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Industry
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Hardware Distribution
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Customer
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INTCOMEX
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Product
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PowerTerm WebConnect
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The Challenge
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To centralize the management of the host connection to their main ERP system.
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The Solution
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Ericom's PowerTerm WebConnect provides INTCOMEX with secure, efficient, local and remote access to the organization's ERP system that is easy to deploy and manage.
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Benefits
- Super scalable: enables up to 2500 users to gradually be added to one server
- Remote Desktop Support tool enables IT staff to provide fast, real-time user support and trouble-shooting, enhancing productivity
- Centralized management simplifies deployment and maintenance
- PowerTerm WebConnect's small footprint reduces hardware requirements, thereby lowering costs and maintenance overhead
- Users can access applications on-demand from any of the company's 18 locations
IT Environment & Applications:
- Two Windows 2003 servers
- Sentai Inventory Management Software for Distributors running on Unix
- Desktops with Microsoft Windows XP OS
Background
INTCOMEX is a premier distributor of computer hardware in Latin America and the Caribbean, with distribution operations throughout the region, and a main distribution center in Miami. The company employs more than 1300 people throughout 18 locations in 13 countries.
According to Joseph Bouhadana, INTCOMEX Corporate IT Director, the company is in the process of deploying an enterprise-wide centralized ERP system. They needed a solution that would provide users with local and remote access to their Sentai Inventory Management Software for Distributors, a Unix-based ERP application.
PowerTerm WebConnect - The Alternative to Citrix
"Our top priority was to find a solution that would enable us to provide secure, efficient access to our critical business applications. It needed to be easy to deploy and manage," explained Joseph.
"The system is the backbone of our organization. Almost everyone within the company needs to access it - purchasing, sales, the warehouse and accounting."
For almost a decade, INTCOMEX had been using a combination of Citrix servers and a direct terminal emulator client for accessing their applications.
"We used seven connection servers, and the number was growing," said Joseph.
"With the deployment of our new ERP system, this solution was becoming too costly, and server maintenance was becoming too complicated. That's when we decided to look for a web-based solution and found Ericom."
Secure, Efficient Enterprise-Wide Application Access
Following an extensive testing phase of several products, INTCOMEX chose Ericom's PowerTerm WebConnect.
"We found that PowerTerm WebConnect was more mature than the other products in terms of security and stability," said Joseph. INTCOMEX tested PowerTerm WebConnect during the installation phase of the ERP system in the Costa Rica office.
"Deployment, installation and configuration was so quick and easy. It took just a few days to rollout. We also integrated PowerTerm WebConnect with our intranet, and that was also very simple to do." said Joseph.
"We were also highly impressed with Ericom's Remote Desktop Support tool," recalled Joseph.
"The remote assistance helps us provide better support, and enables us to raise the level of user satisfaction. That's our main concern and first objective."
The remote assistance feature allows users at any location to raise an issue, open a ticket, or call INTCOMEX's service desk in Miami.
"Through the administration console we can take over a user's session and over the phone we go over the issue, train them in how to resolve the problem, or how to close a transaction," said Joseph.
"With an IT staff of 25 supporting over 1300 users spread across such a wide area, PowerTerm WebConnect definitely helps ease our workload."
INTCOMEX currently has 500 users in six of the company's distribution centers accessing their system via PowerTerm WebConnect. Users connect from their desktops via a web-browser or through the organization's intranet. As deployment of the ERP system expands to more offices, more users will be added.
With full deployment of the ERP system expected within the year, INTCOMEX has already seen a return on investment with PowerTerm WebConnect.
"We currently run one server for 300 users, and PowerTerm WebConnect enables us to scale up to 2500 users on that one server. We don't need a farm of 20 servers for 2000 users. That's a very big benefit. With our old system, we had eight servers dedicated just for connection - a big waste of resources," stated Joseph.
"Also, PowerTerm WebConnect is a mature product in terms of stability, so we're experiencing less connection crashing. This, together with the remote user support tool for managing users and providing support, has helped us in improve user productivity."
