Project:  Voice over IP Assessment
Company:  Epworth Village, Inc.
Description: The client had purchased a new commercial VoIP PBX to interconnect multiple buildings in their campus environment and a small number of remote sites within approximately fifty miles of their campus.  The reliability was far less then acceptable with symptoms ranging from dropped calls, one-way audio, to other disruptions. The reseller had spent more then nine months attempting to resolve the problems with no real  improvements.  NPI was engaged to conduct an VoIP operational and performance assessment. The assessment indicated the client had been sold a system that was never intended to be used across Internet facilities.  In addition, the reseller had made no attempt to qualify the client's internal Local Area Network and Internet  facilities. The reseller subsequently removed the PBX and provided a full refund. A second reseller subsequently installed a more appropriate solution.
Duration:  8-to-16 hours
Business Drivers:  Traditional PBX resellers often times do not understand basic VoIP requirements and attempt to sell their latest solution or products into accounts that include multiple network infrastructure problems.  Had a basic assessment been completed, the reseller would have understood the issues and possibly would have sold the client a system more appropriate to their needs.
 

Project:  Network Wellness Study
Company:  Ruan Transportation Mgmt Systems, LM Berry Publishing, Escambia County (Florida), and others
Description:  Ruan had deployed thin-client workstations (WinTerm terminals) throughout the Des Moines corporate offices and in approximately 220 remote locations.  A new Cisco 5500 Catalyst Switch was recently installed with approximately 100 fast Ethernet ports.  Response Time had deteriorated to unacceptable levels and users were complaining.  Ruan elected to complete the Wellness Study in two phases: Local Area Network (Corporate), and, Wide Area Network.  NPI consultants obtained several packet traces and provided numerous corrective action suggestions.  Problems found included: 1) mis-configured Catalyst switch ports, 2) mis-configured 3Com switch ports, 3) overloaded 3Com Frame Relay router interface, 4) improper HP5L print drivers installed on NT print servers, 5) improper SQL database construction, and, 6) improper NT application construction of SQL database calls.  Each item was corrected or a temporary bypassed installed.  Response times improved and users were happy.
Duration:  6 weeks
Business Drivers: Users were not able to access business data in acceptable time frames and, frequently, printed reports would not appear until the following day.
Quotation: Thank you for your fine work with Ruan. You did an outstanding job in your presentation and the information shared was well received. I appreciate the opportunity to work with professionals and I commend you for your skills. 
 

Project:  Local Area Network Baseline and Health Checks
Company:  Various companies in AZ, CA, FL, IA, IL, MN, MO, NJ, NE, OH, TX, WS and others
Description:  Several companies have engaged NPI to identify unknown sources of problems, identify slow application response, baseline the usage of critical network resources, security audits, discovery of logical network configurations, and document the assets deployed in their corporate data network. Many of these projects were completed as professional business partners of CentronDPL, Cisco, Computer Associates (CA), Management Communciation Services (MCS), MSI, Network Associates Inc (NAI), Nortel, PKS Information Systems, Qwest and others.
Duration:  1 to 4 weeks depending on size of the corporate network
Business Drivers:  Typically driven by middle-to-senior level management that are either concerned with the internal support personnel abilities to identify and correct deficiencies, or with inadequate vendor support issues.
 

Project:  Network Security
Company:  Unnamed California brokerage firm
Description:  This unnamed brokerage firm provided back office brokerage services (e.g., stock trades, real-time quotes, accounting services, customer information storage) to 7,000 independent stockbrokers nationwide via the Internet.  The firm converted from one Internet Service Provider (ISP) to another and was upgrading internal software to new application versions when security issues were uncovered.  NPI was engaged and found security had been implemented in a reverse direction, allowing the entire Internet to access their data center facilities, while restricting approximately 300 internal employees from accessing external Internet based sites.  NPI unraveled the numerous changes that had been implemented by previous contractors/consultants over a four-month period, and implemented appropriate routing, firewall, and access restrictions to secure their data center.  In addition, NPI provided on-site expert-level personnel to assist the firm in diagnosing technical problems while they converted all 7,000 remote brokers to new application software simultaneously.
Duration:  4 weeks
Business Drivers:  The brokerage firm required a highly secure environment and would have lost its’ license to provide such services had the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) audited their facilities. 
 

