Windows Small Business Server 2008
Customer Solution Case Study
Personalised Care Provider Cuts Downtime
and Boosts Security with Server Update
“The main difference with Windows Small Business
Customer: Family Circle Care
Web Site: www.familycircles.org Server 2008 is that everything is faster and we don’t
Number of Employees: 200
Country or Region: Scotland
have to reboot computers. We also have peace of mind
Industry: Healthcare industry— over the security of client data.”
Healthcare providers
Lynda Graham, Office Manager, Family Circle Care
Partner: Network ROI
Customer Profile
Family Circle Care, a provider of personalised healthcare
Family Circle Care provides
personalised care services 24 hours a services, needed modern communications to support its 200
day, seven days a week to older people
staff. Its existing system was no longer fit for purpose and
and adults with disabilities who live in
Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. experienced frequent downtime. Family Circle Care migrated to
Windows® Small Business Server 2008 with Terminal Services. It
Software and Services now has a highly available system providing remote access for
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
core staff and branch offices with potential to take advantage of
− Windows Small Business Server
2008 Premium virtualisation.
− Microsoft Hyper-V Server
Technologies
− Terminal Services
Business Needs highly dependent on IT to ensure that
As an organisation providing round-the- its carers receive timely and relevant
clock care for older people and adults information about their assigned care
with disabilities, Family Circle Care is tasks.
proud of its reputation for delivering
highly personalised care services to By the second quarter of 2008, it was
vulnerable clients. The Scotland-based apparent that the organisation’s IT
company provides agency carers to estate was outdated, with hardware that
residential homes, care homes, was more than five years old. Lynda
individual clients, and nurseries. Most of Graham, Office Manager at Family Circle
its care workers work remotely or from Care, says: “We reached a point where
For more information about other home while most administration staff we were rebooting computers at least
Microsoft customer successes, please visit: are office based. With two offices and a once a week because they would freeze.
www.microsoft.com/casestudies third about to open, Family Circle Care is We couldn’t access critical information
because printers and the e-mail system connection needed to be fast and same. The main difference with
would crash nearly every Friday reliable.” Windows Small Business Server 2008 is
afternoon, when we were busiest.” that everything is faster and we don’t
Network ROI migrated the have to reboot computers. We also have
Family Circle Care decided to look for organisation’s broadband asymmetric peace of mind over the security of client
another IT support company. Graham digital subscriber line to a faster and data.”
says: “With the previous system we could more reliable provider, giving Family
waste a whole afternoon because of lack Circle Care better performance. Batty Experienced partner familiar with
of access to the database for keeping says: “Because Windows Small Business healthcare industry. As a Microsoft
track of clients, staff, and rotas. We had Server 2008 can run virtualised under partner, Network ROI brought its
clients phoning up to ask us questions, Microsoft Hyper-V Server, if either of the experience with Microsoft technology
but unless we could reboot quickly we servers suffers hardware failure, or is to the project. It is also highly familiar
had no information to give people.” damaged, we can quickly supply a new with the healthcare industry, having
Hyper-V host server and restore the three other customers in the same
In addition, Family Circle Care did not company’s servers within a few hours.” sector.
have weekend support from its existing Simplified administration improves
supplier and incurred additional costs for The migration, which was completed in efficiency. Family Circle Care now has
out-of-hours support. Finally, a single day, has given Family Circle a single point of contact for IT
communication with branch offices was Care a much more reliable IT system to support instead of using another
through a virtual private network and support its everyday work and resource at weekends. Graham says:
updating just one client record could take accommodate future expansion. Batty “The previous company was only
20 seconds or so, causing frustration and says: “It’s been stable since the new open from 09:00 to 18:00 on week
delay. server went live. The Remote Web days, which was a big restraint.
Workplace feature of Windows Small Network ROI is more efficient and
Solution Business Server 2008 has been flexible with its hours.”
Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner particularly useful because the office- Interoperability with IT assets.
Network ROI took on Family Circle Care based staff couldn’t access their Windows Small Business Server 2008
as a managed service client and migrated computers remotely before. For the with Terminal Services is designed to
its outdated software to Windows Small managing director and the accountants, work with existing technology, such as
Business Server 2008 Premium, which is access to their own computer desktops Sage accounting software, which is
specifically designed for small businesses has been invaluable.” used by Family Circle Care.
and includes software to run on a second Time savings from server support
server. By using Terminal Services on the Benefits deal. Family Circle Care no longer
second server, users can access a Family Circle Care is no longer loses access to its critical information
Terminal Services desktop and use experiencing downtime because of through server downtime. Graham
Windows-based programs from outside server and network failures. The features says: “Before, when the system went
the company. of Windows Small Business Server 2008, down, it was out of action for quite a
with Terminal Services, have improved few hours—sometimes the whole day.
Ian Batty, Head of Technical Services, productivity within branch offices. The Our new system offers us reliability
Network ROI, says: “By putting the potential exists to introduce and security with the capacity to
terminal server at the disposal of the virtualisation. Clients now receive a expand in the future.”
remote offices, application performance more reliable and personalised service
is now as fast as in the main office. But whenever they ask for information.
because remote users are dependent on Graham says: “The actual administrative
the terminal server, the Internet software packages we are using are the
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published October 2009