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German Grocery Giant, Edeka SouthWest, Deployed a Centralized, Automated BlueCat IPAM System
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
- Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software
Applicable Industries
- Retail
Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
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.
About The Customer
Edeka SouthWest is one of the largest food producers, distributors, and retailers in Germany. The company was founded in Offenburg, Germany in 1927 and was originally called “The Grocery Purchasing Cooperative.” The company has operations in Baden-Württemberg, RhinelandPalatinate, and Saarland, as well as parts of Hessen and Bavaria. Following very strict quality controls, Edeka SouthWest produces meat, baked goods, wine, and mineral water. The company distributes its products in 1,350 stores, including small, independent retailers and very large supermarkets, as well as numerous distribution channels. Edeka SouthWest also operates five warehouses in Offenburg, Ellhofen, Balingen, Heddesheim, and St. Ingbert Edeka. The company is one of the largest employers and trainers in the region with 43,500 employees and 3,000 trainees across 29 locations. According to 2015 financials, Edeka SouthWest generated sales of $8.7 Billion.
The Solution
To ease the strain of network growth, automate management processes, and consolidate IP address data, Edeka SouthWest’s IT team decided to look for a DDI vendor. After extensive tests, the company determined that the competitor solution did not meet its needs for a flexible, open architecture and rapid implementation process. The company selected BlueCat and N3K as its implementation partner because of its vast experience and recent success with the Edeka Nordbayern project. With extensive guidance and technical advice from N3K, Edeka SouthWest deployed the new BlueCat IPAM solution in three phases. The BlueCat DNS/DHCP solution consisted of 30 different types of equipment and 70 appliances deployed across several company locations, with one or two devices at each manufacturing and distribution location for direct failover. N3K and BlueCat had to design the network solution to ensure high availability. In addition, the vendor partner needed to make sure that the new standardized network environment was still flexible enough to meet the complex, unique needs of each Edeka SouthWest office location, retailer, and affiliate.
Operational Impact
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