or (c) deploy Exchange in Insight’s data centers and have Insight manage it. The chosen arrangement had to meet rigorous compliance standards (ITAR, SSAE 18, and SOC 2).
Offering the ultimate in scalability, cost outcomes and security, they chose the third option. Insight began work on building the Exchange infrastructure with site resilience and 99.999% uptime objectives. The solution will provide comprehensive management of the Exchange infrastructure, inclusive of the underlying server/storage infrastructure, virtual servers and the Exchange platform itself.
The benefits: On-time project completion and long-term business value
This project is on a tight timeline, spanning just a couple months from build to fully operational, despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus. The environment will be built across three different Insight data centers that meet the client’s high standards for security, compliance and design.
At the outset, the client will have a dedicated Exchange environment that runs in a pure subscription model, with no ownership or CapEx responsibilities for the client. The solution includes 24/7 expert care, no matter how large the environment may grow over the three-year contract period.