Project: Network Vulnerability Assessments
Company: Unnamed utility company and others
Description:  The power company had deployed numerous automated systems to control and monitor the distribution of electrical power throughout their serving area.  The systems included IBM RS6000’s and Microsoft Win2000 servers with third-party application software and other vendor facilities.  The initial vulnerability assessment indicated over 80% of their servers were highly vulnerable and susceptible to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and other commonly circulated software intrusions.  NPI personnel identified the vulnerabilities and assisted employees with implementing hot fixes, patches and other corrective actions necessary to secure their network.  Follow-up scans were conducted to ensure each issue had been properly addressed.
Duration: 6 months
Business Drivers:  Although basic firewall and virus protection software had been implemented, management was growing increasingly concerned that numerous automated electrical control, distribution systems, and wireless facilities were less than secure and could cause employee injury or death under unusual conditions.
 

Project: Network Discovery & Documentation
Company: Viatel Inc. (Qwest)
Description:  Viatel provided businesses and consumers with a complete range of all-distance voice, data and Internet services with extensive facilities in Europe and the US.  The firm purchased Destia, a competing international carrier.  The Destia network engineering and support employees were not interested in transferring to New Jersey and sought employment elsewhere.  Viatel could not integrate Destia’s 100+ international Cisco-based sites into their network without appropriate network documentation.  As a Qwest professional services partner, NPI was engaged to discover and document the Destia network.  All sites were remotely discovered, inventoried, and schematic diagrams assembled.  The technical detail was provided to Viatel, and the integration of the networks initiated.
Duration: 2 weeks
Business Drivers:  Without supporting technical documentation, the integration of the two independent networks would have been near impossible as IP addressing conflicts, firewall configurations and other conflicts would have severally disrupted those efforts.
 

Project: Cisco Router Upgrade
Company: Sprint Cellular
Description:  Sprint Cellular wanted all of their older Cisco production routers upgraded to new models with only minimal outages.  Each new router was pre-configured, fully tested including every cable, and allowed to burn-in at our office to ensure a 100% installation success rate for the project.  The routers were shipped to each of 35 locations throughout the US.  NPI traveled to each location, verified proper configurations and operation, and swapped the old for new with less than a 60-second outage.
Duration: 7 weeks
Business Drivers:  Each of the routers were used to connect the Cellular Switching site to Sprint’s network control center in Chicago.  The communications facility was used to validate every roaming cellular phone call.  Any outage would negatively impact the ability of a roaming cellular user to place any form of cellular telephone call.  The upgrade needed to be well coordinated, properly configured the first time, and replaced with minimum disruption to the cellular user community.
 

Project: Install & Configure DSL & Wireless Internet – 3 Cities
Company: Cozad Telephone Company
Description:  Cozad Telephone provided local telephone and dialup Internet services to residents in this small farming community.  The board of directors approved a service expansion plan that included deployment of local DSL, and wireless Internet services in three bordering cities. The equipment was installed, configured, tuned and managed to telephone company standards.  NPI’s direct involvement with procurement resulted in significant hardware savings, and additional monthly recurring savings.  NPI developed installation and problem determination procedures allowing existing telephone installers to deploy the new services, negating the need for additional manpower. The customers’ satisfaction resulted in the approval of a 12-month technical support retainer at a rate well below the cost of a new hire.
Duration: On-going
Business Drivers:  The business managers wanted to deploy the new Internet services using telephone quality standards (near-zero troubles per 100).  Adding staff was a low priority as the cost of experienced personnel would have seriously impacted the return on investment.
 

