MANE, a leading flavor and fragrance group in France, was facing the challenge of preserving its business model and maintaining the secrecy of its formulas in a fast-evolving world where workplaces are experiencing accelerated digital transformation and relying more heavily on remote workers. The company needed to rethink its growth strategy and improve its IT infrastructure. They sought a secure solution to enable productivity for its modern work environment while ensuring its trade secrets stay secret. The company also needed to improve data and information system security by enhancing access controls, privilege management, and visibility over its numerous third-party suppliers and systems managers.

Zensar Technologies, a leading technology consulting and services company, was facing a challenge with privilege distribution and management. The company often granted local administrator rights to users for day-to-day tasks or to install approved software. However, without the ability to define privilege scope, the support team at Zensar was working with limited control over how administrative rights were distributed. This lack of control could potentially conflict with critical software compliance policies and create a bloated attack surface. The team sought a tool that would enhance their privilege management capabilities without disrupting their existing mandatory compliance policies and processes. They also wanted a flexible system for access controls, allowing the IT team to generate new policies and roles based on unique end-user requirements. Lastly, they needed a way to quickly generate privilege reporting across all endpoint assets and users.

The City of Midlothian, Texas, was facing a challenge with its IT environment. The more secure it became, the less usable it was. Open access left sensitive networks vulnerable to attacks and increased the risk of a data breach. The city had to choose between more security or better availability, often sacrificing one for the other. Before 2018, granting access to third-party vendors and remote workers was a hands-on chore that required multiple touchpoints and tons of cleanup. The city used a VPN client from their firewall provider to set up accounts for vendors and third-party users. They would download and run the software client, input their credentials, and gain full access to the network. However, there were no actual security controls in that tunnel. The only way to keep people from logging in whenever they wanted was to disable the account, which also meant the IT team had to reactivate the account as needed.

Alesund kommune, a Norwegian municipality with a population of 42,982, was using a combination of Windows 2000 server, Linux and BIND to manage its DNS and DHCP. However, the lack of redundancy for DHCP made it impossible to ensure the robustness of the network. The municipality occupies seven of the outer islands in the county of Møre og Romsdal, making it a highly-dispersed environment. Alesund wanted to find a DNS/DHCP solution that would not only eliminate potential network downtime, but would also simplify network management and improve administrator and user productivity while simultaneously decreasing the associated costs of managing its distributed network. The municipality has approximately 3,000 nodes in the network, spread over about 200 different subnets, with most of the clients being Windows and PXE (Pre-Boot Execution Environment) thin clients. With Windows 2000 server, it was impossible to divide all the nodes up into different classes within subnets, which made the system extremely difficult to monitor and manage.

Edeka SouthWest, one of the largest food producers, distributors, and retailers in Germany, was facing challenges with its expanding IT infrastructure. The company's IT department had deployed many devices on the company’s network to keep pace with its expanding ERP system. Each device needed its own IP address. Since the IT team managed IP addresses manually with spreadsheets, the group struggled to keep track of IP data. The company relied heavily on its mission-critical technologies, such as its ERP solution. Any downtime could mean lost customers and revenue. Therefore, the spotlight was squarely focused on the IT department and service desk to ensure that its network always functioned at peak performance, IP address data was always accurate and valid, and systems were always available.

Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe University (HS-OWL) in Germany was facing challenges with its network environment. The university had a limited IPv4 address space and was using an open source tool to document its IP addresses and networks. However, there was no integration between this tool and the university's DNS and DHCP core network services. The management and maintenance of these separate tools were time-consuming for the IT staff. The lack of integration also increased the risk of a network configuration error causing an outage that would directly impact the university's students, faculty, and staff. The university's network encompasses about 10,000 active IP addresses on campus and serves the needs of some 6,000 students and 600 staff. The DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management (IPAM) solution selected would have to be scalable to support network growth and include a flexible API to enable integration with the university's existing in-house and custom-built network management tools.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a comprehensive academic health center with nearly 3,000 students, 1,500 teaching staff, and a 750-bed medical center. The university's network spans over 30 remote sites and comprises approximately 30,000 IP addresses. The network must support the diverse needs of both the hospital and university, as well as the intensive demands of medical researchers for online collaboration. The number of IP-connected devices on the network is growing exponentially, including smart phones, tablets, and specialized healthcare devices like wireless IV pumps. In addition, security cameras and door locks that used to be hard-wired are now IP-enabled. To maintain the reliability of the network and better serve its users, MUSC needed an efficient way to manage, automate, and delegate day-to-day network administration tasks.

ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion, a subsidiary of ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, offers comprehensive services for the production and multimedia distribution of TV content. The company was using a rudimentary IP Address Management (IPAM) system that was primarily used for documentation and did not enable consistency checks. The system was outdated and no longer met ProSiebenSat.1 standards. The company was looking for a modern IPAM system that would guarantee improved processes and would be both flexible and upgradable. It was also planned that the group’s existing Windows servers would eventually be integrated into the IPAM system and managed centrally.

TYROLIT, a technology-driven manufacturer and one of the world’s largest producers of grinding, cutting, drilling and dressing tools, as well as machines for the construction industry, experienced a serious crash of its Microsoft DHCP server in January 2010. This crash impacted its operations and caused the company to begin looking for a more resilient, hardware-based DNS and DHCP solution to replace its Microsoft DHCP servers. The company's network spans numerous remote sites worldwide and encompasses some 15,000 IP addresses. Any outage can cause production delays that cost the company money and impact its reputation, which makes DNS/DHCP resiliency and uptime a major concern.

Over the years, University College Dublin (UCD) built its own DDI infrastructure, consisting of BIND DNS and DHCP as well as several Red Hat servers. They also created an in-house IPAM solution that allowed its network team to easily create address ranges and edit IP data. However, the network was growing rapidly and placing more demands on the current system. The growth and increasing demand on the network put pressure on the already-tight resources, and the University did not want to be in a precarious position where its networks management group was stretched too thin. As resources left the team, it was becoming harder and harder to run the in-house solution. It made logical sense to move to a managed commercial DDI project where they had robust expertise and extensive support. In addition, UCD was in the process of upgrading to IPv6. They were operating a dual stack and had IPv6 running on a few test networks. As they looked for a new IPAM product, this was something that had to be addressed.

W&W Informatik, a German IT company, was facing challenges with its previous DDI vendor. The outdated version of the solution they were using had limited functionality, poor data consistency, and major issues handling high volumes of DDNS transactions. These limitations reduced the performance, reliability, and availability of the solution, hindering W&W’s productivity. Periodically, all VOIP phones would reboot causing the solution to fail, resulting in outages of the VOIP infrastructure. W&W’s network is heavily distributed across Germany and with the company’s rapid growth, they must deal with the challenge of offices frequently opening and sometimes closing. Each new office requires the setup of a small network. To support this rapid growth, W&W needed to find a DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management (DDI) solution that would grow with its network. Their network needs have evolved since their legacy solution was initially rolled out – the company’s focus has shifted to private cloud implementation, VMWare automation and server automation – and their solution was no longer able to meet their requirements. Additionally, their previous DDI vendor did not offer the ease of upgrade and support that W&W was looking for.

Cologne Bonn Airport, one of the largest commercial airports in Germany, was facing challenges with its home-grown network. The rapid growth in Wifi connectivity from personal mobile devices and greater use of IP-enabled devices, such as security cameras, dramatically increased network demand. In addition, the airport added many IP-based services to improve the customer experience. With multiple DNS zones, differing technologies, and a segregated network access team, the airport lacked a standardized network configuration or centralized visibility. The airport's network team turned to Axians, a German technology company, for guidance on the project.

The Universität Salzburg, with 16,500 students and around 2,700 employees, faced a significant challenge when the Universities Act 2002 was implemented, granting greater autonomy and self-determination to Austrian universities. This change necessitated a routine replacement of the hardware for the existing DNS server infrastructure. The university's Project Manager, Mr. Thomas Wenniger Dipl. Ing. (FH), sought the expertise of schoeller network control, a technology distributor with experience in networking and infrastructure. The discussions that followed presented options for a comprehensive DNS, DHCP and IP address management (DDI) solution. BlueCat, a leading provider of DDI solutions, was recommended for evaluation. The university had concerns about replacing Microsoft DNS, but the extensive workflow opportunities offered by BlueCat's DDI products for the allocation and management of IP addresses by the IT helpdesk and network administrators sparked interest.

