IT Team Reduces Disaster Recovery to Just Three Days with Automated Deployment A!ter the !ire" it too# us a wee# to recover our $inu% system" &ut with Windows Server 2003" recovery is 'uic# and easy( We can solve routine pro&lems in less than hal! the time it used to ta#e() Syed *mar Anis" Applications Team $ead" +n,ro Engro, a fertiliser company based in Pakistan, uses SAP software to manage financial and human resources (HR) tasks !n "##$, two fires damaged ser%ers in the company&s data centre, including the 'inu( ser%er, which hosts the SAP software )he !) team spent more than a week restoring the operating system to guarantee access to this critical business application Employees introduced a new solution based on *indows Ser%er+ "##, Enterprise Edition, reducing the time spent on ser%er management and restoration, and better protecting the business -usiness .eeds +n,ro is the second/lar,est producer o! !ertilisers in 0a#istan and employs more than 2"000 people( +sta&lished in 1234 as the +sso 0a#istan 5ertiliser Company" the +n,ro ,roup includes other su&sidiaries and partnerships involved in ener,y" !ood" and industrial chemicals( With such a lar,e num&er o! employees handlin, hi,h volumes o! !inancial transactions every day" it is essential to have ro&ust IT systems( +n,ro needs enterprise mana,ement so!tware to simpli!y administration( +mployees use SA0 applications to administer their 6R procedures" such as producin, the payroll" and !or ,eneral accountin,7!or e%ample" authorisin, payments to suppliers( 8ana,ers can easily create and monitor payment schedules" chec# on the pro,ress o! !inancial transactions" and mana,e new starter tas#s" such as processin, &an# account and ta% details( Without access to SA0 so!tware" employees would have to handle accountin, manually" causin, delays and increasin, the possi&ility o! errors( IT administrators run a data centre to host the or,anisation9s data and line/o!/ &usiness applications( While most servers run Windows: operatin, systems" the server that hosted the SA0 application used Red 6at +nterprise $inu%" which re'uired the IT department to recruit specialised employees( In mid/200;" two !ires destroyed much o! the IT in!rastructure at the +n,ro head o!!ice( It was vital !or the IT recovery team to ,et the &usiness/critical systems up and runnin, as soon as possi&le" to avoid the company9s employees and customers losin, time and money( -ut the team !ound it di!!icult to ,et the $inu% server wor#in, a,ain( +mployees were !orced to use &ac#up systems" which too# time and resulted in a &ac#lo, o! wor#( Syed *mar Anis" Applications Team $ead at +n,ro" says< It too# us an entire wee# to restore the system and a&sor&ed most o! our IT resources( We also had to spend 0=R300"000 >*(S(?3";;3@ on e%ternal consultants() The IT team spent !ar more than e%pected ,ettin, the company9s in!rastructure runnin, a,ain( +n,ro had to ensure that it was protected" should disaster stri#e a,ain( Customer: +n,ro Chemicals 0a#istan Web Site: www(en,ro(com Number of Employees: 2"000 Country or Region: 0a#istan Industry: Chemicals Partner: SA0 0a#istan Customer Profile +n,ro is the second/lar,est producer o! !ertiliser in 0a#istan" employin, 1"000 people in its core chemicals &usiness( It has su&sidiaries in the ener,y and !ood mar#ets" with a !urther 1"000 employees( Software and Services 8icroso!t Server 0roduct 0ort!olio Windows Server 2003 +nterprise +dition Windows Aista Windows B0 0ro!essional visit< www(microso!t(comCresourcesCcasestudi es Solution In Dcto&er 200;" !ollowin, a second !ire at the +n,ro head o!!ice" Anis and the Application Development Team investi,ated alternatives to hostin, the company9s SA0 so!tware on a $inu% server( They decided to mi,rate the server runnin, SA0 !rom $inu% to the Windows Server 2003 +nterprise +dition operatin, system with Service 0ac# 2( With this solution" IT mana,ers can use the inte,rated &ac#up service to ma#e sure their !iles can &e recovered in the event o! a !ire or other disaster( +mployees can automatically install the operatin, systems on servers and client computers remotely usin, Windows Deployment Services( IT employees use &uilt/in tools to mana,e the server" and solve pro&lems &e!ore they a!!ect users( With the Active Directory: service" administrators can ,ive ,roups o! users access to separate data&ases and applications" and e!!ectively mana,e their security permissions( +mployees use the improved Eroup 0olicy 8ana,ement Tools to chan,e settin,s and install so!tware updates on client computers automatically( +mployees who used SA0 at the company already accessed the application usin, the Windows B0 0ro!essional and Windows Aista: operatin, systems( They were com!orta&le with the inter!ace and re'uired no e%tra trainin, to use the solution( In !act" most users don9t #now that we have chan,ed the operatin, system on the server") says Anis( Desi,n and implementation o! the solution was completed within !ive months( Anis says< We have a lot o! e%perience wor#in, with 8icroso!t systems( The technical support availa&le on the We& made the deployment as painless as possi&le() -ene!its .ow" employees at +n,ro can mana,e the IT in!rastructure more e!!ectively" and use their e%perience and !amiliarity with 8icroso!t: tools to solve pro&lems 'uic#ly( A!ter the !ire" it too# us a wee# to recover our $inu% system" &ut with Windows Server 2003" recovery is 'uic# and easy") says Anis( We can solve routine pro&lems in less than hal! the time it used to ta#e( 8ost importantly" we9re con!ident that we have !ar more dama,e protection should we e%perience a similar disaster in !uture() IT management is simpler The team can use one set o! tools to mana,e all the servers" with no need to mana,e a separate s#ill set( !isaster recovery is faster IT employees use remote mana,ement tools to 'uic#ly recover applications and data a!ter a catastrophe" reducin, the ris# o! !inancial loss or serious dama,e to the &usiness( Troubles"ooting is easier IT employees are more com!orta&le with the Windows environment" and solve pro&lems two times !aster than with the $inu% solution( #ess user training is re$uired +n,ro no lon,er has to invest in $inu% trainin, !or employees" and can easily o&tain specialist 8icroso!t technical support( !owntime is reduced The implementation team ran a disaster recovery e%ercise with the new system" and mana,ed to restore the system within three days( E%pensive consultants are not re$uired The company no lon,er needs to hire third/ party contractors to solve pro&lems" which reduces the money spent on resource overheads( &ser productivity is increased +mployees can access the SA0 system at all times and don9t have to mana,e the payroll and supplier payments usin, &ac#up systems( All ri,hts reserved( This case study is !or in!ormational purposes only( 8ICRDSD5T 8A=+S .D WARRA.TI+S" +B0R+SS DR I80$I+D" I. T6IS S*88ARF( Document pu&lished April 2002