Request for Proposal (RFP)
Task 1

1. Introduction
The purpose of this project is to introduce a new network infrastructure design for Simple Gateway Inc. The new network design will solve the existing problem with the multiple versions of the same document in each regional offices, digitize, and automate the workflow associate with administrative tasks.

2. Summary and Background
Simple Gateway Inc. is a regional travel and tourism company Headquarters in California with 12 branch offices across the western United States. As of now, each office network operates independently with their own window base file server, an exchange server, and all of the data (File and Document) are stored locally. There is no centralized network and system infrastructure.

3. The current challenges in the Simple gateway affecting Key stakeholders
Simple Gateway Inc.’s decentralized network was affecting the day to day business operation, and every day employee productivity was very low within the organization. Furthermore, currently affected shareholders are the chairman, vice president, director of operations, area managers, human resources, office manager, and office staff.
Overall the stakeholder main problems are:
Since each regional office was operating independently, there was no standardized version control of the document. Each regional office had a different version of the same document. Due to the lack of transparency and visibility of company data among the staff, they ended up viewing the same old documents and files. This leads to missed and inaccurate information between the staff contribute to the unhappy customer and frustrated employee.
Another challenge was with administrative tasks such as leave requests and changes to employee information which are handled through the paper forms. These paper forms are stored in a file cabinet in each regional office. Due to the lack of a organize network, there is no streamline storage for these critical and confidential documents. The company employee has to rely on traditional communication methods such as faxes and mails to communicate with Headquarters human resources. This is just a time consuming process leading to less productivity, inefficient workflow, and unhappy employees company wide.
Finally, the critical and confidential company data need to get secure company wide. The existing network doesn’t have any security and poses a greater potential risk of losing or theft of company data. For example, there is no centralized storage or back up if for some reason one of the regional office’s storage server hard drives fails or gets corrupted, there is no way to recover. The regional office will be shut down until the hard drive is being recovered, repair and replace.

4. Discuss the differences between the actual performance and the desired performance of Simple Getaways.
Current Performance Issue:
The current performance issue is the inefficient and decentralized system and network infrastructure. Each regional office has an exchange and file server locally operated and managed. The company’s critical and confidential data was stored locally on the local server, and company data was not synced at Headquarters.
Simple Gateway does not have a document version control. The collaboration between employees was a struggle, and office employees had to rely on email to update any company document. This is a time consuming process taking hours, days, weeks, and sometimes months. It’s becoming very common that each regional office will have multiple versions of the same document. Keeping the company’s documents up to date between regional offices and headquarters was a huge challenge. The current network model requires dedicated IT support at each regional office to keep the system and network functional.
The administrative and human resource tasks are all done on paper, and stored locally in a file cabinet. Employees have to mail or faxes to headquarter for processing.
Desired Performance:
The desired solution is to centralize the network and system infrastructure of Simple Gateway. By centralizing the network and system, we don’t need a Microsoft exchange server, file server, and dedicated IT Support in each regional office. All the network and systems will be maintained and supported from Headquarters and in some cases, we can utilize a local third party IT support on as need basis. The Microsoft server, exchange, storage, and file server will be replaced by our desired solution which is Google apps for work. A Google app for work is a complete cloud based service. To start with Google services first, we will have to setup, register, and add a Simple Gateway domain or an alias name for email services, customize Gmail web address to access email, and customize the features such as offline email access, read receipts and more.
The Google apps for work with plus features come with unlimited file storage and sharing for each user. We can store, sync, share files and documents in real time. The Simple Gateway employee can use Google doc productivity tools to create files, text documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The employee can access Google drive file and documents in real time and collaborate with other team member seamlessly, so no need to worry about having a multiple copy of a same document in different offices. All the Google drive files and documents are available off line such as email, calendar, and docs can be viewed, and update the content while offline. Off line file and document will sync automatically when they reconnect. A Google drive is accessible through any device, unlike with a traditional desktop to map drive or download application. There is no software to download. Google drive is compatible with Microsoft office.
The most efficient and desired solution is to go with the web base leave management time off manager. Which is easy to use, secure and complete web based means no software to download. The human resources department has to setup, register, and create a company account in Time Off Manager. Time Off Manager comes with three types of users, as it is mentioned below: 1. Employees:
The company employee will have the ability to submit time-off requests, summary pages, and employees will be able to view company calendar with holidays. 2. Manager:
Managers have access to all of the employee features plus have an ability to reject, cancel, and approve time off requests made by employees. 3. Administrators: Time Off Manager department portal administrator will have full access to the team profile.

