Barracuda Networks helps Papergraphics see the writing on the wall

Founded over 30 years ago, Papergraphics is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of large-format print media for digital graphics and CAD markets.

When Robin Matthews, Papergraphics’ Group ICT Manager, started in his new role, he inherited an IT system that spanned multiple remote locations. The network had no centralised or unified backup and recovery system in place and only limited offsite archiving, security and storage capabilities. The company was also suffering from a huge amount of spam and was struggling with a legacy Exchange server that was unable to cope effectively with a large email archive and a high volume of outgoing mail. In addition, Matthews was concerned that the current firewall was not up to the job of protecting Papergraphics from modern-day IT security threats.

Rationalising The Network: Part One, Centralised Backup and Recovery
Matthews’ first task was to carry out an IT and systems audit. He explains: “Centrally managed backup with offsite storage was a key requirement for me. Tape was a non-starter as we had none of the necessary hardware. Going down that route would have needed a massive CAPEX investment and put restrictions on how far our IT budget could be spread.”

After an initial trial, he selected the Barracuda Backup 490. Matthews comments: “The big thing for me was how easy it was to set up and then use on a day-to-day basis. It really just worked straight out of the box. I don’t think you can overstate how rare that is in the IT world. But I think that out of all the features, my favourite one is the cloud-based offsite backup, which runs seamlessly and extends the life of our on-site storage hardware.”

Rationalising The Network: Part Two, Smarter Spam Protection & Web Filtering
Following the successful installation of the Barracuda Backup 490, Robin Matthews was left with no doubt about who he should trust when upgrading his company’s spam filter. He recalls: “We were getting a ridiculous amount of spam and had a very low email size limit for outward mail imposed on us. This was just not acceptable, given our work involves routinely sending very large graphic attachments between offices.”

He continues: “We tested the Barracuda Spam Firewall 300 and our spam just dropped out literally overnight. It caught so much more because, unlike our previous solution, we could apply content filtering rules. So for example, I could quarantine any emails containing unsubscribe, check them and delete or release as appropriate.”

At the same time, Matthews installed The Barracuda Web Filter 410 to improve protection from potential security threats, such as web-based malware, for office based and remote workers. This was particularly important to Papergraphics as the company has a large mobile sales force whose laptops need protecting while they are working remotely. The 410’s webfilter agents can sit in the background on the salesteam’s laptops and deliver the same protection afforded to the PCs housed at each of the company’s offices, with minimal maintenance required.

The final piece of the network protection and optimisation upgrade was completed with the addition of the Barracuda Firewall - the X300 - at Papergraphics’ headquarters. This provided Papergraphics with improved security and much more effective traffic prioritisation. Plans now in place to install an X100 at the company’s four satellite offices (located in Scotland, Spain, Holland & Belgium). This is a key requirement ahead of the installation of a new VoIP network, and will guarantee priority to voice traffic at all times.






Rationalising The Network: Part Three, Improved Email Archiving & Recoverability
For Matthews, there now was just one part of the IT infrastructure that needed to be fixed. He had to find a way to extend the life and improve the efficiency of Papergraphics’ legacy Exchange Server. The server had been struggling with high email volumes and a rapidly increasing email archive. He explains: “There wasn’t the budget or resources to update the Exchange server. However, by installing the Barracuda Message Archiver 150 we have been able to offload some of the storage requirements associated with a large email archive and improve the server’s efficiency. It also made email recovery a lot easier.

He continues: “The Barracuda Message Archiver has saved the lives of many employees since its introduction and paid for itself several times over. It has also made me a bit of hero for being able to recover critical but, unfortunately, lost emails for people throughout the company.”

Conclusion
Following the installation, Papergraphics has a safer, more efficient and quickly recoverable network infrastructure that can be managed from a single screen via Barracuda’s cloud-based centralised management tool or an easy-to-install iPad app.

Matthews concludes: “Once I’d used Barracuda’s backup product I was hooked. All their solutions are intuitive, intelligent and automate many of the tasks that took up days of my time each month. The pre and post sales support is fantastic and has saved me so much time and effort in selecting the right products for the job, getting them installed in next to no time and keeping them running on a day-to-day basis. I’d always go to Barracuda first for all my IT storage and security requirements.”