Graybar Canada Uses Parallels RAS to Publish ERPs to Any Internet-Connected Device
The Customer: Graybar Canada
An employee-owned company, Graybar Canada (about) is a wholesale distributor for thousands of items from leading manufacturers of automation, communications and data, and electrical products. Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the company operates over 30 locations across the country. Graybar Canada is a subsidiary of Graybar Electric Company Inc., a Fortune 500 company, and one of the oldest and largest North American electrical distributors. It is committed to quality through its customer service, products, supply and distribution, and performance.
The Challenge: Deliver ERPs to desktop, mobile devices, and HTML5 web browsers
Graybar Canada had initially set up an application delivery solution with a competitive product. However, when development of the product stopped and it no longer functioned properly with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, the IT team struggled to manage the over 400 concurrent users. Additionally, the application delivery solution was not capable of publishing on iOS or Android mobile devices.
To implement a more user-friendly, mobile-friendly virtualization infrastructure, Graybar Canada required an application delivery solution that would offer instant, reliable remote access to enterprise resource planning (ERP) software programs—on remote desktops, mobile devices, and HTML5 web browsers. Access to ERP software on these devices allowed employees to keep real-time information on stock levels at their fingertips, which improved customer service and increased company productivity.
The Solution: Parallels RAS simplifies remote delivery to any Internet-connected device
After evaluating multiple solutions, Graybar Canada decided to implement decided to implement Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS). Following the lightning-fast deployment of Parallels RAS, the business could provide secure, easy-to-use virtual application access to its employees working on Windows, Mac®, Android, iOS, and Microsoft Surface devices, as well as any device with access to an HTML5 web browser. The HTML5 web browser client allowed employees to access ERP software without requiring the installation of virtualization software on their device, which made it more versatile and easier to implement for end users.
Parallels RAS is a secure solution that allows Graybar Canada to enhance productivity by enabling employees to work remotely. With Parallels RAS, employees working remotely can log in to the HTML5 Gateway or use the Parallels Client on any device. In the office, end users are now able to quickly access applications using the Parallels Client for Windows without requiring configuration. Outside the office, the account managers at Graybar Canada use the Parallels Client on iOS and Android devices to check stock and order statuses on the go.
The Benefits: Easy-to-use virtualization improves productivity
Graybar Canada was pleased to find that installing Parallels RAS high-availability virtualization solution only required a few hours of the IT staff’s time. Throughout the installation process, time-saving management wizards helped Graybar Canada to smoothly roll out the seamless virtualization solution to its employees across various facilities, while also ensuring that employees could perform their duties from remote locations.
Additionally, Graybar Canada benefited from improved reliability and ERP access from any device with an Internet connection. With automated, out-of-the-box server load balancing included in the Parallels RAS all-inclusive solution, the company could easily implement a high-availability virtualization infrastructure—without the headaches or high costs associated with other virtualization software packages.
Conclusion
The comprehensive application delivery solution of Parallels RAS provided Graybar Canada with seamless access to ERP software on any device, which allowed the company to keep better track of real-time inventory levels. Parallels RAS delivered fantastic ERP software virtualization, while the IT team benefited from an easy-to-manage environment.
