Network Infrastructure Audit Wins Integrator $2 Million Bank Contract

Meridian IT Solutions, Inc. (Meridian) (Shaumburg, IL), the consulting unit of IT service company The Meridian Group (Deerfield, IL), is carving out a lucrative niche in banking and financial circles. Meridian is known in the financial services world for its expertise in infrastructure, security, and converged IP (Internet Protocol) communications solutions, which combine voice, video, and data on a single network.

When bidding on a new project, Meridian's standard operating procedure is to perform a thorough audit of the potential customer's infrastructure. "It's quite satisfying when we present audit findings to a company's board and hear the board members say they feel comfortable executing corporate strategy based on our recommendations," says John Freres, Meridian's president. "Quite often, our audits lead to our winning the project."

This strategy paid off with Cole Taylor Bank, Chicago's largest independent bank, with 13 branch locations and $2.3 billion in assets. Cole Taylor, which focuses on serving small and medium businesses, was reinventing itself. The bank was rolling out a new, aggressive growth strategy and needed to upgrade its infrastructure to realize its growth plans.

Meridian started with a 90-day audit of the bank's critical infrastructure. "After the audit, we presented Cole Taylor with an executive-level report outlining where they were, where they needed to be to reach their strategic goals, and how we could help them get there," says Freres. "We also recommended that they build their own data center to move previously outsourced applications in-house. From a growth standpoint, this was a critical factor for them. But it also was an important from a compliance point of view."

Audit Generates Recommendation For Network Upgrades
The audit results and analysis served as the fundamental starting point for the design of the new data center and the new corporate office. "Because we had built so much credibility with them during our audit work, Cole Taylor awarded us the contract, even though it was a competitive situation," Freres says.

Meridian recommended the bank move its previously outsourced WAN (wide area network) in-house and institute a converged IP network for the bank's headquarters, branches, functions, and call center group. The solution included telephony service, voice mail, unified messaging, and contact center services, all running over an IP data network. This would reduce telecommunications costs and enable improved reliability, flexibility, and scalability. Meridian also prescribed consolidating the bank's three smaller data centers into a single site at its new corporate headquarters.

"The bank has enormous growth goals, so it clearly needed a solution that could scale to meet that planned growth," says Freres. "When we considered those goals, a converged network solution made sense to everyone. If you are going to build a network to handle and manage growth, it has to be built with all other business applications in mind."

Preconfigured Network Equipment Avoids Customer Downtime
Meridian designed and deployed a complete Cisco Systems (San Jose, CA) IP Communications package. The solution included everything from core Cisco Catalyst switches in the data center and closets to various routing platforms and Cisco IP phones on top of the desks. Meridian recommended Cisco CallManager call processing software with various features, including Cisco IPCC technology as the bank's call center application. To maintain data security, Meridian built three layers of security across the bank's new WAN.

The installation, however, was not without its challenges. While the bank was moving into new headquarters, its previous site was scheduled for demolition. Explains Freres, "We had a very tight timeframe -- about two weeks -- in which to cut over to Cole Taylor's new corporate data center and its 13 branch locations. And in a banking environment, downtime is not an option."

To accelerate the move, Meridian prestaged the equipment in its own configuration center, brought in Cole Taylor's IT organization to work alongside Meridian consultants, and built out the bank's data center. Says Freres, "We minimized the setup time at the customer sites, and we were able to address glitches at our own offices. So, as soon as we reached the cutover point, we were as close as possible to plug and play. When it came time to flip the switch, we cut everything over with zero downtime."

All internal communications -- video, voice, and data -- now run over the IP backbone. External calls go over the public switched telephone network. Branches use a frame relay network for Internet connections. "Not only is Cole Taylor saving on telecommunications costs, but the consolidated network also allows it to centralize administration of IP telephony and keep a smaller IT staff to manage both voice and data," says Freres.

Meridian completed the $2 million installation in October 2003, and the project has paid off in solid referrals for Meridian. "The work we've done with Cole Taylor and other banks has opened doors to a number of IP projects with large banks and credit unions in the Chicago area alone," says Freres. "And our success often starts up front with our audit team. It truly is a competitive advantage for us."