Network Rail is to refresh its entire current Cisco switch and router estate across 450 sites, including four data centres in the UK. The three year contract with O2 Unify is worth several million pounds.
Network Rail is replacing end-of-life Cisco gear with a new LAN and WAN infrastructure, which is critical to the business. The refresh will enable Network Rail to achieve future convergence of services and drive efficiencies.
According to O2, the LAN/WAN transformation will enable Network Rail to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of its network infrastructure estate. Network Rail has a broader, company-wide strategy to do "more for less", specifically reducing costs by 21% over a five-year period.
The refresh of the network will also reduce indirect TCO to the business by improving levels of availability and being able to respond better and quicker to changes in business needs, O2 said.
