Scaling Up: Optimization Gets Strategic At RuanScaling Up: Optimization Gets Strategic At Ruan

Thin clients help keep the network humming and the trucks rolling at Ruan Transportation Management Systems. "We're scaling up so we can grow as the demand for applications grows," says Jim Ridge, VP of IT operations.

It's that sort of thinking that's helped the company grow its three major lines of business: truck leasing; "dedicated carriage," a way for companies to outsource transportation vehicles, equipment, drivers, and risk to Ruan; and supply-chain management and logistical services. The company reported 2002 revenue of $750 million from operations in 41 states.

Ruan uses the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol, a remote-desktop connection client that comes with Windows XP and enables users to run a mix of applications. "We've prioritized RDP traffic on the network so it gets the most bandwidth," Ridge says. "We also deliver thin-client applications on the same architecture to workers at home so they can access their desktops. We used to have a large dial-up population and that's dwindling. We're slowly converting them to Internet access via DSL or cable modems."

The biggest traffic peaks come on Mondays, because that's typically when customers send in their load plans for the week, Ridge says. And since a good amount of Ruan's business is in concrete and cement supplies, winters tend to be a slower season as construction of all sorts drops with the mercury. "We're set up to handle the peak and live off the fat the other times," Ridge says.

Ruan charts bandwidth usage by location, using freeware called the Multi-Router Traffic Grapher, promoted by Cisco Systems. And the company uses load balancing on its Web servers.

At present, Ruan has 22 locations on its frame relay network; half of them have 56-Kbps connections, six use 384-Kbps links, and the rest are in-between. In addition, 24 other sites access Ruan resources through a company portal on the Internet.

"The Internet and VPNs are the biggest optimization opportunity we have right now," Ridge says. "We're also moving more towards using Internet services to deliver applications to our own sites and to our customers."

Sounds like scaling up as well as scaling out. Regardless, Ridge is being very cautious with where he spends and how much. "What makes any solution really attractive is avoiding the forklift upgrades and the big up-front investments."

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