The local government authority (Gemeente) for the Dutch city of Oss serves more than 75,000 citizens in the city and 15 nearby residential areas. In addition, the local government authority has an office for civil affairs in three residential areas and is responsible for the Jan Crunen Museum, the city archive and the fire brigade. Gemeente Oss employs about 650 people.

The Challenge: Ensuring Scalability and High Availability of Web Applications

Centric is a Dutch ISV and one of the major developers of specialized applications for local authorities. The Gemeente Oss used these applications for many years. However, the applications developed with Oracle Forms 6 — the Windows® front end for Oracle — were approaching end of life. Centric now offers these applications based on the newest Oracle Application Server platform.

“Our existing Windows environment for the Centric applications is fully redundant and clustered and has a very high availability,” said Fred Wiegel, team leader, Automation at the Gemeente Oss. “The new generation of applications is Web-based and accessed with a browser. We did not want to make concessions in availability because our applications are simply indispensable for the continuity of our services. We needed to find a solution that could deliver comparable availability for the new Web-based applications running on Oracle Application Server. In addition, the environment needed to be scalable to improve performance and handle future growth with the continuous addition of collaboration with partners and other local government authorities.”

Implementing Citrix NetScaler for Load Balancing of Oracle-based Applications

The Gemeente looked for a solution to create a highly available Oracle Application Server solution. “We contacted numerous manufacturers to find a solution, but none of them had a ready-made answer. Eventually, after an extensive search, we located a test report that discussed solutions, including Citrix NetScaler, for load balancing of Oracle applications,” continued Wiegel. “Unexpectedly, we found the solution nearby, as we have been a satisfied customer of Citrix Presentation Server for more than five years and also securely deliver applications using Citrix Access Gateway.”

The Gemeente Oss and Citrix did a proof of concept to evaluate Citrix® NetScaler® load-balancing capabilities for Oracle Application Server. This was very easy to do, because implementing the NetScaler solution takes minimal effort.

Wiegel said, “Another thing that appealed to us was the integrated SSL VPN solution that needs no client software and can be used with only a browser. Although this was not one of our selection criteria, we saw many new uses for it and found the functionality extremely useful during our proof of concept.”

He continued, “Compared to other products, the Citrix solution was priced very competitively and easy to obtain, thanks to the many Citrix partners in the Netherlands.” The NetScaler 7000 Enterprise Edition HA appliance pair was delivered by Axians, a Silver Citrix® Solution Advisor, and also one of the preferred suppliers for equipment and knowledge at the Gemeente Oss.

Continuity of Services for Citizens

Centric applications, for example for civil affairs, are the heart of citizen services of the Gemeente. More than 600 employees access these applications from thin clients, using a browser published on Citrix Presentation Server™ that connects to the Web servers load-balanced by NetScaler. The new Centric Key2Burgerzaken, Key2Onderwijs and other Web-based applications running on the Oracle platform, as well as some Microsoft® .NET applications, now deliver very high availability thanks to the Citrix NetScaler appliances. The load-balancing function of the NetScaler appliances, which delivers fine-grained direction of client requests to ensure optimal distribution of traffic, enables employees to provide citizens with quick and uninterrupted services.

Further, even when not visiting the city hall, citizens can access services such as requesting driver permits or looking up tax information with high performance by going to the city’s Web site. The public site is accelerated and optimized by NetScaler, which leverages caching and compression technology to ensure fast performance and avoid delays in page loading.

Browser-based Secure Access from Any Location

The integrated SSL VPN function is used by city employees to access applications from remote locations, from home and when traveling. For any of these scenarios, an Internet connection and a browser are all that is needed. For example, locations such as the cemetery, the children´s petting farm and the swimming pool have access to the network. “In addition, we have 50 councilors who need access to agendas, meeting minutes and the Council Information System from home,” said Wiegel. “A nice additional advantage of NetScaler is that we are now able to accelerate the re-integration of employees who have been ill for a long time by offering work from home.”

Previously, the Gemeente Oss did not allow any laptops on the network for security reasons. But now, thanks to NetScaler, using laptops and the newly created wireless LAN in the city hall is easy and secure using an SSL VPN connection. And public servants on the road for their job, such as area managers who authorize building permits, also enjoy secure, remote access using an UMTS connection.

Scalability Accelerates Access for Chain Partners

As a result of changing legislation, more and more counters for services from partners not provided by the Gemeente can be found at the Gemeente Oss. These so-called “chain partners,” such as staff at the “veiligheidshuis,” a regional organization that helps delinquents returning to society, need access to the network. The Gemeente Oss is also part of the Werkplein Maasland pilot, through which it cooperates with other local government authorities and institutes to provide services for unemployed people and employers. The Citrix NetScaler solution accelerates the integration of chain partners and cooperation with other local government authorities because only an Internet connection and a browser are needed to work with the applications.

Future Plans

Wiegel said, “We currently use three features of Citrix NetScaler: load balancing, SSL VPN and Web application optimization. We plan to introduce NetScaler security features including end-point security, as well as tokens for additional authentication with SSL VPN access. In addition, we see an increase in the number of internal Web applications that all will be placed behind the NetScaler appliances. A nice example is FlexiWeb, a graphical application for maps used by the fire brigade for asbestos administration and fire protection information or by appraisers of the ‘Waardering Onroerende Zaken’ (WOZ) taxes for real estate. By connecting FlexiWeb to our public Web site, citizens have access to address data or building permits. For us, the power of Citrix NetScaler is the ability to create new solutions within our network, smoothly and securely.”

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