The Challenge
GSMS faced three interconnected infrastructure challenges.
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It needed sophisticated redundant connectivity across two buildings – not standard dual-circuit backup, but a design where either building could survive a circuit outage by routing through the other.
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Its cloud phone provider abruptly cut off all service without warning when a credit card on file expired, leaving the 400-person company without phones and no account manager intervention.
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Its existing VPN model created significant latency for its increasingly remote workforce, but a complete firewall replacement wasn't feasible.
Ultimately, the pharmaceutical provider needed a partner who could handle multiple infrastructure layers with expertise and reliability they could depend on.
The Solution
Aseva designed a three-part solution to help GSMS overcome its challenges.
For connectivity, Aseva engineered a triangulated fiber redundancy design: one fiber circuit into Building A from one carrier, a second circuit into Building B, and privately-owned building-to-building fiber connecting the two sites. If either building lost its primary circuit, traffic automatically rerouted through the other building's connection. Our experts handled the engineering, permitting, and construction management for the on-premises fiber run, ensuring seamless integration with GSMS's campus infrastructure.
For voice, we migrated GSMS off its unreliable previous provider onto ClearStar, a cloud-hosted business voice platform. The deployment covered approximately 200 users with Webex softphones and Polycom handsets.
For remote security, rather than forcing a firewall replacement, we designed a hybrid architecture that preserved GSMS's Barracuda investment. Remote users connect via the Cato ZTNA client, with their traffic egressing from a location near them rather than hairpinning across the country. Access to internal resources flows through a secure tunnel between Cato and the on-premises Barracuda, while on-site office users continue to use the Barracuda without disruption.
"What impressed us most was how Aseva looked at our biggest infrastructure challenges and said, 'We can handle all of this.'" - John Barris, GSMS
The Results
GSMS now operates without a single point of internet failure. The custom network design ensures connectivity continues through either building, even if one loses both its primary and secondary circuits. Phone service has run reliably for over five years, a dramatic contrast to the zero-notice service cutoff the company experienced with its previous provider.
Remote worker latency has also been eliminated. GSMS was able to preserve its existing firewall investment while gaining the security capabilities it needed for a distributed workforce. Employees working outside Camarillo can now connect securely through the nearest Cato point of presence, rather than tunneling across the country.
Most importantly, three critical infrastructure layers – connectivity, voice, and security – are now managed by a single team with one number to call. That simplicity and reliability matter when you run a 400-person organization that can't afford downtime or the complexity of managing multiple vendors.
