Download the Case Study PDF - Products Deployed, GWN7660, GWN7630, GWN.Cloud
GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan is a pharmaceutical company operating out of Pakistan. It is a subsidiary of the British business GSK and is Pakistan’s largest pharmaceutical company. When the company first began operating in Pakistan, Glaxo Laboratories Pakistan Ltd., the company was listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange. When Beecham, Glaxo Welcome, and Smith Kline, all of whom are well-known names in the pharmaceutical industry and independent companies merged in 2002, it resulted in the creation of GSK Pakistan. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Pakistan Limited (GSKCH) and GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Limited (GLAXO) were separated in 2015. GSKCH began conducting business independently in 2016 and GSKCH was listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in 2017.
The Problem
Previously GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan was using Cisco Wi-Fi access points for their networking setup. The devices provided basic wireless access but there were certain limitations that hindered the overall network performance:
High Price: Due to the extremely high cost of Cisco access points, it proved to be quite challenging to replace and scale the network. The current global economic situation at the time, particularly in Pakistan, made this issue even more pronounced. Yearly Controller
License Fee: GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan was required to pay for a controller license every year, which resulted in added costs on top of the access points.
Expired License Issue: GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan no longer had access to any previously enabled features or services if the license had expired, which happened to be the case, and this hindered the performance of the access points.
License Activation: Sometimes, after being acquired, licenses must be manually activated, which is incredibly frustrating for an IT professional to keep up with.
License Entitlements: There are a specific number of licenses for the deployment of access points. Licensing problems come from installing more access points than authorized, which ended up being the case and caused further complications with the deployment.
Critical User Interface of Controller: The Cisco controller user interface was not user-friendly and made it difficult for the network administrators to control all the access points.
Support Contract: Cisco often bundles licenses with support contracts. GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan support contract had expired which resulted in them losing access to crucial software updates and technical support.
The Need
The following points highlight why Grandstream’s access points were needed and why there was a requirement to revamp their existing network deployment with Cisco’s access points.
Data Transfer and Communication: Drug formulation data, research findings, clinical trial outcomes, regulatory information, and other data analysis are common tasks that take place on a day-to-day basis at GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan. A reliable and fast Wi-Fi network connection guarantees smooth data flow along with effective team productivity and departmental collaboration.
Research and Development: Pharmaceutical businesses conduct a lot of research and development. High-speed internet is necessary for researchers and scientists to access scientific material, carry out virtual experiments, collaborate with colleagues around the world, and use cloud-based services for data analysis and simulations. Clinical
Trials and Data Collection: GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan must gather information from numerous sites when performing clinical studies. Real-time monitoring and analysis are only made possible by having a strong Wi-Fi network, which can aid in the secure and speedy transmission of patient data, photographs, and other crucial information which is pivotal to ensure that the tasks are done on time.
Regulatory Compliance: The pharmaceutical sector is subject to strict regulation. Companies are required to keep accessible and available records of their operations, quality assurance procedures, and safety standards. Maintaining digital documents and ensuring regulatory compliance is made a lot easier by having a dependable and secure Wi-Fi network.
Inventory Management: Large inventories of chemicals, completed goods, and raw materials need to be managed by pharmaceutical enterprises. Inventory management systems can be coupled with a reliable Wi-Fi network to provide real-time tracking and reduce stock management errors.
Collaboration and Video Conferencing: Internal and external team collaboration is essential for the development of pharmaceutical products. A reliable and quick network connection is necessary for video conferencing and virtual meetings to conduct stakeholder conversations, presentations, and knowledge sharing. Quality of Service (QoS) features offered by modern access points ensures high-quality video conferencing even during periods of intensive network use.
Remote Monitoring and Access: Manufacturing plants, research labs, and storage facilities are frequently dispersed over several locations by pharmaceutical corporations. A robust Wi-Fi network infrastructure enables remote monitoring of machinery, procedures, IoT devices, and security measures along with assuring efficient operations and prompt troubleshooting.
Security and Data Protection: Pharmaceutical companies work with private formulations, data from clinical trials, patient information, and intellectual property. Strong security measures provided through the Wi-Fi network setup can help prevent data leaks and unwanted access.
Quality Control and Testing: Pharmaceutical companies are regularly subjected to stringent quality control inspections. It’s possible that these tests make use of specialist tools that rely on fast data transmission. Accurate data gathering and effective testing processes can only be supported by a reliable Wi-Fi network setup with a large coverage range.
Efficient Workflows: Overall, operational efficiency increases with a robust Wi-Fi network. Quick access to resources and information enables workers to make decisions quickly, reduces downtime, and increases productivity.
GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan needed an incredibly reliable and high-bandwidth Wi-Fi network to support their intricate and data-intensive operations. This includes guaranteed compliance with legal requirements, promoting teamwork and communication, and upholding the strictest standards of quality assurance and security.
Provided By MB Communication Pakistan
MB Communication Pakistan was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. MB Communication Pakistan is an authorized sole distributor of Black Copper, IT equipment’s barcode label and they also deal in all types of CCTV and networking equipment. MB Communication’s priority is to supply its customers in a timely manner and provide support in every possible way.
Why Grandstream
The service provider MB Communication Pakistan deployed a total of 10 GWN7660 Wi-Fi 6 Indoor Access Points and 45 GWN7630 802.11ac Wave-2 4×4:4 Wi-Fi Access Points across the GSK headquarters. All these access points were managed using Grandstream’s free network management platform GWN.Cloud.
No Cloud-Management Platform Licensing fees: A major justification for purchasing Grandstream’s access points was the free management platform, GWN.Cloud. All Grandstream’s controllers are unlimited in validity and do not require any licenses, which thereby reduces costs.
Variety Of Controllers: Grandstream offers different controller types depending on the demand and user environment. The most convenient controller for the staff member who oversees this is the web version of the cloud controller, which also offers Android/IOS versions.
Seamless roaming: Grandstream’s APs offer seamless Wi-Fi roaming, which is a crucial feature that allows wireless devices to seamlessly transition from one access point to another within a network without experiencing significant interruptions in connectivity. This is critical for larger wireless networking deployments such as the GSK headquarters where multiple access points are deployed to provide continuous coverage.
Availability and Scalability: Certain Grandstream access points are designed to cover large areas and, if necessary, can be easily adjusted to fit larger venues. For pharmaceutical firms with offices, labs, and production facilities dispersed over a vast area, this is a major advantage to avoid any network disruptions.
Continuity of Connection: Reliable Wi-Fi access points from companies like Grandstream can provide dependable connectivity. This is crucial in the pharmaceutical industry, as many activities depend on data transfer, communication, and access to online resources.
Security Features: Due to sensitive data and regulatory regulations, security in the pharmaceutical business is of the utmost importance. Grandstream’s access points include cutting-edge security features like VLAN support, WPA3 encryption, firewall settings, and more to ensure that the connection is always secure.
Guest Networking: GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan often has visitors, partners, and clients coming to their facilities. With proper configuration, Grandstream access points allow for segregated guest network SSIDs, ensuring that visitors can access the internet without compromising the company’s internal networking setup.
Remote Management: Grandstream offers remote management capabilities. This is particularly beneficial for large establishments like GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan with multiple locations. IT teams can centrally monitor and manage access points, update firmware, and troubleshoot issues without having to be physically present at the facility.
Quality of Service (QoS): Applications that prioritize network traffic, such as video conferences, audio/video calls, and data transfers, are used by the pharmaceutical industry. A high-end access point, like Grandstream’s, includes QoS settings to ensure that essential applications receive the necessary bandwidth to perform tasks without any interruption.
Compliance: Depending on the region and industry regulations, GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan needs to adhere to certain compliance standards for its IT infrastructure. Using access points from reputable brands makes it easier to meet these requirements.
Cost-Effective Solutions: Grandstream offers a variety of access points at competitive price points. GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan selected models that fit within their financial constraints whilst also offering the required functionality.
The Result
Pakistan has been facing difficult times financially because of a recession and economic uncertainties, which has made GlaxoSmithKline’s Pakistan Pharmaceuticals management team more cautious when it comes to spending. As a result, the management team has placed importance on cost-saving initiatives to effectively manage the company’s finances during this challenging financial period. This was a big factor in choosing Grandstream’s GWN7660 and GWN7630 access points for the deployment as there was no other access point on the market that provided enterprise-grade quality access points at cost-effective price points.
The free-of-cost network management platform, GWN.Cloud, has been widely appreciated by the management team and enables unrestricted access point management. The network administration team at GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Pharmaceuticals no longer need to visit multiple floors at the facility to monitor the system as they can now control all the access points from one location and instantly troubleshoot any issues that occur.
The network administration team is thoroughly satisfied with the robust security system that Grandstream’s GWN access points offer. The team is instantly able to find any issues with any access point and fix them, which is owed to the continual monitoring of all access points and a successful network management system GWN.Cloud. Strong security features have blocked any unauthorized login attempts and permanently blacklisted the IPs to stop any further infiltration. The network administration team has used the captive portal technology which has aided in managing guest users.
Overall, the management team at GlaxoSmithKline is thoroughly satisfied with Grandstream’s networking setup. Everyone can stay connected from everywhere in the company and complete any work-related tasks without any disruptions because of the strong network coverage provided by the GWN7660 and GWN7630.