Supermarket chainMorrisonshas signed a three-year
managed voice and data network contract with Cable & Wireless
to link its 430 UK sites.
Cable & Wireless' managed IP virtual private network
system, running on its next-generation Multi Service Platform
(MSP), will connect Morrisons stores, petrol stations, distribution
centres and datacentres to its corporate headquarters.
The network will more than quadruple current network capacity
and allow for the deployment of a suite of business-critical
applications to all sites.
The MSP is Cable & Wireless' single operating network, which
transports all information and services (voice, data, video and
other media) via an IP-based infrastructure.
To better monitor its IT estate, Morrisons will use Cable &
Wireless' Application Performance Management (APM) suite, which
gives businesses a panoramic view of their IT infrastructure at an
application, rather than a network level.
APM gives customers a clear understanding of each application's
network performance and identifies what changes can be made to
reduce the use of bandwidth and thereby reduce costs.
Gary Barr, IT director at Morrisons, said, "When we were looking
to upgrade our network, we wanted a supplier which demonstrated not
only an understanding of our business, but also had innovative and
flexible solutions to give us the tools to streamline our processes
and operations, Cable & Wireless met this criteria
exactly."