optimized global communications infrastructure based on Riverbed brings improvements in application transparency, management and performance
ZF, one of the world’s leading suppliers of driveline and chassis components to the automobile industry, is consolidating its network infrastructure and optimizing the performance of applications with the aid of fully managed Business Acceleration from Orange Business. The service, which is now available at 45 ZF locations worldwide, not only enhances the transparency of applications, but also substantially reduces latency times with a corresponding improvement in employee productivity.
The increased demand for bandwidth coupled with the global consolidation of applications and server systems have necessitated the intelligent expansion of the network infrastructure. Servers that were once available only locally in individual countries have been centralized and consolidated in the interest of reducing costs. As a result, company data is accessed exclusively via ZF headquarters in Friedrichshafen and redundancies provide security against system failures. Through the process of consolidation, network traffic volumes had increased to and from headquarters, and expansion was required to minimize response times for individual users.
In order to meet the increased demands on the ZF network infrastructure, Orange Business, the long-standing single WAN provider, proposed to ZF the appropriate solutions to optimize its global communications infrastructure and achieve the necessary expansion of available bandwidths.
ZF now relies on Business Acceleration from Orange Business, a high-availability, fully managed suite of solutions which increases application performance and reduces response times. Compressing the volume of data means that the available bandwidth is now adequate. By optimizing the speed of applications, latency times have been substantially reduced. Technology partner Riverbed has proven to be particularly effective, delivering network optimization results that meet the ZF requirements profile.
“A network that is optimally harmonized with our corporate requirements along with the implementation of the right tools are essential factors in safeguarding the performance of business-critical applications,” commented Dr. Ulrich Steinbach, Senior Manager Support Center Network, ZF Friedrichshafen. “Orange Business has been exclusively responsible for our WAN since 2003. As our WAN service provider, the company consistently brings innovations to our attention and implements them for us.”
“Business Acceleration from Orange Business is helping ZF Friedrichshafen maximize its infrastructure assets while supporting its business objectives and enabling sustainable growth particularly also in the fast growing emerging markets,” said Helmut Reisinger, senior vice president Europe, Orange Business. “As a result, ZF Friedrichshafen is operating at a new level of performance with application centric networking. The result is alignment of costs and resources to provide global application performance. This is an example of how Orange Business can help customers stay agile as they look for ways to optimally use their assets and continually improve their performance.”
About ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF is a leading worldwide automotive supplier for Driveline and Chassis Technology with 117 production companies in 26 countries. With its workforce of approximately 70,000 employees, ZF achieved sales of 12.9 billion euros in 2010. ZF ranks among the world's 10 largest automotive suppliers.
About Orange Business
Orange Business, the France Telecom-Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is a leading global integrator of communications solutions for multinational corporations. With the world's largest, seamless network for voice and data, Orange Business reaches 220 countries and territories with local support in 166. Offering a comprehensive package of communication services covering cloud computing, enterprise mobility, M2M, security, unified communications, videoconferencing, and broadband, Orange Business delivers a best-in-class customer experience across a global landscape. Thousands of enterprise customers and 1.4 million mobile data users rely on an Orange Business international platform for communicating and conducting business. Orange Business is a four-time winner of Best Global Operator at the World Communication Awards. Learn more at www.orange-business.com
France Telecom-Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with 170,000 employees worldwide and sales of 11.2 billion euros in the first quarter 2011. Orange is the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates. France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.