Working with a company that’s anything but mainstream
DSS designed, built and now supports a worldwide IT infrastructure for one of the fastest-growing companies in one of the most exciting new industries.
Background
Mainstream Renewable Power develops, builds and operates wind, solar thermal and ocean current plants all over the world. The company is based in Dublin and has offices in Berlin, Chicago, Cape Town, Glasgow, London, Santiago and Toronto. Led by entrepreneurs Dr. Eddie O’Connor and Fintan Whelan, Mainstream has identified and recruited some of the most talented and experienced teams in the industry.
Mainstream is a very ambitious company and has a strong, clear vision: They see a future where economies can thrive, free from the restrictions of fossil fuels and the company is working towards creating a sustainable future for our world.
Technology plays a crucial part in Mainstream’s operations and is key to their plans for growth. There is a clear, concise vision for IT within the company – it’s all about usability, high availability and scalability delivered via proven technology.
Working closely with DSS, Mainstream has developed a global IT infrastructure strategy and vision based on consolidation across HP, Microsoft and Cisco platforms. DSS leveraged our long established partnerships with HP and Microsoft and added considerable technical expertise to design and deliver a global infrastructure that meets Mainstream’s needs. Now and in the future.
Solution
DSS worked with a number of key technology partners to design, implement and support a global ICT infrastructure for Mainstream. Our solution includes:
- Best in class HP Proliant servers and highly available HP EVA storage
- A robust and scalable virtual server platform based on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V with System Centre Virtual Machine Manager for management, administration and control
- An enterprise-wide Microsoft Windows 2008 Active Directory for user and resource administration, management and control
- An enterprise-wide email system using Microsoft Exchange 2007 including Outlook Web Access and Active Synch for mobility
- A highly available Microsoft SQLServer 2008 platform for Microsoft SharePoint and Dynamics ERP environments
- An enterprise data management solution based on Windows Server 2008 DFS for ArcView, WAsP and Windfarmer applications
- Microsoft System Centre Operations Manager 2007 and Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager 2007 for centralised monitoring and management of the computing environment
- Microsoft Data Protection Manager 2010 for file and sever level backups
- Microsoft ISA 2006 and Microsoft ForeFront for client, server and network security including secure remote access
- HP laptops, desktops, printers and plotters, refreshing the existing client base and printing environment with the very latest HP technology, including video conferencing, wireless and 3G together with worldwide warehousing, configuration and logistics from DSS
The implementation was completed across four continents in less than four months.
Result
Mainstream is a company built on advanced technology. ICT is crucial to their global operations and key to their growth. Second-best will never be good enough.
DSS has designed and implemented an infrastructure that provides every team member with the same, high-end, ultra-reliable PC, laptop, printing, e-mail, telecoms and video conferencing everywhere in the world. We support that infrastructure with a dedicated 24/7 helpdesk so that no matter whenever or wherever a problem occurs, Mainstream knows that DSS is there to help immediately.
Crucial to the successful implementation of the strategy for the project has been the strong partnerships that DSS has nurtured since 1985. With access to emerging technology, new solutions and the best international advice from the biggest names in the business, we were able to do things for Mainstream that no other technology partner could do.
'Performance is so important to Mainstream because their team members are all highly skilled and need this technology in the field, on a variety of platforms with a range of applications,' says Richard Nolan, Managing Director of DSS. 'Response times are very important and reliability is absolutely key. We are very proud of the fact that we could roll-out this enterprise class solution all around the world within a very tight timescale of just 3 months.'
'We are very impressed with how well DSS stepped up to the mark' adds John Shaw, Head of Information Services at Mainstream. 'They brought considerable technical expertise to the project, coordinated everything, installed everything and now support a superb ICT infrastructure across 4 continents. A challenging project delivered with flawless execution.'
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Mainstream Renewable Power - Solutions