Finance Industry- Networking project case study
Finance Industry- Networking project case study
About the Company
Based in North America, this financial services organization delivers wealth management and investment solutions to over 12 million clients. The company is committed to building, investing in, and transforming its operations to enhance performance. Its mission is to empower customers to achieve meaningful financial progress while supporting client growth and innovation through strategic financing.
Challenges:
The client required expert support to verify the placement of wireless access points (APs) at one of their locations. They requested an on-site wireless survey to confirm that all APs were optimally installed for maximum performance and coverage.
Assessment and Solution:
To carry out the project successfully, the Variedy team gathered critical information, including the square footage of the area and the current map showing AP placement. Using Ekahau software—a leading tool for measuring Wi-Fi signal strength—the team conducted a detailed survey. Ekahau enables the design, validation, optimization, and troubleshooting of robust wireless networks.
Advantages:
The main deliverable was a raw Ekahau survey report that captured and highlighted any discrepancies in signal coverage or AP placement. This report gave the client valuable insights into the effectiveness of their wireless network setup and confirmed whether the equipment was correctly positioned.
Finance Industry- Fortigate Migration project case study
About the Company:
A respected financial institution known for delivering a broad range of banking services with a strong focus on member satisfaction. With a commitment to personalized service and active community engagement, the company offers products such as savings and checking accounts, loans, mortgages, and investment solutions tailored to meet members’ financial goals.
Challenges:
The client requested a migration of their current WatchGuard firewall setup to a new FortiGate firewall already in production. Alongside this migration, they asked for a comprehensive evaluation of their existing firewall configuration. This review was crucial to ensure all rules, settings, and security policies were correctly migrated and optimized for FortiGate’s environment. The goal was also to identify areas of improvement and enhance the overall network security posture and performance.
Assessment and Solution:
Variedy approached the project with a structured, multi-phase plan:
Configuration Migration: The existing firewall settings and security rules from the WatchGuard system were carefully migrated to the FortiGate platform, with validation at each step to ensure accuracy.
Firewall Review Report: A detailed assessment of the current configuration was conducted, highlighting strengths, identifying potential risks, and evaluating compliance with security best practices.
Cutover Execution: The final phase involved a seamless cutover to the new FortiGate firewall. This was done with minimal downtime, supported by comprehensive testing and validation to ensure the migrated configurations performed as expected.
Advantages:
The successful migration to FortiGate allowed the institution to take advantage of enhanced security capabilities, including deep packet inspection and advanced application control.
Variedy’s thorough review ensured the firewall settings were in line with modern security standards and best practices, providing stronger defense against emerging threats. The planned and precisely executed cutover minimized disruption, allowing for a smooth transition with uninterrupted network performance throughout the process.
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Finance Industry- active directory project case study
About the Company:
Founded in 1952, this nonprofit federal credit union operates across both Nevada and California. It ranks as the 66th largest credit union in California, with 11 branches and approximately 200 employees. Serving around 58,000 members, the organization manages roughly \$734 million in assets. They offer a comprehensive suite of financial services, including checking and savings accounts, loans (auto, real estate, and consumer), credit and debit cards, insurance, investment planning, and merchant services. Additionally, they provide digital banking tools, financial literacy programs, and online counseling to support their members.
Challenges:
The organization’s Active Directory (AD) environment—used to manage user access, authentication, and permissions—had become outdated. To improve their network security, administration capabilities, and overall IT performance, they needed to upgrade their Active Directory Domain Controllers (ADDCs) to a newer operating system. They also aimed to elevate both domain and forest functional levels to unlock new AD features.
Further, the team needed to confirm that all integrated applications and services would be compatible with the new OS and functional levels. After evaluating identity management solutions, the organization chose Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) over other options like Okta. However, the implementation and upgrade required skilled engineering support—which led them to enlist **Variedy**’s expertise.
Assessment and Solution:
Variedy’s solutions architects took a structured approach to the AD upgrade and ADFS implementation. The full scope of the project included:
1. Evaluating the existing domain controller design
2. Conducting a detailed Active Directory health check and documenting any identified issues
3. Addressing critical AD issues that could hinder the upgrade process
4. Creating a detailed migration plan ensuring application compatibility
5. Supporting the discovery and assessment of third-party apps dependent on AD
6. Installing three new domain controllers with Windows Server 2019—two at headquarters and one in the Sahara office
7. Performing a second health check after the deployment of new controllers
8. Assisting with the migration of AD-integrated applications
9. Troubleshooting any new issues stemming from the new domain controllers
10. Upgrading both domain and forest functional levels to the highest supported versions
11. Decommissioning legacy domain controllers and removing Active Directory services from them
Advantages:
With a legacy AD system, the organization faced growing risks in security and operational stability. By partnering with **Variedy**, the credit union was able to modernize its Active Directory environment, significantly enhancing IT administration and network security.
The organization successfully migrated to updated domain controllers running the latest OS. All applications continued to function seamlessly post-upgrade, and the elevated domain and forest functional levels unlocked advanced features to support future growth. **Variedy**’s careful planning and troubleshooting ensured full compatibility, minimized disruptions, and delivered a future-ready AD infrastructure tailored to the organization’s evolving needs.
