Case Study: Computer Associates
INSTALLATION TECHNOLOGY & ANIXTER BRINGS VOICE & DATA TO COMPUTER ASSOCIATES’ NEW, £100 MILLION EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS
The third largest independent software company in the world, Computer Association International (Computer Associates), has announced the completion of an Avaya Category 6 SYSTIMAX® GigaSPEED® voice and data network at its recently constructed, state-of-the-art European Headquarters based at the historic location of Ditton Park, Datchet.
Modelled on Computer Associates’ worldwide headquarters in Islandia, New York, the new building is a three-story glass and steel structure with a floor area of approximately 250,000 square feet. One of the company’s main aims was for the new office to lead the way in promoting an employee-friendly culture and the building includes facilities such as a Child Development Centre for employees’ children, a fitness centre and a Virtual Enterprise Client Facility. The whole building has been designed to high energy efficiency standards and is managed by Computer Association’s own 3D based enterprise management software, Unicenter TNG.
In order to support the company’s most ambitious and ground breaking requirements, Computer Associates commissioned Installation Technology, the Berkshire-based Avaya SYSTIMAX System Integrator, to source, design and install a best of breed, new communications solution. Installation Technology’s relationship with Computer Associates was established 11 years ago, and the systems integrator currently covers all of the company’s cabling requirements for its buildings in Europe -- many of them using Avaya products -- running into a total of over £1 million in contracts. Specialists in installing structured cabling systems, fibre optic networks and data network solutions, Installation Technologies has a wide range of clients across a number of market sectors including London Underground Ltd and a major broadcasting corporation.
In the autumn of 1999, following a period of sustained growth, Computer Associates decided to strengthen its global presence by moving its headquarters to the larger site. Previously, the company was based on the Bath Road in Slough, UK. The building only had two floors and could house a maximum of 600 personnel including the sales, finance, administration, IT and marketing departments. The new facility in Ditton Park was built to accommodate 1,500 staff and includes a centre for training, software research and development, sales technical support and marketing across Europe.
Alongside the construction of the new headquarters came the challenge of designing and installing a network infrastructure that could support Computer Associates’ current and future business needs – enabling the company to continue its expansion and adapt to changing technology demands, while also maintaining high standards of customer service.
The Requirements
Graeme Marshall, Regional Service Manager, Computer Associates, EMEA, explains: “We needed to be sure that the solution we selected fulfilled a number of key business aims. Our principle considerations combined the need for a futurist solution with a requirement for a system that could be installed easily and brought online quickly so that the transfer to new premises would be as seamless as possible for our clients.
“We also wanted to develop a network that could support high-speed voice and data transfer so that all the applications we currently run, or plan to run in the future, perform to their optimum capacities – keeping the company responsive and efficient.”
To meet these needs, Installation Technology designed and installed a high-speed voice and data network based on Avaya’s Category 6 SYSTIMAX GigaSPEED solution, supplied by Anixter. The network now provides Computer Associates with data transfer speeds of up to 1.2 Gigabits per second enabling the company’s key applications to operate with improved efficiency.
The first phase of the project involved fixing the structured cabling network onto the steel framework and concrete of the building. Once the cabling backbone was completed, the second phase of the implementation involved installing wire outlets to floor boxes. The installation was finally completed in November 1999 with the connection of PCs to desktops and telephone lines to desks. In total 10,000 outlets were installed over 16 weeks.
The Results
Ian Parris, Operations Director, Installation Technology, explains: “The
new system has revolutionised the way Computer Associates’ headquarters
is able to conduct business. Its previous office’s cabling
network was about 10 years old and was being pushed to its limits. Computer
Associates’ high speed network gives the company a much greater
bandwidth. Furthermore, employees are now able to hot-desk. They
are simply issued with a PIN number for access to their voicemail and
because each desk has four outlets to share voice and data, staff can
plug in their laptops virtually anywhere in the office.
“In addition, Installation Technology has provided Computer Associates
with dedicated help-desk support. This means that any network queries can be
dealt with quickly and efficiently,” adds Parris.
Graeme Marshall comments: “As always, Installation Technology went that extra mile to get the job done. We were confident enough in the company to let its project team leaders and managers handle any arising issues by themselves. Similarly, Anixter ensured that there were no logistical hold-ups and we found their level of commitment and dedication very impressive.
“Applications currently running on the new cabling system include ISDN, Avaya Definity Voice Switch and 100Base-T Ethernet. Computer Associates is also developing new applications for the Internet, such as Web-based training and quality management, so our network needs to be able to support the extra data coming in. The Avaya SYSTIMAX GigaSPEED solution was the best product on the market for our specific needs,” concludes Marshall.
The Future
Installation Technology is currently working on the cabling infrastructure for Computer Associates’ advanced European training and conference facility at nearby historic Ditton Manor. The Victorian castle, which was bought from the Ministry of Defence, is being connected via fibre cabling to the main office building.
Rachel Ward, SYSTIMAX Structured Cabling Solutions Product Marketing Manager for Anixter UK, concludes: “Avaya’s SYSTIMAX GigaSPEED solution has proven once again that it can provide immediate, tangible benefits by giving companies with a solid IT base the support for both new and existing software and hardware applications. It has also helped Computer Associates revolutionise its working methods.”