Nowadays, the operations of many organizations depend on the functioning of the global network. Ways of reaching customers and distributing information have changed in recent decades, moving toward the widest possible use of shared resources, or simply the Internet.
It is crucial for any company to have stable and uninterrupted access to information for internal needs, as well as for the needs of its customers. To achieve the goal set out above: to make available the information stored in the data center, it is necessary to build and maintain appropriate connections. Firstly for meeting information needs inside the organization – the so-called LAN (Local Area Network), and secondly for contact with “the rest of the world" – the so-called WAN (Wide Area Network).
The WAN can be a variety of media, including pure Internet, as well as direct connections between branch offices via fiber optics, leased lines, VPN tunnels, or MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), the main one used by network operators.
The company’s interconnected branches, working in one common organism, must also externalize their information via the Internet, from where customers and partners can download data via websites, as well as send e-mails, use self-service portals (e.g., B2B platforms for document exchange or bidding, EDI portals) or participate in video and teleconferences. In addition, mobile employees who generally remain outside the company’s branches (e.g., sales representatives, service technicians, etc.) are able to access company data and systems, up-to-date marketing materials or e-mail.
Building effective and efficient LANs and WANs is half the battle. Equally important is their efficient management and ongoing updating by the network administrator. The task is by no means easy, as it requires smoothly navigating the increasingly complex IT architecture and combining competencies in various network technologies.
One model for maintaining corporate LAN/WANs is to outsource their administration to a specialized IT outsourcing provider.
The company has been using the services of All for One Data Centers for providing a backup data center, including maintaining data replication and operating a backup environment. Since July 2016, it has decided to expand its services to include administration support for its LAN/WAN networks. A team of BCC (now All for One Poland) administrators took over the administration of the LAN and WAN networks, along with Internet access, within the timeframe set by the client. After getting acquainted with the topology of the network and adopting network diagrams and configuring devices, they proceeded to the current work combined with elements of monitoring.
Ramirent’s network infrastructure, connected to the company’s data centers, is part of a larger international corporate network. In Poland, the WAN connects more than 40 of the company’s branches to its CPD. Managing the network in such a vast organization is a major challenge. Currently, most of the administrative work carried out is done remotely. Devices that require reprogramming or reconfiguration are sent to BCC’s headquarters in Złotniki near Poznań, where they are adjusted to the new requirements and then sent back to the location designated by Ramirent.
In addition to basic administration of network resources, network administrators at BCC are on duty outside standard business hours, responding to requests and resolving critical problems in internal and external network operations.
The above facility makes it possible, in an emergency situation, to initiate corrective actions even before employees get to work, thus reducing the unavailability of systems and network resources. An additional advantage of outsourcing the network is the savings in expenditures on acquiring, maintaining and developing competence in this area. At Ramirent’s disposal are network administrators from BCC with many years of experience in creating and administering corporate networks, confirmed by certificates from leading network technology providers.
Kamil Lisiecki, IT Manager at Ramirent
As Kamil Lisiecki, IT Manager at Ramirent, points out: “A reliable and secure network infrastructure that ensures the confidentiality of transmissions is critical to the operation of a distributed organization like Ramirent. We know and appreciate BCC’s security standards for data storage and distribution. We have already worked with BCC (now All for One Poland) in providing a backup data center, including monitoring our resources available at All for One Data Centers. In addition to layers such as servers and systems, the monitoring also included data links. At some point, we decided to use BCC’s assistance in this area as well. Currently, BCC monitors the condition of our LAN/WAN networks and at the same time performs the work necessary to keep them up and running at high capacity. This is an ideal form of support for our IT Department."