ANSMANN AG

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Since its founding in 1991, ANSMANN has grown rapidly into a major supplier of mobile power systems for industrial applications and popular consumer devices. To support its expanding business, ANSMANN needs an efficient IT infrastructure. Until recently, this infrastructure included systems acquired over time from a variety of hardware and software vendors. Managing the heterogeneous IT environment had become complex and expensive.

ANSMANN sought to implement a streamlined, cost-efficient IT architecture which could also scale to meet business growth. After researching several technology vendors, ANSMANN chose Sun. A key factor in the decision was Sun’s full range of technology offerings —software, hardware, and services — all from one expert company. “We were very enthusiastic about the comprehensive single-vendor hardware and software concept right from the start,” says Jörg Mauz, ANSMANN’s IT and organization manager.

ANSMANN deployed components of Sun Java Enterprise System on 13 models of Sun Fire servers running the Solaris 10 Operating System. Sun’s solution partner CCF assisted with installing cluster servers, portal servers, application servers, directory servers, and other Java ES components.

For its identity management solution, ANSMANN worked with Sun’s solution partner KOGIT to deploy Sun Identity Manager. This software provides employee authentication and authorization for the company’s SAP applications, legacy ERP applications, intranet portals, remote-access functionality, telephone systems, and document management. Sun OpenSSO Enterprise also offers a time-saving single-sign-on process for employees. Now, with strict role management, the responsibility for identity management can be assigned to individual departments, saving time for the central IT department and reducing administrative costs. Implementing this functionality took just 10 weeks from the first discussions to going live.

ANSMANN also chose Sun Java System Messaging Server and Calendar Server to replace Microsoft Exchange Server. Mauz and his team installed the new email system themselves for ANSMANN’s subsidaries in Hong Kong, England, Macao, Italy, France, and the Baltic region. “With its integrated email and calendar server, Sun has proved to have the best messaging solution for us,” adds Mauz. “The cost savings in this area alone is substantial.” Similarly, the company saved on licensing costs by replacing Microsoft Office with StarOffice and its Asian-language version, StarSuite.

ANSMANN also replaced individual PC workstations with four models of Sun Ray Virtual Display Clients, which require less IT support and maintenance. “In the past, if a workstation crashed, IT employees would have to either repair or reconfigure it, with all the associated labor and equipment costs,” says Mauz. “However, the Sun Ray devices can be replaced simply by unplugging and plugging in cables. It’s as easy as changing a light bulb.” When an ANSMANN employee logs on by inserting a personal smartcard and entering a password, the Sun Ray device accesses programs and data from a corporate server that are relevant to the employee’s task. For users, this approach speeds workflow as they move from one device to another; and for ANSMANN, it strengthens security and centralizes and simplifies software management.

Mauz concludes, “With the open architecture of the Sun solution, we can more easily develop and customize software, adapting the IT environment to the needs of individual users and regional facilities. Sun has proven to be the right choice for our company, both technologically and economically. We have already achieved a full return on investment, way ahead of schedule.”