HCE
Our work
Public Works
Smoothing the waters during the pandemic for Public Works Hamilton – remotely managing water and waste water management systems.
Hamilton, a friendly, vibrant community situated along the shores of Lake Ontario, is home to half a million people.
A city of this size requires a solid municipal works program to maintain the well being of the community. A mission critical part of the public services provided by the City of Hamilton is Water and Waste Water Management Services. The City makes sure that water is safe to drink, and that waste water is both effectively managed and treated. Understandably, Water and Waste Water Management services are a 24×7 operation and these services don’t stop when a pandemic comes along.
The Covid-19 Pandemic shuttered a majority of businesses, but the City of Hamilton Public Works Department found itself in a quandary; it needed to keep the water and waste water management operational, while keeping its staff safe. Public Works turned to HCE for help. They needed a way to provide staff with the means to remotely and securely, manage the water and waste water management system.
Challenge
The City wanted to keep staff safe by enabling them to work remotely. However, employee home broadband services were proving unreliable and, in some cases, insecure. Public Works needed not only remote access, but reliable, encrypted access for City Water and waste water management operational control staff to connect to the network.
The Solution
HCE provided Public Works operators with an encrypted, software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) service along with sufficient bandwidth to minimize latency in order to control the Water and Waste Water Management Systems remotely. Since it’s delivered through the cloud, the SD-WAN simplifies network operations as it is managed from a centralized point in the network. To provide additional security, HCE provided a hardened device based on its HCE SD-WAN platform. Access includes Dual LTE ports, and an available port to use for home Internet services.
Migration to SDWAN
Backed by its team of experienced network professionals, HCE guided Hamilton Public Works through the migration to the SD WAN network. HCE helped to analyze the existing network and designed a solution that was most beneficial to Hamilton Public Works. From project management through installation and cutover, HCE acted as a trusted advisor to Hamilton Public Works. HCE worked closely with the Public Works team, providing project management and oversight of the implementation and migration process.
Outcomes
Providing 99.99% uptime, the SD-WAN network is delivering an innovative way to manage water and waste water management services for the City of Hamilton, connecting over 100 Water and Sewer Operations sites.
Providing 99.99% uptime. connecting over 100 Water and Sewer Operations sites.
Benefits
To Hamilton Public Works, staff safety is paramount. The SD WAN network has been a game changer for Water and Waste Water Management operational control staff who can now remotely carry out their duties, digitally. The network has also enabled both the SCADA team and management to fully function with remote secure monitoring of processes.
As the City of Hamilton continues its drive forward as a connected city, HCE is enabling the digital transformation of the city at its core, through the digital enablement of its operations staff. City and staff alike are reaping the multitude of benefits that digital enablement offers; from productivity gains to increased flexibility in service delivery, the City is at the cusp of driving innovation in Water and Waste Water Management Services.
For Water and Waste Water Management Services operations staff, the ability to work digitally provides greater flexibility and offers them a chance to improve their work life balance. Given its solid reliability, the SDWAN now forms an integral part of the business continuity plan for Hamilton Public Works.
WhatThey are Saying
“The HCE team was instrumental in moving the Hamilton Public Works Water and Waste Water Management Services to a state-of-the-art network, giving us the flexibility and reliability to drive innovation in service delivery. HCE quickly grasped our grave situation and were able to rapidly design and implement a solution that helps us protect our workers while continuing to deliver mission critical services during the pandemic. A project of this complexity and scope is expected to take a prolonged period of time to complete, but this was deftly completed HCE in record time. We are extremely grateful to HCE and their team of network professionals.”
