SADA Systems and Virgin Mobile USA

One of the first 10 Google Apps for Enterprise partners worldwide and initial contributor to the Google Apps Open Source provisioning tool kit, SADA Systems, Inc. has a proven track record in implementation of Google Apps solutions. SADA works with a diverse client base to create custom, leading edge solutions that strategically meet client business objectives.

Virgin Mobile USA is a mobile telephone company that is a joint venture between Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Sprint Nextel. The service operates on Sprint's CDMA-based Personal Communications Service (PCS) network. As of year-end 2007, Virgin Mobile USA has over five million subscribers. Virgin Mobile selected SADA Systems as their partner of choice for their Google Apps needs.

Challenge

Virgin Mobile users, dispersed across the U.S., were already power Google Apps users. Virgin Mobile's corporate office had highly customized the Google Start Page and deployed it as a central and important communication portal for all employees. They required an SSO capable, custom log-in page which not only would simplify user management, but would also protect 100% of Start Page content from all anonymous and non-authenticated users.

Solution

Custom Design and SSO Enablement

SADA was tasked with deploying an SSO solution and designing an attractive landing page at par with Virgin Mobile's standards and meeting their strict branding standards. Additionally, SADA's solution had to be simple, elegant, and easy to implement and use.

Hosted SSO Solution

It may have taken weeks for Virgin Mobile to allocate and deploy a server for the SSO log-in page. SADA was able to provide a full turn-key, mission critical hosted environment within three days.

Result

With only minimal help required from any Virgin Mobile IT resources, SADA was able to provide the entire solution from discovery to design, testing, and full deployment. Now, when someone attempts to access any Google Apps related links, they are directed to the custom log-in page. Nothing is visible to the public without authentication.

"The SADA guys were terrific. The project price was reasonable and the turn-around time was only 2 weeks," says Lisa Freeman, Director of Virgin Mobile USA's HR & Communications. "When we ran into a minor snag, the whole team was all over it and on the horn with Google in no time flat to problem solve. We got great service and attention, and they definitely displayed a sense of urgency when it was required. It definitely felt like we were an important client that they were driving to please and that our project, though small, was still one that they wanted to put a lot of attention behind. Their follow-up was also solid and we had updates every step of the way. We had what felt like a highly personalized level of service. We had a great experience with SADA and would definitely use them again."