Our customers’ stories:
IT success is the
common denominator

Case Studies

XBASE Technologies does more than just keeping the systems up and running. We strive to become a trusted partner and an integral part of your team. The following cases highlight how XBASE works closely with your team to get to know the ins and outs of your business. This allows us to create the best fitting solutions and supporting services for your requirements.

Take a look at the following case studies to see how XBASE brings value to our clients.

Img-JDSmith-Logo

J.D. Smith and XBASE Technologies Partner to Keep on Trucking

The Company

“Today, more than 300 North American companies — from beauty product to dangerous goods providers, food services to high-tech — look to J.D. Smith for award-winning, customized logistics solutions. Backed by state-of-the-art logistics management technologies and guided by strong key performance measures and ISO standards, J.D. Smith is your gateway in and around the Canadian marketplace”

The Problem:

JD Smith needed a managed service provider that had established expertise working with medium-sized companies, possessed real depth of experience and had the systems that could handle their business going into the future.

The XBASE Solution:

XBASE Technologies answered all those criteria while also possessing an additional advantage over its competitors; before forming XBASE with partner Robin Chow in 1988, Stuart Demeter had provided IT services to J.D. Smith as a freelancer. XBASE is still working with J.D. Smith to provide high quality, full IT services for over 35+ years.

XBASE’s role at J.D. Smith is to ensure that all IT operations run smoothly and manage its IT services costs at a fraction of the cost to establish and run its own IT department – and without the headaches!

These services include:

  • Trouble-shooting the company’s desktop network
  • Data administration
  • Server maintenance
  • Integrating the on-site and off-site aspects of the company’s warehousing business to ensure that inventory and deliveries are in sync
  • Ensures that the Electronic Data Interface (EDI) and radio frequency systems that coordinate pick-up and storage are in top working order at all times.

The Management of these functions are usually handled on-line, but XBASE provides technicians around-the-clock to handle problems on-site when necessary. In addition, unlike many IT service providers, J.D. Smith’s agreement with XBASE is very flexible. They’re able to adjust their service level to meet specific long-or short-term requirements that might arise when a customer has a special, possibly seasonal, need that must be considered.


Img-JVS-Toronto-Logo

The Company:

JVS Toronto is a non-profit non-sectarian organization that partners with the government and business sectors to help people succeed at school, work and life. JVS Toronto helps people succeed by providing outstanding employment, social and educational services which meet the changing needs of the diverse communities they serve, building on their experience serving the Jewish community. Their services are currently accessible to the community at large. Since their inception, they have helped more than 400,000 people fulfill their potential

The Problem:

JVS Toronto’s technology needs are diverse and critical to the efficient operation of the organization. These needs include:

  • Internal and external email
  • The Internet for research
  • Extensive intranet and an informative website for disseminating information
  • Shared databases for confidential client, employer, and staff information
  • Software applications which are used for everything from record-keeping, reporting, to staff lists, payroll, and accounting

The hardware and networking environment includes hundreds of desktops, portable computers and other devices. These devices, amongst other uses, are available for job searches by walk-in clients at several Employment Resource Centres (ERC’s). In 2006 JVS undertook a strategic review of its technology usage due to their extraordinary growth in programs, locations, and staff. It became clear that the agency was increasingly dependent on consistent, dependable, secure operations and support for its operations. This resulted in JVS issuing a comprehensive RFP and went through an extensive review and comparison process.

The Solution:

JVS awarded the contract to XBASE Technologies and together we developed the scope, guidelines, tasks, budget, and schedules required for the successful completion of the transition. Several complex projects were necessary.

XBASE implemented:

  • A comprehensive and consistent backup strategy and new backup facilities
  • Replacement of UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) in several JVS locations
  • A new HVAC (air conditioning) for the central server room
  • Several server migrations
  • Updated licensing for the operating system, antivirus and backup software to comply with legal regulations

There were also some very unique requirements, such as the need to define a consistent environment for the PC’s which are available to the public at their ERC’s. This was needed to provide users with the facilities, Internet, email access and software needed to prepare resumes, perform job searches, and also to ensure controls were in place to inhibit access to inappropriate websites. In addition, this was all taking place during a period of massive agency growth, with several new locations being added and additional staff. This Transition to XBASE took place over a long weekend with the migration of VPN’s (Virtual Private Networks) for all locations and the cutover of email and web services. It continued with the cleanup of servers and desktop PC’s at the ERC locations, and was completed so that all locations were furnished with the new environment on Monday morning. The project was successfully accomplished both on time and within budget. The key to this success was the excellent ongoing communications that enabled JVS, XBASE executives, management, staff and relevant 3rd parties to contribute and be made aware of, issues and timetables. In addition, procedures were set up after transition that enabled JVS staff to easily report any problems or issues.


Img-Skyway-Canada-Logo

XBASE helps Skyway Canada put the infrastructure in place to reach new heights

The Company:

Skyway Canada Limited is one of the country’s leading providers of scaffold and shoring solutions. Their experience and expertise in the design, engineering, delivery and maintenance of their systems has set the highest industry standards for quality and safety. Skyway’s innovative approach to developing the right solution for every project ensures production efficiency, cost-effectiveness and on-time completion.

The Problem:

Skyway was in a work group environment and not taking advantage of the services a domain-based network would provide and IT best practices were not in place. Users were logging in locally to their PCs, there were no file and print servers in production, data was not being backed up properly, servers were being both over-loaded and under-utilized, inappropriate hardware was being used, and the list went on.

The only IT resource was very busy trying to document the environment while attempting to put out “fires” at the same time. As a result they spoke with several managed services providers regarding an infrastructure audit.

The Solution:

Skyway Canada was particularly impressed with XBASE’s professionalism and the level of detail and scope of their audit plan.

XBASE was able to quickly come in and perform the audit, identify all issues and recommend areas of improvement based on their criticalness. In just over a year, and with the assistance of XBASE, Skyway had virtualized almost all of its servers including exchange, BES, application servers, and domain controllers which also includes file/print server and DHCP services. The migration of their ERP system to Citrix and a proper backup strategy has also since been implemented. As a result, their infrastructure is more stable, secure, easier to manage, and better prepared for disaster recovery.

As part of a managed services agreement, XBASE also manages:

  • All of Skyway’s servers
  • Our corporate antivirus solution
  • Spam filtering
  • Remote desktop control software
  • Corporate backup solution
  • …and a list of other essential services at a fraction of the cost needed to keep a team in-house responsible for all of these services.

More importantly, their IT professional is able to focus on other responsibilities such as policies, procedures and exploring alternative IT solutions that Skyway can take advantage of.