Computerworld Hong Kong - enterpriseinnovation.net

CASESTUDYAgeas eyes future with unified networkBut based on projected rising businessgrowth, Ageas HK decided to enhancethe performance and security of its wiredand wireless network by commissioninga comprehensive upgrade from providerH3C.Insurance firm supports expanding business with revamped wireless/wirednetworks with centralized security and management By Chee Sing ChanProblem: Isolated wirelessand wired networks meaninga lack of seamless roamingand burdensome network andsecurity managementSolution: Unified wirelessand wired network systemsfrom H3C with centralizedmanagement platformBenefit: Simplifiedmanagement with greatercapacity to support futurebusiness growth and improvedworker efficiencyChu from Ageas: The new WLAN systemalso had a positive impact on salesrevenue as it facilitated expansion andimproved consultants’ efficiencyAs one of Hong Kong’s largestlife insurance companies,Ageas HK employs around2,400 financial consultants operatingacross three locations across the territory.Ageas is headquartered in the UK,and is able to leverage global capabilitiesand expertise in delivering insuranceservices to local clients in HongKong.Mobility has become a key requirementof day-to-day business at AgeasHK. In addition to the usual mobile devicesthat staff use outside the office,there is also a critical demand to be mobilewithin the office. Ageas had previouslyinstalled wireless networks at itspremises to ensure that all staff and consultantsare able to serve clients withinthe office premises.Wireless isolationThe previous wireless system at itsLangham Place office in Mongkok,Kowloon, was made up of three isolatedwireless networks on each of its threefloors.According to Sunny Chu, seniormanager, IT Operations, InformationTechnology, Ageas HK, this made itimpossible for consultants to do wirelessroaming across different floorswithout changing settings. And sinceeach floor had its own access network,it wasn’t possible to have central securitycontrol. This meant that centralizedand unified wired/wireless networkmanagement wasn’t available—furtheradding to the workload of network administrators.“As our business grew we quicklycame to realize some key challenges thatcome with growth and expansion, particularlyaround supporting our consultants’increasing need for access to clientinformation and our product portfolio,”said Chu.“The isolated networks at each floorleft us with issues around reliability,stability and network security,” he said.“We very deliberately chose a solutionthat allowed for easy management of ournetwork with plenty of room to growwith our business,”Chu noted that it was during the startof 2010 that the company decided to24 Computerworld Hong Kong April 2011 www.cw.com.hk