• Case Lookup
  • Emerge Login
Locate Us
Join Us
Français
Compugen logo Home
  • Business Solutions ^
    • Business Solutions
    • Datacentre & Cloud ^
      • Datacentre & Cloud
      • Converged Datacentre
      • Cloud Computing
      • Server Virtualization
      • Enterprise Storage
      • Data Management & Protection
    • Communication & Collaboration ^
      • Communication & Collaboration
      • Business Communications
      • Networking
      • Wireless
    • End User Computing ^
      • End User Computing
      • Desktop Management
      • Mobility
      • Application Delivery
    • Security
  • Products & Services ^
    • Products & Services
    • Managed & Packaged Services ^
      • Managed & Packaged Services
      • Managed Solutions
      • End User Support
      • Infrastructure Support
      • Software Management
      • Managed Print
      • Packaged Services
    • Professional Services ^
      • Professional Services
      • Program & Project Management
    • Support & Maintenance ^
      • Support & Maintenance
      • Imaging & Deployment
      • Ongoing Maintenance
      • Staffing
    • Asset Disposal & Recycling
    • Hardware & Software Management ^
      • Hardware & Software Management
      • Hardware
      • Software
      • Online Lifecycle Management (Emerge)
    • Financing
  • Industry ^
    • Industry
    • K-12 Education
    • Higher Education
    • Heathcare
    • Retail
    • SMB
  • Learning Center ^
    • Learning Center
    • Blog
    • Customer Stories
    • Events & Training
    • News & Awards
    • Resources
  • About ^
    • About
    • Our Story
    • Leadership
    • Our Offices
    • Our Partners
    • Careers ^
      • Careers
      • Current Opportunities
    • Green Initiatives
    • Community Involvement
  • Contact Us

Westoba Credit Union Upgrades to Secure and Scalable Network Architecture

17

Branches

250

Employees

37,000

Members

Westoba Logo

Westoba Credit Union is a cooperative financial institution based out of Brandon, Manitoba. They have 17 branches throughout the province which together employ 250 people. Westoba Credit Union is one of the more prominent Western Canadian financial institutions with more than $1.3 billion in total assets.

From the head office in Brandon, the organization provides IT and network services to all its branches. Similar to other organizations today, their ability to conduct business is dependent on a stable IT network infrastructure.

Until recently, all of Westoba's network activity (LAN, WAN, email etc.) was provisioned through a single, external service provider.

Highlights

  • Real-time analytics has allowed them to better optimize their staffing levels
  • The fast and reliable network allows them to provide a more personalized service to their members
  • Wi-Fi rolled out to all branches, including those in rural Manitoba
Webp net resizeimage 21
The team at Compugen was first-rate,” Neil said. “They brought their expertise, especially with Meraki and Cisco, and helped us architect and develop a high level of security across the network.

Norman Neil

Senior Director of Information Technology, Westoba

Business Challenges

Recently, the Westoba network had become unreliable. There were instances where it was starting to impact regular business activity and there was concern about the potential impact to customer experience. Westoba is committed to providing excellent service to their members – consistent access to internet and services are essential to those service levels. With each issue that arose, a service call was required, increasing resolution time and impact to members.

Westoba needed a solution that would provide immediate relief as well as a long-term service solution that would keep things running smoothly in the rural communities.

The Solution

The Compugen team worked with Norman Neil, Westoba's Senior Director of Information Technology. It quickly became clear that a complete network architecture overhaul was required.

This meant a model where Westoba would have full control of their network. With the new solution in place, they achieved four main goals:

1. Speed – By modernizing their WAN links, Westoba now has reliable, sustained throughput in all branches to run all their applications without fear of timing out, and customers can access their devices while in branch.

2. Stability – A dual ISP model ensures the bolstered stability Westoba required. By introducing a second provider to mirror their existing environment, daily business activity can go on uninterrupted if a failure should occur.

3. Security – Any information traveling the WAN is fully encrypted and runs through both an intruder prevention engine, and anti-malware engine. In addition, user-provisioning protocols restrict any unwanted access.

4. Autonomy – The network can now be accessed through a single portal, allowing Westoba to manage their entire environment effectively themselves. Any required changes are now completed in-house within minutes.


The Westoba Perspective

Westoba's new network architecture is secure and scalable. Real-time analytics, have allowed them to optimize their staffing levels and ensure that the number of branch staff is adequate to give their customers excellent service levels.

The moment Norman Neil truly knew they had succeeded came not from any analytics but through a comment made by a Westoba employee. "Our Director of Operations commented that when our staff come to work in the morning now, they don't have to wonder whether or not they'll be able to sign on to the system", Neil said.

According to Neil, the new network also allows them to offer more personalized service to their members.

"As part of the upgrade, we've rolled out Wi-Fi to all the branches, so members can come in and access the Wi-Fi which, in parts of rural Manitoba, is no small thing," he said. "We have been able to pilot the use of tablets and have members log into the online system and show them how they can do a lot of transactions from home, a bonus for many of our senior members."

"The team at Compugen was first-rate," Neil said. "They brought their expertise, especially with Meraki and Cisco, and helped us architect and develop a high level of security across the network."

For others, Neil has some important words of advice. "You can't cut corners. Be sure to build an architecture that allows you to be scalable and expandable. If you build for what you need today, by the time you implement, it's already too little too late."


Partners Involved

Cisco
< Back to all Customer Stories
Previous Story Next Story

We address the bottom of the iceberg. Sign up and get relevant and timely content about our approach to business through an IT lens.

Navigation

Business Solutions

  • Industry
  • Datacentre & Cloud
  • Communication & Collaboration
  • End User Computing
  • Security

Products & Services

  • Managed & Packaged Services
  • Professional Services
  • Support & Maintenance
  • Asset Disposal & Recycling
  • Hardware & Software Management
  • Financing

Customer Stories

  • Corporate
  • Education
  • Energy and Utilities
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Non-profit
  • Public Sector
  • Retail

About

  • Our Story
  • Leadership
  • Our Offices
  • Our Partners
  • Green Initiatives
  • Community Involvement
  • Awards

Careers

  • Working at Compugen
  • Current Opportunities

Contact

  • Find A Location

News & Articles

  • Find A Location
  • Awards

Client Login

  • Case Lookup
  • Emerge Login

Industry

  • K-12 Education
  • Healthcare
  • Higher Education
  • Retail
  • SMB

Connect With Us

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • linkedin
IT Buzz
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • National Master Standing Offers (NMSO)
  • Terms of Product Sales
  • Terms for the Supply of Services

©2023, Compugen Inc. Website by Caffeine Creations.