Case Study: Designing a Secure Business Network for Beebe Landscaping

Universal Connectivity has helped clients with superior business internet services for over two decades. When a large commercial landscaping company needed VPN access, and security, our team was eager to help.

Beebe Landscape Services, Inc, is a large, single point of contact landscaping contractor for commercial, municipal and residential needs in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The Beebe team must effectively communicate with their clients as well as their internal teams and crews in the field. Technology and environmental challenges pose a significant threat to their business.

The Problem

A company like Beebe Landscape Services, which is built on superior customer service, requires superior communication tools. As inefficiencies arose throughout business processes, it became clear that there were problems in their communications. Digging deeper, they discovered that the challenges they faced were two-fold: One challenge revolved around wireless communication. The second dealt with the location of their office.

The first challenge arose because Beebe’s office staff utilized both laptops and desktops. Back in 2018, Beebe had contacted Universal Connectivity to set up their wireless network. Universal separated the network out into two separate networks, wired and wireless, for security reasons: The company does a lot of commercial work that requires privacy and security. The wired servers contained the internal information of the company, including pertinent customer information and contracts. Rich Beebe, the owner of Beebe Landscape Services, had access to these internal systems from his in-office desktop. When he went elsewhere, however, he used his laptop and would lose access to the information. He would have to use a VPN to create a remote desktop.

The second challenge arose as a result of the environment in which the business operates. The Beebe office is in a remote rural location, so they lose power quickly and for a considerable amount of time during big storms. The winter season was particularly difficult for them to cope with. A great deal of their business takes place in the winter with their snow-plowing services, so the ability to continue communicating during winter storms is a crucial requirement for the success of their business. Losing internet or phone service is an unacceptable business interruption and can result in the loss of thousands of dollars.

The Solution

With personal knowledge of the design of their office network, Universal Connectivity was called back in to solve problem number one, their network woes. The Universal Connectivity team pursued a new hybrid setup of the network. They created a new network by taking the existing wireless network and transitioning it into a guest policy, which means it provides guest access to the internet, but has no access to the company’s internal systems. Then they expanded the wired network wirelessly.

As a result, anything on an employee’s desktop on the network could be accessed remotely from a laptop. This allowed workers to get into the company’s internal server to access things like booking information and other client information, regardless of where they worked from.

To address problem number two, Universal Connectivity implemented a mobile app, which works in conjunction with their phone system. This allowed Beebe’s snow plowers to stay in touch with office workers while out on the road. The solution continued to help beyond the winter season with capabilities to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic and the work-from-home setup. The Beebe office staff gained the capability to work remotely. By using the VPN they can get anything off their file server from anywhere, whether they are working from home or visiting a client office. The user simply “VPNs in” as if they were in the office.

The Result

The newly routed network is still secure and safe for visitors that come into the office. It has increased the overall functionality of the business to provide better services to its clients. The routing has cut time and technical complexity. It is just as easy for employees to access documents on their laptops as it is to access things on their desktop. 

The fully integrated mobile app allows them to  keep up lines of communication between all workers and maintain call volume, even during their busiest season. Utilizing a VPN during COVID allowed the business to continue running.  It is of note that an additional challenge arose as a result of the mobile app: Technology challenges caused one employee to struggle with remote access to the VPN. Chris Martin, our telecommunications technician, did a house visit and provided mobile app training with the employee. As a result, the employee continued to work and felt comfortable and confident in using the mobile app.

“I want to share what a pleasure it is working with Chris and the rest of the Universal Connectivity team,” said Rich Beebe, Beebe Landscape Services owner. “Their team is incredibly responsive and the follow up is just as impressive. Highly recommend Universal Connectivity to anyone looking for a communications partner that will keep you securely connected.” 

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If the idea of a phone system that runs via mobile app has piqued your interest for the sake of saving time and hassle, please schedule a consultation with our team. Or perhaps you are interested in partnering with a unified communications company that can provide personalized support, as specific as training for just one employee, so the whole team can function smoothly. Discover our full line of services and pricing. We can’t wait to uncover opportunities for your business to grow.