The Viessmann Group, one of the leading manufacturers for heating technology systems worldwide, has restructured its IT infrastructure to better react to current business demands and increasing amout of data using an infrastructure of IBM Power Systems and System Storage disk arrays. Together with IBM and the IBM business partner c.a.r.u.s. Information Technology, Viessmann has implemented a flexible new architecture that allows customers, business partners, suppliers and employees to gain controlled access to the same business processes, information and ressources regardless of their location.
"With our new IT infrastructure, we are able to react to changing demands quite fast." says Dirk Kloeckner, General Manager of Viessmann IT Service GmbH. "We follow a service-oriented architecture approach with IBM and therefore we can now also involve business partners more easily and economically than that would be the case with other traditional methods."
Viessmann is growing continuously which makes global access to information necessary to tie new locations abroad to processes like workflow, helpdesk or the sales system. Together with IBM and c.a.r.u.s. Information Technology, Viessmann has implemented a new flexible architecture that fits existing isolated applications into an integrated business system and helps to protect the investment and to reduce possible downtime.
To better use the advantages of a service-oriented architecture, Viessmann also implemented INA (Information Center Request), a system with connection to serveral backend systems to show how business processes and services could be deployed in a new context. Therefore, Viessmann uses the Smart Client's telephone extension for the service desk which is meant to handle more than 8.000 customer requests per day. The automized call center process is based on an integration of IBM WebSphere portal and process servers, Siemens Central Communications servers and Viessmann's SAP applications.
The whole project uses IBM hardware technology at Viessmann and has especially been realized by IBM Power Systems' and IBM System Storage disk arrays' flexibility. Each of the roundabout 40 Power Systems server has a POWER5 and POWER6 processor and is now been used in the new service-oriented architecture. At peak times, the systems are able to supply about 10.000 users with information simultaneously and can thereby further Viessmanns international growth in a fast and cost-effective way.
"We have decided to choose IBM for this cooperation as the IBM roadmap turned out to be future-proof and of long duration. That helps us to keep our IT investment," says Ulrich Strieder, Director of Unix Systems and Storage Subsystems at Viessmann IT Service GmbH. "Together with IBM and the IBM business parter c.a.r.u.s., we have aligned our business processes and the availability of a scalable and powerful IT infrastructure. This is the way to reduce the administration effort and the total cost of ownership and to increase future business growth."
About Viessmann
The Viessmann group of companies is one of the leading international manufacturers of heating systems. Dr. Martin Viessmann is the third generation of his family to manage the company, which was established in 1917. The group turnover totals approx. 1.4 thousand million euros and it employs around 8,500 employees. Viessmann is an international company with 16 plants in Germany, France, Canada, Poland, Hungary, Austria and China, sales organisations in Germany and 35 other countries, and 120 sales branch offices worldwide.
About c.a.r.u.s. Information Technology GmbH, based in Hanover, Germany
The company "c.a.r.u.s. IT GmbH" focuses on designing, implementing and providing highly available and performant IT infrastructures. c.a.r.u.s. has collected many years of experience in SAP applications and is one of the relevant companies in the field of virtualization technology for UNIX/AIX and storage.
About IBM
For more information visit www.ibm.com.
"With our new IT infrastructure, we are able to react to changing demands quite fast." says Dirk Kloeckner, General Manager of Viessmann IT Service GmbH. "We follow a service-oriented architecture approach with IBM and therefore we can now also involve business partners more easily and economically than that would be the case with other traditional methods."
Viessmann is growing continuously which makes global access to information necessary to tie new locations abroad to processes like workflow, helpdesk or the sales system. Together with IBM and c.a.r.u.s. Information Technology, Viessmann has implemented a new flexible architecture that fits existing isolated applications into an integrated business system and helps to protect the investment and to reduce possible downtime.
To better use the advantages of a service-oriented architecture, Viessmann also implemented INA (Information Center Request), a system with connection to serveral backend systems to show how business processes and services could be deployed in a new context. Therefore, Viessmann uses the Smart Client's telephone extension for the service desk which is meant to handle more than 8.000 customer requests per day. The automized call center process is based on an integration of IBM WebSphere portal and process servers, Siemens Central Communications servers and Viessmann's SAP applications.
The whole project uses IBM hardware technology at Viessmann and has especially been realized by IBM Power Systems' and IBM System Storage disk arrays' flexibility. Each of the roundabout 40 Power Systems server has a POWER5 and POWER6 processor and is now been used in the new service-oriented architecture. At peak times, the systems are able to supply about 10.000 users with information simultaneously and can thereby further Viessmanns international growth in a fast and cost-effective way.
"We have decided to choose IBM for this cooperation as the IBM roadmap turned out to be future-proof and of long duration. That helps us to keep our IT investment," says Ulrich Strieder, Director of Unix Systems and Storage Subsystems at Viessmann IT Service GmbH. "Together with IBM and the IBM business parter c.a.r.u.s., we have aligned our business processes and the availability of a scalable and powerful IT infrastructure. This is the way to reduce the administration effort and the total cost of ownership and to increase future business growth."
About Viessmann
The Viessmann group of companies is one of the leading international manufacturers of heating systems. Dr. Martin Viessmann is the third generation of his family to manage the company, which was established in 1917. The group turnover totals approx. 1.4 thousand million euros and it employs around 8,500 employees. Viessmann is an international company with 16 plants in Germany, France, Canada, Poland, Hungary, Austria and China, sales organisations in Germany and 35 other countries, and 120 sales branch offices worldwide.
About c.a.r.u.s. Information Technology GmbH, based in Hanover, Germany
The company "c.a.r.u.s. IT GmbH" focuses on designing, implementing and providing highly available and performant IT infrastructures. c.a.r.u.s. has collected many years of experience in SAP applications and is one of the relevant companies in the field of virtualization technology for UNIX/AIX and storage.
About IBM
For more information visit www.ibm.com.
