WHSmith News, the UK's largest newspaper and magazine wholesaler,
has signed a multi-million pound contract with network provider
Energis for a network to link its 53 distribution centres, head
office and other key sites.
The Internet Protocol-based virtual private network (VPN) has been
designed to ensure that vital information, such as last-minute
changes to customer orders, will be available to WHSmith News'
4,500 employees.
The network will support the delivery of newspapers and magazines
to 22,000 UK retailers. It is based on Multi Protocol Label
Switching which can prioritise network traffic to favour
time-critical applications over less urgent data traffic.
Peter Swann, IT director at WHSmith News, said, "Newspapers have
very short shelf-lives so their timely delivery is essential. We
needed a network which was secure, reliable and able to stand up to
the increasing volumes of network traffic across our distribution
centres."
- Energis has also renewed its contract with DHL International,
the air express carrier, to provide a managed network for corporate
communication and a VPN across 40 UK sites.