T: 012 5630 3700info@n3k.co.ukwww.n3k.co.uk

Case Study

n3k and VitalQIP

A Solid Global Network Foundation for Arup

Arup is a highly successful organisation of professional engineering

consultants providing technical, design, creative and management skills to

the construction industry. Currently operating out of 76 offices in 32

countries with 7000 employees, Arup is made up of a number of inter-

related practices which provide project creation and management,

planning and engineering consultancy for a wide range of building and

infrastructure projects. The scope of work includes buildings, roads,

bridges, airports and sports venues, and some of their most renowned

projects include the Sydney Opera House, the

Pompidou in Paris, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and

the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympic

Games.

As the company, founded in 1946 by Sir Ove Arup,

continued to develop and expand, so did the need for

an IT network infrastructure capable of supporting the

resultant growth in services and data traffic. In

particular as the number of users escalated, the need

for Internet Protocol (IP) services to automate and

manage IP name and address services across the

global intranet and Internet systems became crucial. As unmanaged

growth could lead to delays or breakdowns in network availability with

consequent impact on the ability of the staff to operate effectively, it

became clear that an IP address management solution was imperative for

the continued success of the business.

The IT support ‘hub’ responsible for worldwide network services for the

Arup organisation is based in London. Eamon Murchan is the Server Team

Leader responsible for IP Namespace, Active Directory (AD), servers,

storage, and back-up services. Five years ago Arup was managing their

computer nodes and IP network addresses using the Dbase4 database,

which proved to be error prone and needed constant manual updating, to

Sydney Opera House

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

T: 012 5630 3700info@n3k.co.ukwww.n3k.co.uk

Page 2 of 4

show Arup the location of all the company’s computers on the network.

His long-term strategy was Microsoft 2000 and Active Directory (AD), but

he realised that he first needed to have his address space managed

reliably and accurately with a robust Domain Name System (DNS)

implemented as a foundation. Fortunately at this time Eamon was

introduced to n3k Informatik Limited, a network management solutions

provider who specialise in large IP networks, who

assured him they had the right solution for his

needs.

Eamon initially wanted to use a BIND based DNS

server on a Windows platform to underpin his AD

implementation, but n3k recommended the VitalQIP

DNS server as a fault tolerant solution that would

deliver a high degree of availability and integrate

with MS AD. It could also interoperate with other

BIND servers provided by other manufacturers when

needed. The VitalQIP DNS server was installed as a pilot and Eamon was

soon impressed with its performance – ‘it did exactly what it said on

the tin’. Using VitalQIP has given him complete management control of

his IP address space. He was particularly pleased with the VitalQIP GUI

Interface, which allowed him to manipulate and configure his IP names

and addresses with considerable ease.

‘I found I had a bird’s eye view of my IP names and addresses. I

was able to run customised audit reports and logs, and do forward

and reverse look-ups on the network – something I had never

been able to do before’, enthused Eamon.

Eamon was also impressed with the consultancy

services he purchased from n3k and found it easy to

build good personal relationships with both

consulting and support staff. He decided to try out

the VitalQIP training provided by n3k and was very

pleased with the results. Over the years he has sent

many staff members with differing skill levels on the

n3k courses, such as Advanced DNS, VitalQIP

Administration, and DNS in a Microsoft AD

Environment, and he has no hesitation in recommending them.

After the successful implementation of the VitalQIP DNS services, the next

phase of network development was to optimise performance, eliminate

single points of failure and simplify administration. Eamon eventually

Beijing National Stadium

Pompidou Centre, Paris

T: 012 5630 3700info@n3k.co.ukwww.n3k.co.uk

Page 3 of 4

decided against the MS DHCP server as it did not provide the required

resilience. Instead he implemented VitalQIP Dynamic Host

Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers. Now that he also has

Microsoft Active Directory installed, he believes he has the best possible

solution to IP services management – and one that is enabling him to

reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Arup’s business is now truly global and many employees need to be able

to work remotely. In order to be efficient they must be able to plug in

their laptops and work from any location. The VitalQIP servers and Active

Directory deliver network integrity and accessibility on a worldwide basis.

‘I now manage my global IP address space and over 120 DNS and

DHCP servers worldwide. Without VitalQIP and n3k our business

would fall over, it’s as simple as

that’, explained Eamon.

Over the years the relationship

between Arup and n3k has developed

to the point where Eamon feels

completely comfortable with them. He

relies on them for consultancy, training

and technical support. He believes

they provide him with exactly the right

level of support, updating him on

product developments and responding

quickly and efficiently to any network issues. In addition he is very

impressed with their User Days.

‘n3k provides ‘Best Practice’ for Arup in their consultancy, training

and support. We have a mature partnership which enables trust

and honesty. Most importantly however they are always

extremely responsive when I need them to be’, said Eamon.

Looking to the future, the Arup IT function is planning to move towards an

ITIL compliant framework, and VitalQIP for the Arup IP Address space

provides an ideal element for the Configuration Management Database

(CMDB). As Arup look to implement Service Management they are

currently reviewing VitalSuite Enterprise to assist them in meeting the

standard. In the meantime Eamon would not hesitate to recommend n3k

and VitalQIP to other organisations looking to automate and manage their

IP address services:

Sydney Opera House

T: 012 5630 3700info@n3k.co.ukwww.n3k.co.uk

Page 4 of 4

‘With VitalQIP and n3k I feel confident that I have the three ‘M’s –

I can Monitor, Measure and Manage the Arup IP network. You

can’t ask for more than that’.

Call or email us now to discover specifically how n3k can help you.

n3k Informatik Limited

The Square

Basing View

Basingstoke

RG21 4EB

© 2004. All brand or product names, service or sales marks, trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

This document is for planning purposes only and is not intended to modify or supplement any specifications or warranties.