Alcatel Solutions Power Up CompUSA's Network; Investment in Alcatel Networking Solutions Will Enhance CompUSA's Retail, Call Center and Training Businesses
CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2000--Alcatel today announced that CompUSA, one of the nation's leading retailers and resellers of personal computers and related products and services, has chosen Alcatel's Omni family of switches to support its retail stores, business units and call centers nationwide.
Supporting more than 12,000 users in eight metropolitan area sites around the Dallas/Fort Worth area and more than 220 stores nationwide, the network will allow CompUSA to make a smooth transition from a network of mixed Token Ring and Ethernet to an integrated, managed Ethernet-based IP environment of the future.
This switched network is designed to be powerful and flexible enough to provide CompUSA with the ability to effectively deploy new applications such as SAP and Siebel so that the company can drive its retail, call center and training businesses to higher productivity levels.
Omni Family
Alcatel and CompUSA completed the installation of eight Alcatel OmniCore 5052s to provide CompUSA with more than 200 gigabits of switching power at the network core. Designed to meet the current and future demands of large-scale network backbones, Alcatel's OmniCore 5000 series will allow CompUSA to scale connectivity to all sites and servers and scale requirements as business needs dictate.
At the edge, Alcatel's Omni Switch and Omni Switch/Router provide CompUSA's internal and metropolitan area networks with the flexibility to integrate Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI and Gigabit Ethernet in a single platform, as well as a higher performance switched 10/100 connection for all upgraded workstations.
"CompUSA's goal was to upgrade the network, retail stores and call centers for increased productivity and the highest level of reliability, as well as provide the power to support the training business offered in our retail facilities and call center outsourcing business," said Cathy Witt, CIO, CompUSA. "With Alcatel's solutions, we can fulfill both our current and future operational needs and sustain our strategy as a technology-enabling company."
"Alcatel's Omni family of switches is perfectly suited for large-scale customers such as CompUSA," said Joelle Gauthier, vice president, enterprise data marketing, Alcatel. "In the case of CompUSA, Alcatel brings a flexible, robust set of enterprise solutions that is providing the company with a pathway out of legacy protocols into a high-speed switched network to deliver efficient e-business offerings to customers, partners and suppliers."
CompUSA's internal business will benefit from increased bandwidth and faster response times as it upgrades from a shared Ethernet and token ring environment to a switched 10/100 Ethernet environment with Alcatel's Omni Switch/Router. In addition, it will benefit CompUSA's Call Center Services customers who deliver high-volume capacity and customized technical support and sales functions to customers. These customers include hardware and peripheral manufactures, software publishers, Internet service providers and business customers.
In CompUSA's retail stores, Alcatel's OmniStack workgroup switches will provide switched 10/100 Ethernet connections as stores migrate from a shared hub infrastructure. These switches will enhance retail functions, as well as in-store IT training that makes CompUSA one of the largest IT training entities in the country.
Alcatel Service and Support
To meet the company's ongoing business needs, CompUSA's strategy was not only to support the business project requirements with increased bandwidth, but also to work with a vendor that could provide the necessary level of services and support to build and maintain a scalable, network architecture.
"Alcatel distinguished itself by taking the time to understand our enterprise networking environment," said Witt. "They made it palatable for us to migrate to a future state environment by protecting existing asset inventory with any-to-any switching and, in the same box, support the migration from Token Ring to Ethernet. We view their account team as a valuable extension of our staff, and their responsiveness to our needs has made the transition very successful."
About Alcatel
Alcatel (NYSE:ALA) builds next-generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data communications solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 23 billion in 1999, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on Internet: alcatel.com.
About CompUSA
CompUSA Inc. (www.compusa.com) is one of the nation's leading retailers and resellers of personal computers and related products and services. CompUSA Inc. currently operates 218 CompUSA Computer Superstores in 84 major metropolitan markets across the United States that serve retail, corporate, government and education customers and includes technical service departments. Many of the stores include classroom training facilities. CompUSA also offers its own build-to-order personal computer series, the CompUSA PC(TM).
CONTACT: Alcatel, Calabasas
Ed Essa, 818/878-5472
ed.essa@ind.alcatel.com
David Rodewald, 818/878-4976 |
