Courier™ Case Studies

Security and Expandability for an Internet Café and Gaming Center

Organization:

Xactek

Location:

Schaumburg, IL

Type of Business:

Internet Café/Gaming Center

Products Used:

USR8200 Firewall/VPN + Storage Router, USR5450 802.11g Wireless Turbo Multi-Function Access Point, USR7908 8-Port 10/100 Ethernet Switch, USR5410 802.11g Wireless Turbo PC Card

The Challenge

For Xactek, the need to offer their clients a secure network with wireless hot spot Internet connectivity wasn’t just a means to keep a step ahead of the competition—it was a core business requirement. Xactek needed a solution that would provide flexible security, easily fit into their existing infrastructure, and provide their clients with an easy-to-use wireless resource. With so many products available, Art Salihu and Andy Bruno, owners of Xactek, turned to U.S. Robotics for help in meeting their business needs.

The Solution

Mr. Salihu worked with his local USRobotics VAR to implement a solution that would combine not only security, speed, and routing capabilities, but also a solution that would be flexible enough—and robust enough—to expand with their ever-growing client base and their own particular needs. The immediate need was to support 75 high-performance workstations and up to 25 wireless guests, securely and seamlessly. Their network implementation consisted of the following products:

USR8200 Firewall/VPN + Storage Router
USR5450 802.11g Wireless Turbo Multi-Function Access Point
USR7908 8-Port 10/100 Ethernet Switch
USR5410 802.11g Wireless Turbo PC Card

The Benefits

Xactek has protected it’s investment by implementing a networking solution that is easily upgradeable and simple to maintain and customize, making for a solution that’s ideal for client and Xactek alike. Xactek is now not only capable of offering its clients secure networking and wireless hot spot Internet connectivity, but also offers a superior customer experience with faster speed, greater performance, and better security. “By utilizing the USR solution, we are able to provide the fastest and most secure access for our customers,”says Mr. Salihu.

The USR8200 provides powerful and efficient security with its robust hardware platform and Intel IXP422 processor. It’s Application Level Gateways allow Xactek to provide access to popular applications and to maintain communications through the firewall. And, they have eliminated the cost and complexity of maintaining separate servers by using the integrated file server and USB 2.0 ports to add external hard drives.

The USRobotics Wireless Turbo Multi-Function Access Point and Wireless PC Cards provide wireless connectivity to their customers at up to 100 Mbps and with powerful 256-bit security. Also, the AP provides great compatibility for customers that have a wide variety of wireless cards.

Lastly, sixteen 8-Port 10/100 Ethernet Switches provide reliable and flexible 100 Mbps connections to all their gaming stations.

Together, this integrated combination of USRobotics products delivers an easily managed network to maximize Xactek’s ability to provide an incredible gaming experience and exceed their customers’expectations.