Lehigh Valley IT Support Team at KDG Brings Allentown Church’s Technology Up to Date
The tech management team at KDG has worked closely with a Lehigh Valley church to give its hardware, software, wireless, and other technology an overhaul.
Allentown, PA, April 26, 2017 --(PR.com)-- Christ Lutheran Church in Allentown has taken a very active role in the city’s community for decades. It’s not only a place of worship for Allentown residents, but also an outreach center that provides access to arts and education for people in the community.
Senior Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church, Reverend William “Woody” Maxon, explains that the area’s higher poverty rate means that many in the community do not have access to personal computers. As a result, students rely on the church’s computers to access the internet and study, while adults need the computers to check emails and even enroll in online education courses. Meanwhile, the community’s elderly use the church computers to register for programs like Social Security. Because it plays such an important role in the community, the church needed technology to keep leaders, volunteers, and members connected. It turned to the Lehigh Valley IT support team at KDG for help.
The team, led by Director of Operations Jim Sullivan, conducted a complete analysis of the church’s technology at both its main location on Hamilton Street and its outreach center only minutes away on nearby Turner Street.
A series of hardware, software, and network changes took place following the analysis. To start, KDG replaced a dozen old computers with new laptop and desktop devices. Now, there are new computer labs in both the church and the outreach center. Every new computer features security enhancements so that anyone using them - congregation leaders, church volunteers, community members, students, etc. - will have a safe web browsing experience. Mail servers were migrated to Office 365, which not only offers increased security, but also improved collaborative capabilities. The tech management experts also added a new NAS file server. In addition, the church’s phone key system was retired and replaced with a voice over internet protocol, or VoIP system.
However, perhaps the biggest challenge facing KDG and Christ Lutheran Church was improving the wireless network in the stone church.
“Their single wireless network was not able to reach the entire building,” explains Sullivan. “This led to an interrupted and slow connection. In such an old building, made out of stone, granite, and concrete, it’s very important to have a fast internet connection.”
KDG helped Christ Lutheran Church partner with a new internet provider for faster web speed and also upgraded them to a new wireless network. The single wireless radio was replaced by eight different wireless access points throughout the building’s three main floors and basement. The improvement was noticeable immediately.
“When the updates were made, there were no dead spots throughout the entire building,” says Sullivan. “To test this, we had someone start streaming a video in the church’s basement. They went from floor to floor and the stream was never interrupted.”
All of the changes, migrations, and installations took about two months to make. KDG also continues to provide ongoing service to the church through monthly maintenance updates, help desk support, and device management.
“KDG has been an important partner as we have upgraded our computers and WiFi systems,” says Reverend Maxon.
With the new technology and the continued support from KDG, Christ Lutheran Church can continue to offer its services to residents of Allentown both online and off. Reverend Maxon calls the church a “one-stop shop” for residents’ spiritual and computer needs. After school, students can use the computers to do their homework and study. The church’s Summer Program now has software and internet access to keep kids busy. The city’s elderly citizens can access their emails and continue to register for important programs, while adults in the area can stream online education programs. Even the church’s staff has new software programs that help make their daily tasks a little simpler and more efficient.
To learn more about the partnership between KDG and Christ Lutheran Church, see an exclusive case study on the tech provider’s website: http://www.kyledavidgroup.com/work/case-studies/christ-lutheran-church
About KDG: KDG (formerly the Kyle David Group) has served small and medium-size family businesses and closely-held private enterprises throughout the Lehigh Valley and beyond for over 16 years. Small business IT support, custom software development, onsite training, web design, solutions for accounting and human resources, and project management are but a few of the services they provide.
Senior Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church, Reverend William “Woody” Maxon, explains that the area’s higher poverty rate means that many in the community do not have access to personal computers. As a result, students rely on the church’s computers to access the internet and study, while adults need the computers to check emails and even enroll in online education courses. Meanwhile, the community’s elderly use the church computers to register for programs like Social Security. Because it plays such an important role in the community, the church needed technology to keep leaders, volunteers, and members connected. It turned to the Lehigh Valley IT support team at KDG for help.
The team, led by Director of Operations Jim Sullivan, conducted a complete analysis of the church’s technology at both its main location on Hamilton Street and its outreach center only minutes away on nearby Turner Street.
A series of hardware, software, and network changes took place following the analysis. To start, KDG replaced a dozen old computers with new laptop and desktop devices. Now, there are new computer labs in both the church and the outreach center. Every new computer features security enhancements so that anyone using them - congregation leaders, church volunteers, community members, students, etc. - will have a safe web browsing experience. Mail servers were migrated to Office 365, which not only offers increased security, but also improved collaborative capabilities. The tech management experts also added a new NAS file server. In addition, the church’s phone key system was retired and replaced with a voice over internet protocol, or VoIP system.
However, perhaps the biggest challenge facing KDG and Christ Lutheran Church was improving the wireless network in the stone church.
“Their single wireless network was not able to reach the entire building,” explains Sullivan. “This led to an interrupted and slow connection. In such an old building, made out of stone, granite, and concrete, it’s very important to have a fast internet connection.”
KDG helped Christ Lutheran Church partner with a new internet provider for faster web speed and also upgraded them to a new wireless network. The single wireless radio was replaced by eight different wireless access points throughout the building’s three main floors and basement. The improvement was noticeable immediately.
“When the updates were made, there were no dead spots throughout the entire building,” says Sullivan. “To test this, we had someone start streaming a video in the church’s basement. They went from floor to floor and the stream was never interrupted.”
All of the changes, migrations, and installations took about two months to make. KDG also continues to provide ongoing service to the church through monthly maintenance updates, help desk support, and device management.
“KDG has been an important partner as we have upgraded our computers and WiFi systems,” says Reverend Maxon.
With the new technology and the continued support from KDG, Christ Lutheran Church can continue to offer its services to residents of Allentown both online and off. Reverend Maxon calls the church a “one-stop shop” for residents’ spiritual and computer needs. After school, students can use the computers to do their homework and study. The church’s Summer Program now has software and internet access to keep kids busy. The city’s elderly citizens can access their emails and continue to register for important programs, while adults in the area can stream online education programs. Even the church’s staff has new software programs that help make their daily tasks a little simpler and more efficient.
To learn more about the partnership between KDG and Christ Lutheran Church, see an exclusive case study on the tech provider’s website: http://www.kyledavidgroup.com/work/case-studies/christ-lutheran-church
About KDG: KDG (formerly the Kyle David Group) has served small and medium-size family businesses and closely-held private enterprises throughout the Lehigh Valley and beyond for over 16 years. Small business IT support, custom software development, onsite training, web design, solutions for accounting and human resources, and project management are but a few of the services they provide.
Contact
The Kyle David Group, LLC
Jim Sullivan
610.628.1461
http://www.kyledavidgroup.com/
Jim Sullivan
610.628.1461
http://www.kyledavidgroup.com/
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