Open Book is a non-profit facility in Minneapolis founded to foster literary and creative exploration and appreciation. So, how does The Foundation fit in to this equation? Well, when Open Book changed its Internet Service Provider (ISP) and moved from a fractional T1 connection to a full T1 connection, The Foundation came to help Open Book take full advantage of its new connection.

Since the new ISP doesn’t manage hardware, The Foundation configured and installed a router and switch with a Cisco solution in the mostly Macintosh, mixed platform, environment to allow each organization to have their own private subnet. This solution allows each organization in Open Book to share the T1 connection, but still be isolated from each other.

Benefits of the new connection go beyond faster Internet access. Open Book is now enjoying a cost effective way to higher security for their network, to remote access for their workstations through Virtual Private Network (VPN), and to more easily managed hardware. The VPN allows its users to enjoy secure file sharing, database management, and remote control applications from any computer outside the network.

The Foundation was meticulous every step of the installation, always testing the solution before transferring each business to the new connection. The Foundation always does excellent work and the transition to a new Internet connection was done seamlessly and with no down time. We all enjoy our faster connection, said Steve Pittelkow of Minnesota Center for Book Arts.