RE-ENGINEERING YOUR INFORMATION SYSTEM TO KEEP UP WITH GROWTH.

A seasoned carpenter once remarked: measure twice, cut once. Good advice when you're building a home, and an absolutely critical strategy if you are a residential property developer re-engineering your enterprise-wide information system (IS).

In the demanding arena of multifamily real estate development, a company needs every competitive edge it can get just to survive, much less succeed. So when JPI set out to expand and modernize its information management capabilities, the company made a concerted effort to analyze, plan, and execute a truly comprehensive IS solution.

PLANNING A RENOVATION

JPI specializes in the acquisition, development, construction, and management of multifamily properties and student housing and has grown in recent years. This growth has created a daunting new set of information management challenges.

Between 1995 and 1996, the company's assets grew to in excess of $1.2 billion, and it was near the top nationwide in construction starts of luxury apartment homes. In a few short years, JPI grew from a Texas-region developer to a nationwide owner with projects in several major markets and close relationships with the industry's leading investment capital sources. With this growth, it soon became apparent that the company would need to dramatically expand and upgrade its data management infrastructure. This is the story of how JPI seized this opportunity to build a rock-solid information foundation for its future.

SURVEYING THE LANDSCAPE

As it continued to grow, JPI saw the need for a faster network, more standardized desktops, and smoother connectivity. The company's 500 users at seven regional offices and corporate headquarters were using a varied mix of desktop PCs. Some ran Windows 3.1 while others used Windows 95, and there was no standard package of productivity software. The stand-alone regional sites used dial-up lines to connect to Novell 3.12 servers.

JPI had limited enterprise network management. Regional connectivity was limited to e-mail messaging. There was no formal help desk to sort out user questions and problems. JPI's management saw the company's growth as an opportunity to strengthen and improve the firm's technology infrastructure.

DESIGNING A SOLUTION

JPI enlisted a network integration firm and partnered up to conceive and execute a standardized, enterprise-wide information solution. After a confirmed system analysis, a plan was developed to implement an NT 4.0-based enterprise with Microsoft Exchange, standardized Windows 95 desktops running Office 95, and Microsoft SMS, providing comprehensive network management and support. A frame relay backbone using Cisco routers tied all sites together, with Microsoft RAS serving as the WAN backup.

This powerful configuration was designed to provide immediate gains in productivity and connectivity, while preparing an open pathway to accommodate JPI's expected future growth.

CONSTRUCTING THE SYSTEM

Engineers deployed the frame relay and brought up the NT servers in JPI's Dallas headquarters. The six servers were to provide not only all file and print needs for JPI's home office, but also Exchange, SMS, RAS, and NT services to the entire enterprise.

Project teams were then dispatched to the seven JPI regional offices to upgrade PC hardware, deploy the standard desktops, convert the existing Novell servers to NT 4.0 and SMS, migrate users from cc:Mail to Exchange/Outlook, and tie the sites to the frame relay.

Meanwhile at JPI's Dallas headquarters, a dual Novell/NT capability was set up in preparation for the final transition of the home office's 250 users. While one team upgraded and converted desktops, another team migrated applications from one server platform to the other. While groups were being converted, training classes were held to teach the new tools to the end-users.

ENJOYING THE RESULTS

The successful outcome of this ambitious project continues to pay measurable dividends for JPI.

Converting to Windows 95 enabled JPI to install a standard, enterprise-wide Internet browser in anticipation of the deployment of a corporate intranet system. The introduction of a standard Microsoft Office desktop supports the consistent exchange of data and provides a highly productive toolset for all JPI users.

By establishing a reliable WAN linkage, users now have rapid and convenient access to organizational data and standardized reporting--all of which was previously available only by e-mail or hard-copy distribution. At the same time, the NT deployment created a scalable and cost-efficient solution for current and future enterprise applications.

"With the system infrastructure upgrades and standardization, we have made a significant impact on our ability to deliver information throughout our organization," said Tom Bumpass, JPI's vice president of information systems. "We have also established a framework to accommodate our future growth."

JPI also asked its network integration firm to run its day-to-day desktop, server, and network support. By outsourcing the support of its 350-user network, JPI has increased end-user satisfaction, dramatically boosted network up-time, and measurably reduced IS management costs. This has alleviated JPI's IS needs of dealing with tactical issues, freeing them up to focus on longer-term strategic projects.

Teague is vice president of sales at Erapmus Networking Services, a network integration firm in Dallas, Texas.