The Laboratory conducts scientific research on highly sensitive technical areas, and as such its network requires a unique architecture. The vast majority of the Laboratory’s workforce is comprised of U.S. citizens, but foreign scientists also work at the lab through cooperative projects and scientific exchange programs. The Laboratory’s network administrators segmented their network to ensure that information was unable to move from the protected enclave of U.S. citizen workers to the enclave used by foreign nationals. This created an administrative headache, however, as the DNS for both areas had to be managed separately under the Microsoft DNS the lab was using. Spreadsheets were used to keep track of IP addresses and host records, but this was hardly a failsafe method – manual errors frequently caused network outages and increased overall operational risk. Split administration also lengthened the time it took network administrators to respond to help desk tickets. With a constant flow of foreign researchers and guests, adding and deleting host records took a great deal of time and energy away from more pressing tasks.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) discovered that its emergency warehouse needed drastic improvements due to new federal mandates and the limitations with its current inventory management system. They found that they were greatly lacking in their ability to efficiently respond to public health and healthcare facilities’ needs, and to appropriately manage inventory to prevent asset loss. During disasters, the greatest challenge MSDH faces is the ability to rapidly and safely provide antibiotics, antivirals, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, life support pharmaceuticals, vaccines, intravenous administration supplies, airway maintenance supplies, masks and medical/surgical items to communities in Mississippi.

The IT Network Division of Santa Barbara County, California, was tasked with monitoring all IT asset warranties while keeping track of all purchased and consumed assets across 250 locations. The existing asset tracking system, a customized Access database, was incomplete and difficult to use. It only performed basic tracking and organizing, and lacked the ability to generate different views or lists unless customized by a programmer. The division needed a user-friendly, customizable solution that could efficiently track assets, manage warranties, and generate estimates for new assets.

Tunaskin Aquatic Apparel, a company that designs clothing for aquatic sports, was in need of a powerful inventory management solution that could keep up with their comprehensive operations. The company manufactures, wholesales, and also operates brick-and-mortar stores and an online platform. They were looking for a system that could grow with them and help manage all these aspects of their business. They wanted to have a system in place that could help them track their finished goods and know the right times to restock.

Miakomo, a manufacturer of respirators, facemasks, and filters, faced a significant challenge in keeping up with the high volume of sales triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company needed a solution to increase their manufacturing efficiency. They decided to implement Fishbowl software, a tool familiar to one of their co-founders, Chandler McFarland. The implementation process involved integrating ShipStation, Shopify, and QuickBooks Online with Fishbowl, deciding on the necessary manufacturing tools in Fishbowl to align with their processes, handling their fulfillment process and integrating with their third-party logistics (3PL) warehouse, and scheduling training for their personnel.

Mary’s Medicinals, a leading manufacturer and wholesaler of cannabis-based nutraceutical products, was facing challenges with their inventory management. They had to manually count inventory each week, which was causing problems when it came to accurately forecasting material and production needs. The company needed a tool that could automate this process and provide accurate forecasts. Additionally, they needed to track the potency of the cannabis oil they used in their products, not just its volume.

Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, one of Virginia’s oldest and largest wine producers, was facing significant challenges with its existing systems. The company was using QuickBooks, which was inadequate for their needs, particularly in managing multiple warehouses and bill of materials. The company was also facing procedural problems, such as all manufacturing inventories being expensed upon purchase, then looped back to cost of manufacture at a later date. This practice, along with other workarounds and estimates, resulted in meaningful financial statements but only months after the year was over. The company was also struggling with inventory accuracy, stockouts, and the inability to produce timely, accurate cost-to-manufacture information in-house.

Modern farmers are under constant pressure to improve crop yields and productivity due to increasing weather extremes, dwindling resources, and a growing population. To address this challenge, Sicily-based Smartisland aims to create and distribute new technological solutions that contribute to a more efficient and sustainable agri-food chain. Their crop monitoring system lets agri-food companies across supply chains harness sensor data to save on water and chemical resources, prevent crop diseases, and telematically control their farms wherever they are. However, to deliver actionable crop insights to customers, Smartisland needed a versatile communication platform capable of enabling and managing connectivity even in rural areas.

Blackbird, a company that provides solutions for manufacturers to digitalize their production lines, was facing challenges with their existing telecom provider. They were in need of a better connectivity provider that specializes in M2M communication, facilitates reliable and secure data collection, provides real-time data about device location and connectivity, is available globally, provides flexible IoT data plans, and offers mobile connectivity. The company was also looking for a technology that can be easily integrated into existing production lines and is reliable enough to allow customers to monitor critical business processes uninterrupted.

