Pilkington smashes its critical network costs

Pilkington says it expects to save 20% on network costs following its implementation of a high availability, multi-medium WAN (wide area network) from virtual network operator (VNO) service provider Vanco. Its packaged multi-network solution is based on infrastructure from 14 separate carriers, and will initially serve more than 150 sites in 17 countries. Vanco won the eur 10 million, three year contract against competition from big boys including AT&T. This is a key business network for Pilkington, used to run the applications that manage the manufacture and distribution of flat glass across its locations, and has to be resilient. Information is regularly exchanged between data centres in the UK, Germany, Italy and the US. Vanco’s approach means the company gets centralised control of the network, which will enable it to standardise and improve service delivery. It also delivers lowest lifetime cost. “We rely heavily on our network in order to manage our business, so needed a provider who could guarantee a consistent and reliable service,” says Stephen Pownall, group director of information systems at Pilkington. “Vanco has not only given us a global, tailored solution that no basic infrastructure provider could give, but we have also cut costs in the process.” “The savings that have resulted from the newly designed network demonstrate that getting tied into long-term relationships with carriers can prove to be costly,” says Allen Timpany, CEO at Vanco. “Pilkington will reap the benefits from a more flexible approach for a long time to come.”