Association of European Businesses (AEB) in the Russian Federation has been cooperating with ALP Group for more than three years. During this time, experts of this IT company not only successfully implemented a variety of projects, including modernization of the IT infrastructure and technical support of the activities of the Association, but also built a comprehensive system for IT support of key services of our company and interaction with users of these services.
In September 2017, we faced the need to move to a new office in the shortest possible time. As our IT partner, ALP Group was informed three months before the move, however, our requirements for the new premises resulted in the fact that most of the planned time was spent looking for a suitable option. We regularly hold conferences with the participation of foreign experts. Therefore, we needed not just a luxury office, but an office with spacious conference rooms equipped using the latest technology — to hold meetings with our partners and major international events.
Preparation for moving to a new office and transferring IT infrastructure
Initially, we assumed that the IT infrastructure that was deployed earlier in cooperation with ALP Group will be transferred to the new office without any changes. The main task of ALP was to quickly transport all equipment to the new building, install and connect it without interfering with the work of employees. It is important to note that ALP Group has extensive experience in implementing similar projects, and its employees recommended that we perform all necessary work on the weekend so as not to interrupt the normal conduct of the company's business.
Launch of a parallel project in the field of telephony
In addition, during the preparation for the move, we found out that the analog telephony service provider could not give us a straight answer about whether it would be able to support the existing system after transferring it to a new building. Also, it was not clear how long it would take to clarify the situation. Therefore, we asked ALP Group to implement another project simultaneously with the move — to implement a modern solution based on IP telephony technologies. This would allow us to continue to use existing phone numbers and not interrupt the work of our employees; in addition, we could get new functionality. ALP Group implemented two projects simultaneously, so we managed to significantly reduce costs.
Office relocation
We occupy premises on two floors, so the task was to equip the two offices and provide communication between them. ALP Group was to equip all workstations on both floors with the necessary tools and services, communication infrastructure and access to shared resources. They analyzed the possible amount of work in advance, purchased all necessary equipment and hired specialists to install structured cabling systems. This allowed them to speed up the connection of equipment, and our company was able to start working in new premises as soon as possible.
During the office relocation, ALP Group timely and correctly shut down the server equipment in the old office, and then ensured its installation and configuration in the new server cabinet. Our IT partner very responsibly and carefully approached the placement and connection of equipment in the new office. Experience and knowledge of ALP Group ensured the performance of all works in full and allowed us to avoid problems with connecting user workstations.
In addition to the main tasks related to the move, our contractor helped us to resolve some administrative issues, including interaction with existing and new service providers, working out office seating plans, etc.
Project deliverables
As part of the relocation project, ALP Group helped us to solve several additional tasks — we managed to quickly and easily switch to IP telephony at the most appropriate moment and get much better communication tools than those we used before. We also managed to improve the reliability and fault tolerance of our company's IT infrastructure.
Feedback
The move gave us a technological impulse for active development. Our modernized infrastructure will simplify and accelerate the development and scaling of our business. For example, new telephony technologies provided us with virtual rooms for an unlimited number of users. Previously, conference calls were organized and coordinated by the secretary, but today our employees simply follow the instructions from the email to join a group conversation.
While planning and developing projects on moving the IT infrastructure to a new office and replacing analog telephony with IP technology, ALP Group provided us with a large number of detailed and timely recommendations that allowed us to formulate the right requirements for the new infrastructure.
We want to note the high professionalism of ALP Group, their extensive experience in the field of IT, maximum attentive attitude to the tasks of international corporate customers, as well as their ability to quickly resolve technical, organizational and administrative issues.
Further steps
Our Association needs to ensure the integrity and security of corporate data. Our new office is equipped with a backup system that is installed on server hardware, as well as with centralized anti-virus protection. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the requirements for data security have changed significantly. Therefore, following consultations with ALP Group, we decided to deploy an additional data backup system. Scheduled migration will help us ensure the safety of mission critical information. We rely on the extensive expertise of our IT partner.
Reference
We readily recommend ALP Group to international companies and well-known business associations as a reliable IT partner that offers not only high-quality basic services, but also more sophisticated technological services. ALP Group employs a large number of experts and experienced IT professionals. We want to emphasize the knowledge and skills of Alexey Ivanov, an IT Manager at ALP Group who coordinates all the work in the framework of cooperation with our company.
About the Customer
The Association of European Businesses (AEB) is an independent non-profit association representing the interests of more than 600 multinational companies. Members of the Association are multinational corporations and medium and large businesses interested in strengthening economic ties between the EU and Russia, as well as in improving the investment climate in Russia.
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Frank Schauff