When it came time to connect the last few offices, Teranet's IS team was so comfortable with the process they were able to configure the systems themselves. Teranet received training on the Catalyst 5500 series from Toronto-based GeoTrain Consulting. But when we finally took the new system to the users, they were thrilled. Originally, if we had one office working on an entry database, only one person could access the information because the WAN links between the different offices were extremely slow. But with a centralized environment, multiple offices can work on the same database at the same time.
Users have more flexibility to accomplish their work and prioritize their tasks.
Offices can collaborate on projects and become better decision-makers in the process. And they're managing their costs by receiving information electronically. With the Teranet intranet expected to go live in summer 1998, any technology used by Teranet had to be Internet-enabled. Due to the success of the entire networking project, Teranet is encouraging other companies to invest in Cisco technology as well. Teranet markets its expertise, systems and applications internationally, having worked on projects in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.