Project:  UNIX System Administration
Company:  CADmazing Solutions, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA)
Description:  NPI provided all UNIX system administration functions to this integrated circuit design firm, many of their sub-contractors, and several of their customers on a remote basis.  Automated Point-to-Point (PPP) switched data configurations were implemented allowing transparent access to data and CAD drawings from remote locations throughout Silicon Valley.  In addition, several UNIX subsystems (e.g., Sendmail, Domain Name Services) were upgraded to current release levels, vendor sponsored software patches installed, and other support functions completed without NPI ever being on-site.
Duration:  2 years
Business Drivers:  UNIX System Administration expertise is expensive in the Silicon Valley area compared to Midwestern costs.  Given their business objective to provide remote system access to employees and subcontractors, extending the system admin functions to some distant location (Nebraska) was a cost saving commitment on their part.
Quotation:  NPI integrated our personal computers, UNIX systems, ISDN and Internet services to link us with our customers, contractors and telecommuting employees.  Their flexibility, skills and on-going support have been excellent.  Clif Schieck – CADmazing Solutions, Inc.
 

Project:  Upgrade Livingston Portmaster Terminal Servers
Company:  360 Communications
Description:  The Portmaster terminal servers were used by 360 Communications (cellular service provider) to interconnect numerous slow-speed serial interfaces from their remote cellular switches, call validation hardware, voice recognition system, and other control systems located in thirty-five cities across the US, back to their Network Operations Center (NOC) in Chicago.  The terminal servers had become unstable due to increased data activity, lack of software maintenance, lack of documentation, etc.  NPI was awarded the contract to upgrade the software and hardware on each of 45 terminal servers, trace and document all cable connections, and optimize performance of the device.  A 360 requirement was to complete the upgrade in no longer than six weeks as the peak sales season was about to begin and all network changes would be frozen for a period of several months.
Duration:  5 weeks
Business Drivers:  NPI was awarded the contract based on past professional history and our commitment to complete the contract in the required time frame.  IBM and HP offered competitive bids, however neither company could guarantee completion in the required time frame.
Quotation:  The planning, coordination, installation and documentation services provided by NPI has been of the highest standards.  Every project was completed with technical proficiency and the professionalism expected from a quality organization.  Gregg Sutfin, I.T. Director - Networking
 

Project:  Upgrade Corporate Network
Company:  National Utility Investors (New Jersey)
Description:  NPI was engaged to identify the source of mainframe response time problems.  Customer Service agents in Florida incurred 5-second to 110-second transaction response times.  Several network problems were identified ranging from a mis-configured frame relay network, to out of spec corporate network segments (300 workstations in a single collision domain and 8 hubs daisy-chained together).  The entire network was upgraded from Banyan Vines to NT, frame relay provider was replaced, all FRADs replaced with routers, nine new remote sites added, a Firewall and Internet access installed, and all workstations upgraded to a current Windows release.  PeopleSoft financial applications with an Oracle database were added.
Duration:  6 months
Business Drivers:  Corporate management understood the business value of a functional data network and invested in the resources necessary to support their data access needs.  The project was directed by PKS Information Systems, however PKS did not have the network staff and expertise necessary to design and implement NUI’s requirements.
 

Project:  Network Timeout Resolution
Company:  West Interactive Telemarketing
Description:  The West Interactive Corporation uses large quantities of SCO Unix machines to interact with telemarketing targets (e.g., homes and businesses) through prerecorded digital voice announcements and voice recognition equipment for high-volume direct marketing.  The SCO machines digitally record customer responses, and transmitted those responses over LAN and WAN facilities to centralized audio transcription devices.  Network Partners was engaged to identify the source of network timeouts impacting the UDP transmissions of customer responses.  The data flows and equipment configurations were analyzed and the source of the timeouts identified.
Duration:  2 weeks
Business Drivers:  This highly competitive telemarketing business could not provide reliable marketing services to its’ customers with intermittent network failures.
 

