Client story Connecting a Newly Remote Workforce With Secure VPN

Facts at a glance

Client industry:

Global delivery services

Size of company:

465,000 employees

Challenge:

Due to COVID-19 related shutdowns, this client needed to quickly enable over a quarter of a million employees to work remotely. The problem was that existing company devices weren’t equipped with the latest secure software or connected to the organization’s VPN.

Solution:

Insight worked to expand the company’s small VPN to accommodate 90,000 users instead the existing 15,000. We also prepared software packages to update laptops and desktops.

Results:

• Increased VPN capacity from 15K to 90K users
• Secure and connected devices
• Global workforce now enabled to connect remotely

Solution area:

Insight’s Connected Workforce solutions are a suite of end-user compute offerings designed to simplify IT management while improving connectivity and collaboration.

A major shipping organization was struggling to help its employees work remotely amid the COVID-19 shutdowns. Of its nearly half a million workers, roughly 48% were already provided with devices that could theoretically be used remotely. However, the company didn’t have a secure VPN set up to support that size of a remote workforce.

This company has been a client of Insight’s for more than 15 years, so they’re well aware of our capabilities. In fact, we employ an on-site team dedicated to this client’s IT needs. Because of this longstanding, fruitful relationship, the client knew this was a problem we could solve.

The foundation for a remote workforce

The client contacted Insight and asked that we help build application “packages” for employee devices as they prepared to work remote for the foreseeable future. These packages would include updated software, security measures and VPN solutions.

The company didn’t have a secure VPN set up to support that size of a remote workforce.

Adapting to changing workplace needs

The client’s IT environment included around 225,000 laptops and desktops. While many of those devices were equipped with Microsoft Office 365 and didn’t need VPN access, there were about 90,000 that did.

Unfortunately, in the past, desktops hadn’t been equipped with VPN, since only company laptops were taken home by employees. As a result, the client was equipped to handle less than 15,000 users on its current VPN — this was typically only used to support workers when remote login was absolutely necessary, such as snow days or other weather-related incidents.

With COVID-19 causing an incredible surge in remote users , the company’s network needed to support closer to 90,000 logins.

The challenge

Like most companies, this project represented a total departure from normal procedure. From the scope to the timeline, this was unprecedented and as such, presented some challenges.

This particular client is incredibly focused on ensuring process protocol across its organization. This made getting the necessary approvals from all levels of management very time-consuming.

Given the urgent nature of the project, the Insight team worked quickly and diplomatically to secure approvals so the project could proceed as soon as possible.

The results

In less than a week and a half, Insight’s team was able to expand the client’s VPN environment to accommodate 90,000 users, as well as get software packages deployed to all devices. Our identity management specialist worked to quickly proof user profiles to ensure every employee had VPN access.

Now, the vast majority of the client’s global employees are able to stay connected at home without the company sacrificing productivity or security.

In less than a week and a half, Insight’s team was able to expand the client’s VPN environment to accommodate 90,000 users.

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