Systems & Network Engineer at West Morris Regional High School District
Real User
2021-11-02T18:33:00Z
Nov 2, 2021
We needed an offsite backup storage location that was not tied to our network in the traditional sense of copying and pasting raw file data. We needed some sort of system to house our server backups, detached from our network, so that ransomware wouldn't be able to connect to it and infect it. External USB drives or network shares at other locations that we have, other schools, could still get infected by ransomware. That is why we wanted to do an AWS S3 bucket and dump our backups on it. We used CDWs Managed Cloud Services to get us connected with the S3 bucket. We now have our backups off-site there, and we don't have to worry about them. We also wanted the ability to use high-end, extensive applications like graphic arts, video editing, and technical engineering—things like Autodesk and CAD—on low-performance machines. In particular, we wanted that ability for Chromebook because that is what we have for all our students. The idea was that if we were going to be in this COVID situation with half the kids at home and half in class, how could we give them the ability to work on their CAD projects at home and not be tethered to a lab? The other consideration was that we didn't want to spend double the money achieving that goal. So we asked ourselves, "Can we remove the labs and not replenish them with new, updated computers?" We worked out the numbers and went with AWS AppStream so that we could utilize the Chromebooks that we were already purchasing for the students and they wouldn't need a lab. They could just sit down with the Chromebook, plug it into an external monitor, and get all the big-screen real estate using the power of AppStream to do their production. We also put our fiber backbone upgrade out for bid, and CDW won it. That is the only infrastructure piece that we outsource because it's so expensive and labor-intensive; we just don't have time to do it. We use CDW Managed Services for that. In addition, we use CDW Managed Services for installations of things like our projectors. We had every classroom outfitted with a projector and mount, and CDW ran the wiring and hooked them all up.
We are 100% cloud-based. We had some applications that required a server, so we set up an Azure Cloud to handle those applications. CDW recommended their Managed Cloud Services. They helped us set it up, then monitor it, which has been a big help.
Sr. Manager, IT Infrastructure & Security at a pharma/biotech company with 201-500 employees
Real User
2021-10-19T13:52:00Z
Oct 19, 2021
With CDW Managed Cloud Services, at first, we just wanted to get a quick jump-start on an anticipated project for new technology, but then it morphed into more of a service where we could be apprised of issues before they happen. We like that. Our environment is mostly EC2 with a couple of RDS instances and maybe an FSx.
I am the only IT presence at Bolger Brothers. I can't possibly do everything for every aspect of the organization. I have to be kind of above it so I can't dive too deep because that takes too much time. In the 16 years that I have been working with CDW, I have learned that they have the expertise and resources. Therefore, I can push off some of the more mundane day-to-day stuff and keep running tasks. This is one of those situations where I know I can trust them to keep things running and advise me of best practices. As the environment changes, e.g., our cloud solution and the IT roadmap in general, security practices change. I can't possibly keep up with it all. This service is just another resource to lean on. For managed services, we have them for two aspects: Office 365 and Amazon WorkSpaces. I am very familiar with Office. I have used that since it was a beta product at my previous job. I was not so familiar with WorkSpaces. Both environments were created prior to me joining. I really didn't have much input. So, I really inherited them. With Office 365, I can get in, change things, and be an administrator. I really don't have to lean on CDW too much for it. They are more for if I need a direct contact with Microsoft rather than having me go through a queue. They have resources they can ping directly. With WorkSpaces, I lean on them quite heavily. That is for the entire Amazon sphere. This is because WorkSpaces is a huge monster. There are all sorts of plugins. There are apps going in and APIs going out. This was created by a previous vendor for Bolgers Brothers so I didn't really get to see behind the curtain on this too much.
CDW Managed Cloud Services is an all-around cloud management service. This service is used to manage, integrate and migrate cloud platforms such as Office 365, Amazon WorkSpaces, and Microsoft Azure Cloud, to name a few. In addition to the cloud management service, CDW Managed Cloud Services as well helps users design and set up platforms upon request. This service helps users keep their platforms running smoothly and advises the best practices to its users. Users can lean on this service as...
We needed an offsite backup storage location that was not tied to our network in the traditional sense of copying and pasting raw file data. We needed some sort of system to house our server backups, detached from our network, so that ransomware wouldn't be able to connect to it and infect it. External USB drives or network shares at other locations that we have, other schools, could still get infected by ransomware. That is why we wanted to do an AWS S3 bucket and dump our backups on it. We used CDWs Managed Cloud Services to get us connected with the S3 bucket. We now have our backups off-site there, and we don't have to worry about them. We also wanted the ability to use high-end, extensive applications like graphic arts, video editing, and technical engineering—things like Autodesk and CAD—on low-performance machines. In particular, we wanted that ability for Chromebook because that is what we have for all our students. The idea was that if we were going to be in this COVID situation with half the kids at home and half in class, how could we give them the ability to work on their CAD projects at home and not be tethered to a lab? The other consideration was that we didn't want to spend double the money achieving that goal. So we asked ourselves, "Can we remove the labs and not replenish them with new, updated computers?" We worked out the numbers and went with AWS AppStream so that we could utilize the Chromebooks that we were already purchasing for the students and they wouldn't need a lab. They could just sit down with the Chromebook, plug it into an external monitor, and get all the big-screen real estate using the power of AppStream to do their production. We also put our fiber backbone upgrade out for bid, and CDW won it. That is the only infrastructure piece that we outsource because it's so expensive and labor-intensive; we just don't have time to do it. We use CDW Managed Services for that. In addition, we use CDW Managed Services for installations of things like our projectors. We had every classroom outfitted with a projector and mount, and CDW ran the wiring and hooked them all up.
We are 100% cloud-based. We had some applications that required a server, so we set up an Azure Cloud to handle those applications. CDW recommended their Managed Cloud Services. They helped us set it up, then monitor it, which has been a big help.
With CDW Managed Cloud Services, at first, we just wanted to get a quick jump-start on an anticipated project for new technology, but then it morphed into more of a service where we could be apprised of issues before they happen. We like that. Our environment is mostly EC2 with a couple of RDS instances and maybe an FSx.
I am the only IT presence at Bolger Brothers. I can't possibly do everything for every aspect of the organization. I have to be kind of above it so I can't dive too deep because that takes too much time. In the 16 years that I have been working with CDW, I have learned that they have the expertise and resources. Therefore, I can push off some of the more mundane day-to-day stuff and keep running tasks. This is one of those situations where I know I can trust them to keep things running and advise me of best practices. As the environment changes, e.g., our cloud solution and the IT roadmap in general, security practices change. I can't possibly keep up with it all. This service is just another resource to lean on. For managed services, we have them for two aspects: Office 365 and Amazon WorkSpaces. I am very familiar with Office. I have used that since it was a beta product at my previous job. I was not so familiar with WorkSpaces. Both environments were created prior to me joining. I really didn't have much input. So, I really inherited them. With Office 365, I can get in, change things, and be an administrator. I really don't have to lean on CDW too much for it. They are more for if I need a direct contact with Microsoft rather than having me go through a queue. They have resources they can ping directly. With WorkSpaces, I lean on them quite heavily. That is for the entire Amazon sphere. This is because WorkSpaces is a huge monster. There are all sorts of plugins. There are apps going in and APIs going out. This was created by a previous vendor for Bolgers Brothers so I didn't really get to see behind the curtain on this too much.