The renowned German manufacturer of plastic and metal products for the construction industry has undergone remarkable growth over its 50-year history. Starting with a handful of employees, the still family-run business has developed into a global player. With over 5,000 employees across four continents, it generates an annual turnover of over one billion euros.
"In light of our recent growth and additional compliance requirements, we were compelled to invest in a secure and robust network infrastructure," explained Johannes Borgmann, Manager Digital Infrastructure & Cloud. "Up to now, we have heavily relied on expensive MPLS lines, especially due to our dependent production processes. However, a massively increased demand for bandwidth and availability has made us rethink."
The goal was to find a new WAN infrastructure capable of networking an increasing number of sites with increasing bandwidth while creating connections between the sites. The CD:Managed SD-WAN solution proposed by comdivision, which is based on VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud, was particularly impressive during the proof-of-concept stage due to its straightforward implementation.
The aim was to replace MPLS at over 20 locations worldwide with a new SD-WAN infrastructure, establish new carrier connections, and assume monitoring responsibilities — ideally without operational interruption, all while maintaining constant service and improving availability at reduced costs.
The customer's IT team and comdivision architects discussed various options:
· Expanding the existing MPLS network
· Use of VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud as an unmanaged/customer managed solution
· Use of CD:Managed SD-WAN
Originally, the members of the customer's team leaned towards the first option, under the assumption that a transition wasn't feasible within the tight timeframe.
Under the direction of Chief Architect Yves Sandfort, a VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX), comdivision proposed the implementation of CD:Managed SD-WAN. In this solution, the comdivision group not only takes over the operation of the SD-WAN backend systems in collaboration with VMware, but also active monitoring and 24/7 support for branches and subsidiaries.
Furthermore, an evaluation took place within the framework of a proof of concept, in which comdivision put VeloCloud devices into operation at a headquarters and two branch locations. At the headquarters, existing internet connections were used via independent carriers, while devices with LTE modems were provided as fallback for the branch locations.
A productive environment developed from the proof of concept. The branches immediately reported improved performance and more stable connections compared to the expensive and overloaded MPLS lines. For additional security, the sites received another internet connection. Therefore, all branches and subsidiaries now have two internet uplinks and an LTE fallback and can thus demonstrate higher availability at significantly lower operating costs.
The migration to CD:Managed SD-WAN was smooth, with each site's transition completed in less than two days. "VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud as a Managed Service from comdivision delivers exactly what we as an expanding company need," said the CTO enthusiastically. "We can now quickly and reliably connect sites worldwide without having to wait for complex and expensive MPLS connections."
„Thanks to CD:Managed SD-WAN, we can put sites into operation cost-effectively and reliably at any time. The managed service from comdivision takes care of the delivery of the devices, operation, and continuous monitoring. The support is provided jointly by comdivision and VMware. This project clearly highlights the strengths of the partnership between VMware and comdivision, which can deliver tailor-made solutions to us as a customer!” explained Johannes Bergmann, Head of IT Governance VEKA Group, Manager Digital Infrastructure & Cloud.
The next step for the company is to analyze how SD-WAN in connection with SASE could simplify access for mobile workers, as Workspace One is already in use.
