Customer Solution Case Study
/ Insurance Agency Safeguards Business Data, Drives Productivity with Server Solution
“After deploying Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, I learned that a server isn’t intimidating; it’s just like another desktop that manages my office and makes my life a whole lot easier.”
Seth Feist, Insurance Agent, Northwest Insurance Brokers
Northwest Insurance Brokers wanted to upgrade its simple technology infrastructure to enable automatic computer updates, data backups, and remote access to files. After deploying Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials running on an HP ProLiant ML110 and scheduling nightly backups, the company is not worrying about losing data. Using Remote Web Access to retrieve files from the network, staff can work at home or with customers.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published May 2011
Business Needs
Northwest Insurance Brokers is a business that prides itself on personal service for customers in the Spokane area. It offers quality property, casualty, and life insurance products placed with ethical, financially sound insurance carriers. “I’m the youngest employee by 20 years,” says Seth Feist, whose father purchased the company in 1994. “So when I joined four years ago, I became the IT guy by default. The others were only too glad to have me take on this responsibility!”
Feist found a rudimentary IT infrastructure when he joined Northwest Insurance Brokers. The company did not have a customer-facing website. Desktop computers ran on the Windows XP operating system and everyone used Microsoft Office 2007 and a POP3 email service. An additional computer was used to route printing jobs to the office’s single printer but not for sharing or storing files. “With no formal backup policy for the desktops, I had to go from machine to machine with a portable hard drive doing backups,” says Feist.
Also, Northwest Insurance Brokers had no desktop security policies, and Feist had a hard time ensuring that everyone’s computer was running the latest Windows updates. “Our agency management system is web-based, but we stored documents and letters on individual computers,” says Feist. “Agents are online all day, checking property assessors’ sites. There was always the risk of picking up a virus.”
There was no way for employees to access files from their PCs in the office while visiting with clients or working from home. “There were times when I was away from the office and needed to retrieve information for a customer, but couldn’t,” says Feist. “This could potentially affect a sale. If I wanted to work at home, I had to remember to email myself the file. Remote access to my files would make me more productive.”
Solution
At the advice of a friend, Feist joined a Microsoft advisory committee on small businesses. In 2009, he visited Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, for a two-day brainstorming session about the technology requirements of small businesses. As a result of those meetings, Feist was invited to join the Technology Adoption Program (TAP) for Windows Small Business Server 2011 in April 2010.
“I saw the TAP program as a great way to learn more about what Microsoft had to offer for small businesses and to modernize our office infrastructure,” says Feist. “From the perspective of a non-IT person in the public domain, it was nice to be involved in the early stages of Microsoft product development that could help me and my peers.”
Based on his company’s needs, Feist chose to deploy Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials. Ideal for businesses that have fewer than 25 employees, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials provides a simple server solution that helps protect client computers with regular backups and automatic updates. Feist can centralize business data on shared files on the server and employees can access their files from any location through a web browser.
It only took one afternoon for a Microsoft representative to deploy the server and join the computers to the network. Feist expected the process to take a weekend. “I was amazed at how simple it was to join the computers to the network. He just connected a monitor and keyboard to the server, answered simple questions from the wizard, and thereafter it was completely automated. “The HP ProLiant ML110 is performing 100 percent better than our previous server. And it’s a perfect size. We store it in our back room where it’s been running flawlessly,” says Feist.
Benefits
In the six months since Northwest Insurance Brokers deployed Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, it has been business as usual, but with a difference. The new server solution did not interrupt work; instead, it reduced stress over data security and offered opportunities to work more productively.
Enhances security. Feist no longer worries about how to protect the company’s data. He uses Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials to automate daily backups and receive server updates. “From the administrator’s console, I can see at a glance if there’s anything wrong with any of our computers, and I’m saving four to six hours a month not doing the backups manually. And when one of our computers crashed, I easily restored it with no loss of data because it had been backed up the night before.”
Improves productivity. Several employees have taken advantage of the remote access capabilities in Windows Small Business Server. “One of our agents works three days a week. She’s thrilled with the fact that she can connect remotely to her desktop to access her QuickBooks files and work from home,” says Feist. “Remote access is great for me too. I was at a conference out of town and needed a document that was on my computer. Remote access saved me from driving three hours back to the office to get it!”
Centralizes data. Feist plans to upload information to the shared files on the server, assigning a folder to each insurance company. That way he can build a central, easily-accessed knowledge base so that employees can stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the business.
“Installing a server can seem daunting for small businesses,” concludes Feist. “After deploying Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, I learned that a server isn’t intimidating; it’s just like another desktop that manages my office and makes my life a whole lot easier.”
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.Document published May 2011