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Initial situation
Our client is an internationally renowned clothing retailer with around 160 stores in 12 countries. The company is faced with the challenge of operating a highly complex IT network that is responsible for the smooth transmission of a wide range of data.
This includes information from cash register systems, goods movements, data for display boards, music, people counting systems, employee and customer WLAN, telephones, printers, payment systems, alarm systems and UPS devices.
The diverse nature of the data and the need to seamlessly integrate different systems require an extremely stable and efficient IT infrastructure. Due to these complex requirements, the retail client turned to IDS in 2018 for support in overcoming these challenges.
Our approach
To address these challenges, we completely rebuilt the customer's network. The focus was migrating the customer's data center to the Google Cloud. IDS deployed Fortigate firewalls (models 200 and 80) at the sites to improve the security infrastructure. These firewalls take over the functions of the SD-WAN and provide comprehensive security through anti-virus and URL filtering.
In addition, Cisco switches were replaced with Meraki switches to improve network performance. A new WLAN network with Meraki access points was also deployed to ensure reliable wireless connectivity. A comprehensive service level agreement (SLA) with a 24/7 hotline was implemented to meet the demanding requirements of retail customers.
Technology used
The technology used in the customer's data center included WS-C6506E/N5K-5548 data center switches, Series 1921 and 4321 routers, and WS-C4506 and WS-C2960 switches for their stores. Aruba was chosen for the WLAN in the distribution centers, while Cisco 5508s were used in the head office. Fortigate 200 and 80 firewalls and Peplink LTE routers were also deployed to ensure a robust, high-performance network infrastructure.
Ongoing activities for the customer
Our ongoing activities include 24/7 fault management and regular on-site visits to ensure a rapid response to potential challenges. By using monitoring tools such as Icinga, FortiManager and Meraki Cloud, we proactively monitor network performance and can react to potential problems at an early stage.
Faults are dealt with efficiently via the Gira ticketing system, with IDS as the direct point of contact for technical support in each store. Our experts specialize in configuring Fortigate firewalls, Meraki components, and Cisco routers and switches.
We also assist the customer with audits and act as an interface with other service providers, such as Telekom and UPS providers. IDS takes overall responsibility for projects, including the smooth introduction of new technologies such as POS printers and network hardware storage and dispatch.
Planning and coordinating new installations, conversions and retrofits are all part of our role, as are regular meetings to resolve any outstanding issues. We ensure that all software versions are current and drive further development and innovation in network technologies. We also use Peplink as a reliable LTE backup solution to ensure connectivity during outages.