Founded in 1906, the Clark Construction Group provides construction services on major projects throughout the U.S. with revenue over $2 billion dollars. Using an integrated team approach, Clark and Nortec have successfully migrated the company from Novell Netware to a Microsoft Server 2003 platform for its 2000 users. As a result, management of the system has been simplified resolving issues surrounding the integration of business documents, training, and support.

Client Background
The Clark Construction Group Inc. is today one of the nation’s most experienced and respected providers of construction services with over 2 billion dollars in annual revenue and major projects throughout the United States. Clark Construction projects range from small interior renovations to some of the most widely recognized buildings in the country.

Business Situation
Clark wanted to replace Novell Netware with a single standard operating system for its 2000 users. They needed a system that would be compatible with third party software. Clark was experiencing compatibility issues which became the driving force behind the migration. The system was becoming increasingly difficult to administer from a support point of view. As well, Clark’s customers began demanding that a technological infrastructure be incorporated into their new buildings. In these cases, they were asking for a Microsoft solution.

“From the very first meeting I was impressed by Nortec’s professionalism and focus on results. They sent in their “A team” and they delivered. With Microsoft Server 2003 we will see improvements in the stability and reliability of our IT infrastructure. The project has been huge success for Clark.”

-David Golden, CIO Clark Construction

Implementation Approach
Clark decided to work with Nortec to migrate to a Microsoft Server 2003 platform. Microsoft Server 2003 would simplify all administration processes. This would translate into lower costs in IT support, server management, and training, Business documents could also easily be integrated and if necessary recovered.
Clark and Nortec used an integrated team approach for the migration. Four people from Clark and two people from Nortec were assigned. The same people were involved, end-to-end. Nortec offered commitment, trust, and most importantly, accountability to the Clark project. The team delivered an assessment document, a requirements document, a delivery plan, and a design document. This joint approach had the added benefit of allowing the Clark employees to gain the Microsoft expertise, from the Nortec consultants, which would enable them to serve their job site customers. The testing phase is now complete with full production planned for early 2004.

Business Result
The result for Clark is a single unified operating system for its users. Support for the system will be simplified. Significant improvements in stability, reliability, and performance will be realized. Finally, Clark will have the confidence it needs to provide the Microsoft solution their customers are demanding.

Lessons Learned
By engaging Microsoft experts early in the project, Clark significantly lowered the risk of migrating from one operating system to another. Major pitfalls were avoided and best practices for competitive platform migrations were employed. This allowed the entire process to be performed quickly and very cost effectively. The integrated team approach worked well for both Clark and Nortec. The team members from both companies worked on the migration from beginning to end. This lent a cohesiveness and accountability to the project which was a crucial part of its success. It also allowed Clark to support the infrastructure long term with the internal IT staff, a very cost effective solution.