Project:  Correct Gas Control Network deficiencies
Company:  National Utility Investors (New Jersey)
Description:  NPI was engaged to identify and correct the source of slow and intermittent network connections between NUI’s centralized natural gas control center (in Newark NJ) and their remote site gas control substations located throughout the United States.  NUI became very concerned about legal liabilities should a natural gas explosion occur at any of these remote substations.  The Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) control systems use of DEC’s proprietary LAT protocol, improperly configured and tuned VAX processing systems, and misconfigured SCADA application program definitions were identified as the source of problems.  NPI personnel upgraded the gas control facilities to use the newly installed NUI corporate network; upgraded all local and remote systems from LAT to TCP/IP; established alternate network and dial-backup facilities; tuned several of the VAX processing systems; and, worked with the application vendor to properly define machine and substation relationships. Several of NUI’s substations were located in high-visibility and heavily populated metropolitan areas such as Newark and areas surrounding Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
Duration:  3 months
Business Drivers:  Corporate management was becoming increasingly concerned with legal liabilities should the cause of a natural gas explosion result from the inadequate control systems in use by the corporation.
 

Project:  Wide Area Network Baselines and Health Checks
Company:  Various companies in AZ, CA, FL, IA, MN, NJ, NE, OH, TX, WS and others
Description:  Several companies have engaged NPI to identify unknown sources of problems, frame relay congestion, point-to-point circuit issues, mis-configured routers, and other deficiencies causing slowness or lack of connectivity.  In addition, baselines of critical PVCs and other network resources were created. As with Local Area Networks, the WAN projects always generate professional full-color documentation, which is provided to customers in both printed and machine-readable formats.
Duration:  1-day to several weeks
Business Drivers: Typically driven by middle-to-senior level management that were somewhat concerned with the internal support personnel abilities to identify and correct deficiencies.
 

Project:  Frame Relay Network Analysis
Company:  Inacom, Ruan Transportation Mgmt Systems, and others
Description: Frame Relay costs are directly related to the network engineers’ best guess of the bandwidth required between two points in a network.  Frequently the best guess is not accurate and most companies do not monitor their bandwidth requirements on any regular basis.  Growth in the number of applications (and therefore bandwidth requirements) slowly begins to impact the end user’s ability to access data. NPI has been engaged by various corporations to identify the cause for frame relay slowness and other performance issues.  Corporate networks ranging in size from two or three Private Virtual Circuits (PVCs) to several hundred PVCs have been analyzed.  Several of these projects were oriented around the company’s intention to provide Voice over Frame Relay type services.  Professional baseline documents are provided to the customer in both printed and machine-readable formats, complete with formal PowerPoint management presentations.
Duration:  Typically 2 to 4 weeks, depending on size of network
Business Drivers: Middle-to-senior level management become involved with end user’s complaints, and outside unbiased sources are engaged to identify the source of user complaints. In selected cases, confidential employee evaluations have been requested by management.
 

Project:  Network Hardware Installation
Company:  Compaq/HP, 360 Communications, and others
Description:  These tend to be short-duration well-understood projects based on the customer’s network engineering documents, with all materials provided by the customer.  Installations have ranged from small quantities of hardware, to full site installations of multiple routers, switches, hubs and NT/Win2k servers.  Past projects have included Nortel and Cisco devices in addition to many other vendor’s hardware. Projects have included Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, ATM, Frame Relay, Point-to-Point, fiber, copper as well as other resources.
Duration:  1-day to several weeks
Business Drivers:  Small network organizations do not have the human resources to address the installation of unusually large projects, some one-time projects, or projects that require a complete installation in a short period of time.
 

