Morrisons links 430 UK sites with Cable & Wireless

Supermarket chain Morrisons has 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."