Heinen & Hopman Turn to Absolute Secure Access to Solve Connectivity Issues
A maritime-industry specialist, Heinen & Hopman designs, engineers, and installs air conditioning, ventilation, central heating, and refrigeration systems. The company has supplied more than 10,000 vessels worldwide—not only commercial vessels but also state-of-the-art navy ships, superyachts, and offshore platforms.
Secure and Reliable Connections in Shipyards and Remote Sites
Technology can transform essential business operations in significant ways, but connectivity is a critical component of doing so. At Heinen & Hopman, their army of fitters relies heavily on mobile devices and connections for vital technical information to complete their jobs. They need a stable, reliable, and secure Internet connection to be able to use applications, such as 3D visualizations of the ships that they are working on. Since the fitters mainly do their work in shipyards and other remote sites, they often had to deal with poor Internet connections and regularly experienced connection drops.
Our workers power up their devices, log on once, and the connection is automatically established in the background where it then operates behind the scenes. They don’t need to do anything with Absolute Secure Access.
How They Did It
Access Vital Data, Anytime and Anywhere
For a time, workers tried carrying static versions of the drawings on their laptops for use onsite, but without a reliable connection and synchronization, the drawings were obsolete. A search was initiated for other solutions. They turned to Absolute’s implementation partner NetBoss BV, who provided the Absolute Secure Access solution. After a successful proof of concept, the software was launched in production. The fitters were immediately able to access vital data all the time and from anywhere.
Less Time Wasted = Increased Productivity
Now, the workers can access vital data about the ship from anywhere without disruption. They can take their devices on board with them, which means that they don’t constantly need to go back to an office on the dock or on shore. The end result is less time wasted and an increase in productivity, not only for the fitters but also for the supervising fitter, who is able to spend more time onsite.
Enhanced Policies Lead to Continuous, Uninterrupted Performance
Setting up a software-based, mobile infrastructure allows policies to be created quickly. The policies automatically come into force subject to certain conditions. For example, when the connection is 3G or lower, only the primary applications are allowed. With only the crucial applications using the available bandwidth, the policies ensure that they continue to perform well. And when the connection changes, the session continues running in the background, which means that there is no longer need to log on again.
The fitters are so enthusiastic that everyone is asking for the Absolute Secure Access solution. So, we are constantly extending its use to more devices, and our aim is to double the number of devices using it this year.
Keeping Maritime Workers Connected Without Compromising on Security
Since NetBoss became involved as the Absolute Secure Access implementation partner, a great deal has changed at Heinen & Hopman. Van Schaik compares using Absolute Secure Access with switching on a lamp: “instead of activating a switch manually, the ‘light’ comes on now as soon as you walk past.”
For Heinen & Hopman, Absolute Secure Access:
- Resolves all connection-related problems
- Provides access to accurate, updated job information Ƃ Allows real-time data synchronization
- Prioritizes access for crucial applications
- Improves productivity for fitters and supervisors
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