Project:  Network Health Check
Company:  Methodist Hospital and others.
Description:  Methodist had upgraded their many internal Token Ring networks to include five Bay Networks C100 Switches with 155 meg fiber optic ATM full-mesh backbone links.  Response time had deteriorated and users would frequently complain they were unable to access the mainframe.  Several packet traces were obtained and analyzed.  NPI determined the new C100 Switches were not properly configured, that substantial quantities of All Routes Explorer (ARE) packets were being broadcasted, and a small number of workstations would rediscover all HP Printers every ten seconds (approximately 150 printers).  The problems were corrected through the installation of special ARE filters and changing the HP Printer discovery parameters.  Response time returned to normal.  Following the corrective actions, a Baseline was created for each Token Ring and ATM Link in the account.
Duration:  approximately six weeks including off-line filter tests
Business Drivers:  Response time and intermittent host connectivity problems were impacting the ability of the doctors and nurses to access patient records.
 

Project:  Provide Network Support Personnel
Company:  Securities America, Level-3, Compaq, New Holland, Physcians Mutual, St. Joe Hosp.
Description:  Often times network organizations do not have the human resources or expertise necessary to support the day-to-day challenges of operating a data network.  NPI has augmented the customer’s staff by providing expert-level technical personnel either on an as-needed or retainer basis.  Projects or tasks that have been addressed typically include the resolution of highly technical software/hardware problems, to simply being on-site during a major event or cut-over to augment existing staff.
Duration:  ½ day to several weeks, depending upon needs
Business Drivers:  unusual projects and lack of human resources or expertise
 

Project:  Application Response Time Problems
Company:  Pamida
Description:  Pamida’s corporate I/T group had installed PeopleSoft financial applications with an Oracle database server.  The network group had upgraded all 3Com workgroup switches to 10/100 meg facilities.  Application response time for certain functions were painfully slow (e.g., minutes).  The I/T group could not deploy this mission critical application due to the unacceptable response times.  NPI traced several typical PeopleSoft transactions and discovered an incorrectly configured Oracle database host system, mis-configured Cisco router, Ethernet cabling errors, and several user workstations causing ARP storms from defective HP JetAdmin printer utilities.  The JetAdmin utilities were upgraded to current releases and corrective action implemented for other problems.  Response time improved dramatically and the PeopleSoft application deployed.
Duration:  1 week
Business Drivers:  Unacceptable application response time suspended the deployment of a mission critical application  for this high-volume retail department story chain.
Quotation: Pamida has used Arthur Anderson to tell us how to park cars in our employee parking lot, and they burned six weeks studying alternatives. NPI identified the source of our critical problems, fixed them, and provided valuable in-site into how to grow the corporate network. Refreshing!!! – CIO, Pamida
 

Project:  Develop Network Baseline Analyzer Software
Company:  Network Partners Inc.
Description:  NPI has used or tested software applications from a large number of companies that were intended to discover logical network configurations and retrieve usage statistics from major items of equipment within an enterprise network.  Each of the commercial applications had serious limitations.  NPI began development of applications to satisfy our internal needs as well as address the needs of our smaller customers.  The applications are currently used to Baseline our customer’s networks recording usage data for every device interface on a 10-to-15 second basis.  In addition, the applications are used to baseline Frame Relay and other Wide Area Network components. 
Duration:  Ongoing
Business Drivers:  Few, if any, applications are available from any vendor that address these requirements.  Several past customers have expressed an interest in purchasing the software for their internal use.
 

Project:  Resolve Intermittent Network Failures
Company:  Unnamed transportation company
Description:  This unnamed firm provides fleet maintenance programs to large transportation companies.  Service orders, fleet records, parts inventory and other supporting functions were maintained at a centralized data center, while connectivity to their 480 truck service centers was provided by frame relay facilities from a major international carrier.  Approximately 400 of those locations were losing data connectivity on a daily basis disrupting the work-order oriented service centers.  NPI was engaged to identify the source of the anomalies and monitor the corrective actions.  After extensive analysis, the source was determined to be a little-known host-site router parameter.
Duration:  4 days
Business Drivers:  The remote fleet service centers were constantly being impacted with intermittent network failures causing service order reentry and other rework.