Turn A Small Sale Into A $40,000 Security Upsell

In Office Networks is a systems integrator/network consultant that specializes in building data networks and firewalls. It also installs and configures software infrastructure products that provide Internet connectivity, e-mail, and network security. Recently, the company performed a complete network refresh for Hudson Mortgage Consultants. John Trovato, president of In Office Networks, learned about Hudson's needs when he met the president of Hudson at a social event. "He really didn't know what he needed from a technology standpoint but was unhappy with the current state of his e-mail system," explains Trovato. "From a business perspective, he needed to simplify faxing capabilities for his employees."

It would have been easy for Trovato to stop right there, work up a quote with a network fax product, and send it over to Hudson. However, during that first informal conversation with Hudson's president, Trovato learned the customer had many network problems beyond e-mail and fax frustrations. The cause of many of the problems was an unqualified consultant. Trovato offered to look at the company's network and make some recommendations for free. It was during that first visit to the customer's site when Trovato discovered the company's e-mail was handled by an outside e-mail service provider. There was no spam blocking provided. Security on the network was in bad shape, with little protection from external and internal threats. There were also configuration issues such as the lack of a DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) service, which automatically doles out IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to all network devices, and a lack of network policies to control what users could access on the network. "Before we could cut down on the spam or look at implementing a network-based fax system, it was necessary to recommend some major changes to Hudson's network," says Trovato.