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Elmet Technologies
In a small manufacturing company environment, efficiency and cost effectiveness are always priorities. Just ask Ray Page, IT Director at Elmet Technologies in Lewiston, Maine, manufacturer of high-performance metal materials, wire and lighting products.
“I manage a small staff that handles the day-to-day administration of our complex IT systems for its group of 100 users,” says Ray. “We’re always looking for ways to run our systems more efficiently and effectively. And when it comes to system growth, new installations or upgrades, we rely on Norton Lamb & Company.”
“We have a long-term relationship with the team at NLC,” continues Ray. “They understand us and our business environment, and they’re very good at bringing the right solutions to the table.”
In 2004 Elmet, then a division of Philips Electronics, was purchased by a former Philips executive. Terms of the agreement required the company to build and implement a new IT infrastructure within 90 days of its purchase. Norton Lamb & Company was instrumental in meeting the challenge.
Using an IBM e-server iSeries® as the foundation, NLC consolidated 17 Windows- and Novell-based servers into 7 integrated Windows servers under the iSeries umbrella. Elmet deployed thin client desktops across the company to reduce administrative overhead. With assistance from NLC’s Service Group, Elmet’s aggressive implementation timeline was met.
More recently, when Elmet was outgrowing its backup system capabilities, Norton Lamb & Company recommended a Storeserver® storage and data protection system. “Our old backup system took all night,” reports Ray, “and because the data was stored offsite, it was cumbersome to retrieve it if the need arose.”
With the new system, backup time was reduced from 8 hours to 2 1/2 hours. In addition, the backup includes both an onsite disk for immediate access of information, plus a duplicate offsite copy for disaster recovery purposes. “It’s more automated so our backup administration requirements are down significantly,” adds Ray, “plus our data is more secure than it’s ever been.”
“We couldn’t have done any of it without Norton Lamb & Company,” Ray concludes. “They’re more than just a vendor; they’re a true business partner.”