With the increasing traffic on German highways and a nationwide goal of reducing fatal traffic accidents to a minimum, federal states require modern technology to regulate, redirect and analyze traffic. Traffic jam warning systems play a vital role, as they can inform drivers about congestions at an early stage and thus prevent rear-end collisions. Speed limits at construction sites may cause congestions, however, they are crucial to the safety of construction workers on site. To counter road congestions during the holiday season, federal states needed real-time data on traffic participation. In Germany, highway projects are assigned through tendering. Network availability measurements are a required procedure for connected traffic solutions.

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) requires the installation and remote reading of heat cost allocators by October 2020. Monthly consumption data must be provided to the end-user by 2022. With 60% of German buildings being more than 30 years old with outdated water and heating systems as well as siloed metering solutions, there is no visibility on utility consumption, causing inefficiency and low sustainability. metr’s m-gate is capable of cross-vendor communication with the sensors and systems on site. Common protocols are M-Bus and Wireless M-Bus, a unidirectional communication from sensors to gateway, where the meters constantly send data. metr experiences a maximum reach of 4-5 building storeys with the Wireless M-Bus technology, which requires the installation of repeaters for larger infrastructure. As the m-gate is installed in the basement, metr changed from indoor to outdoor antennas to mitigate signal loss due to the concrete walls.

Enerhub, an Italian Charge Point Operator (CPO) and e-Mobility Service Provider (EMSP), aims to simplify the provision of EV charging service for businesses while offering EV drivers the widest possible network of charging infrastructures. For Enerhub to deliver a continuous charging service with maximum operational time, secure and reliable communications between the charging stations and its service management portal are a prerequisite. Equally important is the ability to commission, manage, and maintain charge points efficiently and conveniently from the central office via a remote access tunnel. The Bologna-based e-mobility company found all it was looking for in EMnify.

Y.Share, founded in 2016, aims to help public and private fleet managers achieve their ecological, economic, and safety goals with innovative vehicle sharing and management solutions. Reliable connectivity is the foundation of Y.Share’s solution to monitor fleet operations and manage vehicle access in real-time. However, even when using the strongest network signals, issues are not always ruled out. Having a versatile tool for troubleshooting and counteracting when this occurs is business-critical. For agile, high-growth companies like Y.Share, connectivity management tasks pertain to not only technical and operations teams but also other non-technical teams when the situation calls for it.

Retailers serving today’s consumers need to provide real-time and personalized shopper engagement. However, many retailers are still using legacy Point-of-Sale (PoS) systems that are not equipped to provide this level of service. These systems often communicate CRM and sales data to the back office in hourly or daily batches, making any real-time interaction with customers at the front-end impossible. This is a significant problem for retailers who want to stay competitive in the modern retail landscape.

Climate change and associated severe weather, pests, and diseases could reduce global yields by 30 percent by 2050. Ensuring food security for the growing world population requires innovative farming practices that improve crop productivity while keeping the environmental footprint to a minimum. Toronto-based Ukko Agro seeks to tackle this challenge. IoT applications in agriculture are not necessarily new, but the complexity involved has been a big challenge. Various components, from hardware, to connectivity, to software need to be set up, integrated, and managed effectively, which is a daunting endeavor for farmers and agricultural companies alike.

ZEUS Scooters, a micromobility company, was looking for a reliable IoT communication partner to enhance the efficiency of their e-scooter operations. Cellular connectivity is crucial for ZEUS's business to operate scooters remotely and collect vital data points like origins and destinations, alongside the duration and distance of the trip. Network coverage, quality, and reliability issues can prevent customers from connecting to scooters, resulting in missed trips. ZEUS Scooters had tried alternative telecommunications solutions but was not satisfied with the network coverage and reliability.

Ressolar, an Italian company with a history in the energy sector dating back to 1952, set out to deliver a network of smart charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. As the first charge point operator (CPO) in the province of Bergamo and the third in Lombardy, Ressolar knew that stable and uninterrupted charge point communication is crucial for efficient and seamless user service. To connect its fast-growing charging network throughout Italy, the company needed a reliable partner. Before EMnify, Ressolar used the SIM cards of an Italian mobile network operator. However, they needed a solution that could meet their requirements for competitive and flexible pricing, and a cellular IoT expert team that could assist with quickly and efficiently resolving any problems.