Network gets software-defined upgrade

IBP previously had a third generation MPLS network in place across nine pan-European sites for over nine years and since moving to a new UK headquarters in 2012, was keen to upgrade to a more efficient system. The majority of IBP’s logistics is completed via its online bookings system but it was struggling with several issues including intermittent connection speeds and portals timing out, which meant that the system became almost unusable at times.

IBP engaged the services of Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA), leaders in cost management and professional procurement services, to review a number of cost areas with the aim to deliver efficiencies to the business – one specific area being communications. ERA reviewed the current setup that consisted of an international MPLS network which was not only slow but also expensive to administer. After considering options from a range of suppliers and undertaking a successful proof of concept, ERA recommended that IBP roll out Comms365’s SD-WAN solution across every site which resulted in IBP being able to utilise more cost-effective internet access links, whilst also increasing throughput and application reliability.

Pritesh Patel, Project Manager at ERA comments: “After undertaking a proof of concept of the SD-WAN solution across two international offices in the UK and Spain, IBP was really impressed by the solution from Comms365 and the throughput they could achieve from a bandwidth perspective. With such a positive outcome it was a natural decision to move forward with the solution and roll it out across all the international offices.”

Andrew Mason, Finance and IT Director at IBP comments: “We have been very pleased with the solution from Comms365 which has been faultless. When compared with the MPLS network we had in place previously, we’ve been able to increase the capacity and reliability of our connections and at the same time reduce the overall cost to the group.”