NetStar to support and manage Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety network

NetStar’s 24x7 support solution for Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety combines the expertise of a dedicated team of support engineers at NetStar’s Global NetCentre (GNC) facility in North Ryde with its custom-built real time monitoring system, nVisage.

The GNC, an expert team of specialist engineers, monitors the network, analyses data, and responds to faults and network-related issues. The Web-based monitoring software is accessible by the customer: Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety sees exactly what NetStar’s engineers see in real time and can monitor the progress of any problem resolution, providing transparency into service delivery and fault resolution. The system has a dashboard-style interface with a fully integrated set of alert-handling procedures.

David Whitaker, IT Manager, Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety, said: “With a large and diverse infrastructure, our emphasis is on maximising the security and stability of the network. Using highly skilled, specialist staff from NetStar enables the efficient and effective management of a complex network. Outsourcing the network management also allows for a better skill mix in our own IT team, so they can focus on service delivery to internal customers rather than the day-to-day tasks of managing the network.

“We looked at a number of management solutions, most of which featured an array of interlinked tools. In choosing NetStar we were choosing an integrated solution which delivered a highly skilled team of managers and a greater degree of clarity and transparency on the status of the network at any one time.”

The solution includes a range of tools that provide high-level, detailed reporting on network performance. The secure web interface displays a range of network status indicators, has a repository of metrics-based diagrams, and fully integrated escalation procedures.

Problem alerts are assessed by the GNC team who initiate fixes and coordinate all resources, including any on site third party providers, as necessary. Alerts are funnelled through an escalation procedure within the nVisage system, which facilitates advanced call management and escalation systems with quality processes in reporting.

Data on trends, issues and outages is generated and compiled by the system which is then analysed by the GNC team whose engineers interpret the data and provide a set of recommendations.

“Our reports are regularly presented to and then discussed with the customer. We’re not simply handing over a lengthy report each month but providing in-depth analysis and a set of recommendations for action. We’re using the experience of our GNC engineers to provide a quality service and a range of solutions to our customers,” said Grant Osfield, Senior Account Manager, NetStar Australia.

Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety, best known for its J Blackwoods business, supplies industrial and engineering products to retail and commercial customers. The Industrial and Safety division has 3,300 staff in Australia and New Zealand with sales of over $1.1 billion per annum.

ABOUT NETSTARLOGICALIS

NetstarLogicalis is part of the Logicalis Group, which is a division of Datatec Limited (DTC), a $4.2 billion multi-national Group listed on the AIM market of the LSE and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. NetstarLogicalis offers a complete range of end-to-end solutions for converged data, security and Data Centre infrastructure. NetstarLogicalis’ state-of-the-art network management facilities help customers reduce the cost of managing their infrastructure. Our goal is to help customers better run their business, leveraging our proven networking and Data Centre expertise and experience.

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