WIN Enterprises VIS Case Study
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 Network Security Platform Design and Manufacturing Services
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Summary
WIN Enterprises has many long-term clients that benefit from the seamless, integrated services we deliver. Some of these long-term customers are on their second or third generation products designed and manufactured by WIN. The customer in this case study is one of these long-term business partners.
For this customer we produced an entire family of network application platforms, from high- to low-end. We are now producing a second generation of the family line. This WIN client avails itself of the full breadth of integrated services WIN offers at low risk to them, as they avoid the expense of hiring specialized personnel and adding production lines.
The Opportunity
A well known network solution provider approached WIN Enterprises in 2001 with the mission of providing a specialized hardware platform for their firewall and IP Gateway software solutions for small businesses.
WIN Enterprises was tasked to deliver soup-to-nuts services that would span single board computers, branded chassis, testing, software installation, unique packaging, drop-shipping, and reporting. Initially, these services were for a single product, but over the years a family line of network security products that includes a desktop, 1U rackmount and 2U rackmount appliances has emerged. The platforms would support the customer’s unique security software, which WIN would also install and test.
Our client provided WIN Enterprises with the following specifications in our early meetings:
- Pentium-III class performance
- Dual 10/100 Ethernet
- Dual DB9 Management Ports
- 1 LPT Port
- PCI Expansion
- Customized plastic bezel
- Form-factor of 1U x 11.5” x 9.25” or as the customer described as a device “1U high, rack mount, but the size of a standard sheet of paper.”
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| Because the company was a software developer they lacked the infrastructure for hardware-design, hardware manufacturing, and shipping as well. To that end, their list of requirements grew: |
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- Acquire a range of industry certifications: i.e., FCC, CE, TUV, and UL
- Produce and assemble the product, including sourcing, testing, project management, and warehousing
- Design branded shipping packaging, and stuff cable kits, documentation, and marketing materials
- Drop shipping would be handled WIN Enterprises. Reporting would be coordinated through the customer’s inventory management system
- Handle all life-cycle management tasks of the board, chassis, and off-the-shelf components both active and passive, i.e., CPUs, chipsets, hard drives, memory, etc.
Working closely with the customer’s product managers, engineers, and marketing staff, WIN Enterprises delivered the products and services they required -- on time and on budget.
In the end WIN Enterprises became, and continues to be, a virtual division for the customer. WIN performs as their manufacturing, production and shipping facility. Constant contact is maintained with this and other customers to avoid problems and to quickly resolve any that might arise.
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2010 and Beyond
From a single network security product, the customer’s needs expanded to a product line. Included are a small business desktop VIA® Nano® -based product, through to a high performance Intel® Core 2 Duo™ 2U Platform.
WIN Enterprises continues to provide the same high level of integrated services for the customer, including a mid-year upgrade and the managing UL/TUV/CB re-certification issues required for sale into foreign markets. |
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The Quiet, Virtual Partner
WIN Enterprises has been in business since 1991 providing fully integrated services to a variety of customers from startups to large corporations seeking to outsource their workload to a proven source that can deliver high quality products with seamless, trouble-free interfaces between the manufacturing functions.
WIN Enterprises is an OEM dedicated to serving as an integrated part of your company. Our clients generally prefer, for obvious reasons, that the origin of their hardware is seen as their own, and their request for anonymity is highly regarded by us, so the name of this customer has been withheld from this document.
For nearly 10 years, the customer has trusted WIN to closely manage all its manufacturing issues for this product line. Other than periodic quality assurance testing, and its own continuing software development, the customer requires very little interaction with the manufacturing process. This means it can concentrate on its core expertise of developing and delivering the best security software possible.
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Conclusion
Our business model is to provide the highest quality integrated services possible to your company. The goal of WIN Enterprises is to provide the seamless product design and production services only seen within the largest corporations. If you don’t require the full array provided by our VIS services, choose only those you require.
Call WIN Enterprises for a free technical consultation for your next project. Let us show you the advantages of working with a partner with Vertically Integrated Services (VIS). Call +1 (978) 688-2000 or use e-mail at
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