Custom Factory Integration

Service Overview
Ciara Custom Factory Integration service provides a range of custom built, factory installed solutions helping you eliminate installation hassles. After determining your exact needs, Ciara performs the custom configuration during the initial system build. It's a 'one-touch', high quality, custom integration. This ensures your high quality Ciara products are custom configured to your specification and delivered to you from our ISO 9001-certified factory. The CFI Process helps you Lower Your TCO.

Client Software Integration
Client Software Integration provides custom configuration and installation of software, (standard, custom, or proprietary), in our factory environment. Software Integration services include:

• Client Software Services
• Software Image Loads of all your major operating systems
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Family
• Windows XP Family
• Linux RedHat and SuSE
• Proprietary and Third Party Application Loads
• Hard Drive Partitioning
• Image Management Services

Ciara Image Services
Ciara Image Services provide an integrated suite of solutions designed to relieve customers of software image development, validation, deployment, and maintenance. These services are designed to help customers achieve platform stability and consistency without compromising the level of control required by their specific business requirements.

Image Development and Validation
To help relieve the strain on your IT resources with on-site image development by a Ciara engineer, we can migrate an existing image to a new OS and/or optimize for your platform. For an optional fee, Ciara will provide new image development or existing image migration to your solution. Our image development and validation process begins with the creation of a Statement of Work (SOW), a document that clearly defines the customer's imaging requirements (OS*, applications, drivers, customer settings, etc). Once the applications and data set have been loaded onto the system and the hardware configured, the on-site program engineer will conduct a variety of tests to ensure that the image is functioning properly and optimized for use on the desired platform. This validation procedure can include Ciara-developed protocols, customer-developed protocols, co-developed protocols, or a combination thereof. The result is a fully functional image-ready for deployment through Ciara's Custom Factory Integration service.

Image Deployment
Seamless software integration is performed during the initial factory build.
"One-touch" process provides high quality and consistency.

For a per-unit fee, Ciara will store and load the most recent copy of your software image on your new Ciara systems. Image deployment is then performed in one seamless process-as the systems are in our ISO 9001-certified factory. This one-touch integration means duplicated efforts can be eliminated and chances for errors can be reduced. As a result, Ciara may help you reduce your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and improved system deployment efficiency.

Hardware Integration
One of the biggest levers in TCO reduction is standardization. CFI offers a number of ways to efficiently ensure the integrity of your unique hardware configurations. You can benefit from the high quality and great dependability of having your hardware installed and configured at one time, in one place. The across-the-board standardization that results from having your hardware image consistent in every CFI order makes it much simpler to upgrade and transition to new software. In addition, increased standardization helps simplify system administration, training, and compatibility issues. Hardware integration services cover:

• Installation of industry-standard hardware components and the appropriate drivers, including: Network interface cards, modems, video cards, sound cards, internal storage devices, and hard drives.
• Custom hardware settings, including: CMOS/BIOS settings, jumper settings, port settings, special scripting and hard drive partitioning.

Asset Services
Keep tighter control over your assets quickly, with fewer hassles.
CFI offers: Asset tagging and labeling.

• Application of standard or custom asset tags for systems and monitors, and labels for packing boxes. Information gathered and reported on asset tags can include: customer name, service tag, purchase order number, order number, order date, model number, shipping address, system component data, and/or customer-supplied information.