5. Recommend a technological solution to the challenges in the Simple Getaways RFP, I would recommend an infrastructure as a service such as Google apps for work. In google apps for work we can integrate voice, video, email, calendar (outlook integrates), storage (Vault), docs and file sharing all in place. There is no need to maintain any hardware and no licenses to purchase.
The DSL internet connection will get upgraded to high speed internet or fiber depending on the local office internet service provider options and availability.
The web based time off solution is easy to use, secure, cost efficient, has useful reporting, real time calendar view, highly flexible and centralized all the time off. There is no need to install new appliances, no license to purchase, and no technical assistance required.
The overall network design will be a Hub and Spoke with a full mesh between sites (Spoke to spoke). The network design mentioned below has a four site that is Houston, California, Ohio, and Denver that is connected to the data center through a Metro Ethernet point to point connection. The rest of the site will connect as an IPsec site to site VPN tunnel to the Data Center 1.

The network design below is for the Simple Gateway datacenter. It shows the Simple Gateways regional and headquarters offices network connection. The data Center will have Palo Alto 500, Cisco 2911 router.

Figure 1: Sample copy of overall network design for the Simple Gateway Inc.
The Simple Gateway regional offices will follow the San-Francisco network design model as mentioned below. Depending on each regional office user, each site will have a Palo-Alto 200, Cisco 3760G 48Port POE switch, and a Synology DS713 NAS storage with DHCP server options.

Figure 2: Sample copy of a San-Francisco site network design 6. Justify how the recommended solution will address the challenges in the Simple Gateways RFP.
The new network and system design will centralize the company network. The email and storage will be integrated with a Google app for work. It will replace the Microsoft exchange server, file server, and IT support from all the regional offices and centralized at the headquarters. All the company data will be centralized in a google cloud and it will be accessible 24/7. There will be a local backup from the google cloud to the simple gateway headquarter datacenter in case Google cloud goes off line, then data will be accessible from the Simple Gateway headquarter data center to other regional office. Google Apps for work will meet the simple gateway business needs for email, storage and seamless document share between the team. The files and documents in a Google drive are available offline, and synced seamlessly when they are reconnected. The following features mentioned below will address Simple Gateway’s current challenges; * Simple Gateway’s email services will be centralized in a Google app for work. All emails, creation, deletions, updates, and data will be stored in one place in a Google cloud. * The Google drive and shared Google doc will eliminate the issue with multiple version of the same documents in different offices. Now, in a google drive employee can edit, update, share file and documents and save real time. Everyone in a company will have the latest version of the same document. There will be no more email with attachments to get on the same page. * Google apps for work come with the reliability of 99.99%.

* All the data are secure in cloud with virtual lock.

* No need to maintain any appliances, software patches and no data.

1. Administrative Assistance/HR,
The current administrative task is handled through the paperwork and all the confidential paperwork is stored locally in a file cabinet. Getting a time off request takes days and weeks. The web based Time Off Manager comes with the following standard features: * It will automate and streamline the human resources process. * The Time Off Manager is 100% web based application. No software to download. * No need for paper to print, email, fax, and mail. The employee can directly access the time off manager from any web browser and request the time off. It will automatically send a request to manager upon approval or decline employee will gets an email notification instantly. It increases the effectiveness of Employee Company wide. * It has a reliability of 99.99% uptime. * All the time of data is secure and centrally managed.
All of the above benefits is available through Time Off Manager services. It provides a centralized collaboration and gives full access to each employee benefit and up to date information. Two way authentication to access employee Time Off Manager portal has a greater security over sensitive documents in time off manager. All the Simple Gateway confidential data in Time Off Manager are stored in a dedicated server and backup every night. The Simple Gateway headquarters data center also has a backup of this same data. Now employees no longer have to fill out the paperwork and no longer need to store files in a file cabinet.
Time Off Manager pricing is below;

Figure 3. Pricing detail for all the service offered by Time Off Manager. Price comparison is listed in the Time Off Manager website.
For example, Time Off Manager is charging a dollar per client with top shelf full service this is equal to $1 x 1000 = $1000/ year. If we choose to go with in house services, and then we will need to purchase a server, server license, and need a dedicated administrator to maintain the server. The total estimate cost is $200,000 to $300,000 per year to operate in house dedicated application and servers.