Engineering firm signs network deal for faster global growth

Vanco contract will give company international edge

Engineering firm Smiths Group is revamping its network infrastructure for faster expansion into international markets.

The FTSE100 company has signed a two-year data networking contract with supplier Vanco to provide a wide area network across four continents. The network will support key business IT systems, including email, engineering and customer relationship management applications.

As a virtual network operator, Vanco has relationships with 20 telecoms providers, which will allow Smiths Group to set up offices faster in growth areas such as Asia-Pacific, South America and the former Soviet Union, says John Lytle, chief technology officer at the engineering group.

‘The financial value for us is that we can go into an emerging market and not have to worry about high set-up costs,’ he said. ‘For example, if we go into Shanghai, Vanco can sort out a cheaper deal much quicker.’

Using a Citrix and Microsoft thin client system, staff in newly established international offices will be able to access intranets containing data for the detection, medical, aerospace and specialist engineering divisions.

In China, two different network operators are being managed by Vanco to provide data services to manufacturing and sales staff at three different sites.

‘By dealing through one firm I do not have to worry about managing relationships with 20 different carriers around the world,’ said Lytle.

Vanco is also providing Smiths Group with a desktop management portal so the firm’s IT department can check network performance worldwide.

‘It shows us the performance, if a circuit is down, or if there are delays,’ said Lytle.

The deal builds on a contract Vanco signed with Smiths Group three years ago that delivered a secure IP network to 100 locations. By aggregating management and the running of data networks, the company was able to reduce infrastructure co
sts by 20 per cent.