Mechanical Engineering based on Microsoft Cloud
Summary
Glaeser sought to harmonize its processes and IT infrastructure to avoid stand-alone and costly solutions at different solutions. After a process analysis, Axtrion developed a solution to harmonize and centralize data processing and report generation based on Microsoft Cloud platforms Office 365 and Azure, and migrated the existing applications and data into the cloud. Hence Glaeser now benefits from modern cloud technologies, which provides its employees improved global collaboration and standardized processes across the company.
Office 365
Azure VM
Azure SQL Managed
Azure Storage
Field of Business
Glaeser designs and produces standardized as well as individual solutions for its customers in the automotive, healthcare as well as aerospace industry. Their service portfolio comprises the business areas of filling and dosing technology, technical cleanliness and industrial and mobile hydraulics.
As a service, Glaeser carries out laboratory tests for the analysis of residual dirt from production processes or technical surface finish. For the partially automated reporting of laboratory results, Glaeser uses a customized software linked to a database.
Motivation
With its solutions, Glaeser stands for high quality and therefore strives to carry out its services at all locations as best as possible. For implementation, Glaeser used special IT systems which were operated from company’s own premises. Thus, each location had to be provided with hardware and software, consisting of client and server components. The design and operation of the complex IT systems involved very high operational and maintenance costs.
It was difficult to find IT service providers who could implement these systems on each site and link the sites together. For example, the connection of the US site posed a serious problem. For this purpose, machines were set up as copies of application server in Germany. It became a challenge to obtain an export license to export this server to the office in the USA. As a result of this, employees in the USA had to work with alternative solutions over a period of many months. The integration of new overseas locations led to the development of further stand-alone processes and solutions that restrained the growth of the Group.
Project Realisation
Axtrion realised the project with a cloud-based solution. The overseas offices of Glaeser were given access to applications and data in the cloud without having to take care of the maintenance of their software and hardware.
Realisation of central solution is based on Microsoft cloud platforms Office 365 and Azure. The contents of local databases were transferred to a Microsoft Azure SQL database. To ensure the constant availability of current company documents, Axtrion created a centralized, secure file storage location in the cloud. The special software applications from Glaeser were installed on virtual machines with secure access via VPN, thus offering high availability of IT resources. The virtual machines are automatically backed up at regular intervals, both at file and operating system level.
The project was initially implemented for the office locations in the USA and China. Axtrion conducted all necessary coordination and training sessions with the managers and employees exclusively through Skype for Business. An on-site presence combined with high travel expenses was not necessary.
Benefits
The project shows that, especially in the case of global corporations with overseas locations, cloud solutions and infrastructures offer perfect solutions with their central approach to avoid stand-alone applications and processes as well as maintenance costs.
By using the Microsoft cloud technologies Office 365 and Microsoft Azure, Glaeser has achieved the following advantages:
- Increased efficiency through process and technology optimisation
- Corporate Identity by homogeneous processes and IT infrastructure
- Location-independent access to applications and data
- Centrally organised, secure and high-performance data processing
- Improved collaboration through the use of modern communication tools
- Revaluation of management and reporting software through migration to the cloud
- Integrated disaster recovery in the cloud
- 99.99% availability of applications and data
- Significant savings IT procurement, maintenance and operating costs
Data management and report generation in the cloud means independence from the local servers and sites. With Axtrion’s cloud solution and consulting, we are able to collaborate and work with our applications and data from around the world while also saving costs in the maintenance of our IT systems.
