SMARTDRAW IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

Leading Teen Addiction Treatment Center Relies on SmartDraw for IT Diagrams

Kennon Baker is the IT & Facilities Director for the Teen Challenge Training Center, a leading provider of successful faith-based recovery programs for teens facing drug addiction. He is responsible for managing IT infrastructures, including networks, desktops, phone systems, as well as all of the housing and physical buildings at the organization's Pennsylvania campus.

Kennon needed a fast and easy way to capture, and display non-visible infrastructure such as power, phone, networks, as well as sewer lines and underground water. He knew about various CAD programs, but wanted something that was less expensive and more user friendly. He found SmartDraw, and knew he made the right decision.

"I was very impressed with the results," said Kennon. "And compared to the alternatives, its much easier to use out of the box."

Kennon found that he was able to quickly create network diagrams, maps, facility layouts, and more. Unlike other graphics programs that provide users with a blank screen and expect them to draw, with SmartDraw, users select from a template that is specifically designed to create the type of illustration they need. For example, SmartDraw contains dozens of SmartTemplates for network diagrams, floor plans, and more.

After selecting the appropriate template, users simply enter the information and SmartDraw does the rest: building the graphic automatically using built-in rules and professional design themes to guarantee polished, presentation-quality results in just a few minutes. In addition, SmartDraw features one-click export to popular document types such as PDF and PowerPoint^®, making it easy to share SmartDraw creations with others.

"The biggest value of using SmartDraw is that it saves time on pre-planning potential changes, and demonstrating the current status of buildings in-scale," said Kennon.

SmartDraw was a breeze for him to install, and really helps him share his ideas. "From an I.T. perspective, it also makes it much easier to communicate current structure and how future changes can improve costs."

According to Kennon, SmartDraw allows him to work much more quickly than if he were using a CAD program. "I'm not sure how long it would have taken to learn a more complicated CAD-style program…days and hours, I am sure!"

Since he's been using SmartDraw, he's received a lot of positive feedback on his projects. "Everyone is impressed and looking to use it for their projects," said Kennon.

The bottom line?

"Great product, and each version gets better and better," said Kennon. Users can download a free trial of SmartDraw at www.smartdraw.com.