Case Study - County of Sonoma

Don't let new solutions, cause new problems.

About

The County of Sonoma is comprised of 26 departments and agencies that provide a full range of services to the community. It encompasses over 1600 square miles. Sonoma County government has a history of providing excellent and responsive public service while operating under sound fiscal principles.

Sonoma County is located at the threshold between the commerce-driven San Francisco Bay Area and the spectacular beauty of northern California. The county extends over 1,000 square miles with a diverse economy that includes a world class wine region, stunning natural resources, and dozens of tourist destinations. See more at sonomacounty.ca.gov


Problem

Managing the IT infrastructure and applications for +4,000 employees comprising 26 different government departments can be a daunting task. Time and financial considerations are top priorities when managing such a large organization. Sonoma County was at threshold when it came to managing access to files. Departments had been leveraging disparate file management solutions for accessing content remotely and management access to external parties. Cloud file management solutions, FTP servers, email, etc. were being utilized, and the Sonoma County needed a more consistent and secure means of managing files across each of the departments. Sonoma County didn't want a new solution to create new problems, though. They needed an on-premise solution that would not create an isolated storage area where files would need to be replicated or relocated.


Solution

SmartFile was able to provide a solution that was an ideal match. All of the file management feature needs were provided, and SmartFile was able to deliver a single appliance that could map to all of the necessary network shares that reside across their 26 departments. In addition, the FileHubTM feature enabled existing Active Directory file permissions on the network shares to automatically be inherited. So, IT did not have to reinvent the wheel when it came to permissions and users could continue to access content via their network shares as usual.

SmartFile did not stop there. Sonoma County also needed to ensure up time for their files. As such, redundancy was a key requirement. SmartFile delivered a physical server that would failover to their VMware environment should their system fail.

County of Sonoma logo

Company Profile

Name: Sonoma County

Website: sonoma-county.org

Industry: Government