Eckert Logistik – The entire IT as a fully managed service

Eckert Logistik – The entire IT as a fully managed service.

Eckert Transport & Logistik GmbH & Co. KG is a third-generation family business located in Albbruck, Germany, close to the Swiss border. Its core expertise is in transportation, warehouse logistics, customs clearance, and the waste timber trade. To be able to do their work reliably and on time, Eckert Logistik decided to overhaul their entire IT infrastructure at their three branches. Bechtle deployed the services needed in the form of a SMART Workplace bundle on a monthly cost basis. Instead of in-house servers, Eckert now enjoys modern cloud services and Bechtle takes care of all administration and maintenance—and at a fair price.

Project details.

Services

Managed Services
Modern Workplace
Cloud

Industry

Transport / Logistics

Manufacturer

Cisco, HP, Microsoft

Company size

< 250 employees

Challenge.

Small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) often organise their IT themselves. Hardware and software need to be updated regularly, taking time, occupying IT staff, and creating costs that are hard to keep track off.. Eckert Transport & Logistik GmbH & Co. KG on the Swiss border had also been largely managing their own IT. All of the company’s logistic solutions, their warehouse units, high rack storage, and transportation comprising 68 lorries and 20 subsidiaries need IT and EDV systems at the cutting edge. When Eckert Logistik were looking for a new service provider for all three branches in south-east Germany and Switzerland, the Bechtle SMART Workplace bundle together with the Bechtle SMART Network bundle and Azure Operations proved to be the right solution for their logistic specialist’s some 50 IT seats.

Our mid-size company’s IT needed to be updated and managed by a professional service provider. After all, IT is the driving force behind our business. We were confident in making the switch with Bechtle and are glad we did. Now everything works just as it’s supposed to and we don’t need to worry about anything. We only have to deal with one contact for everything—servers, clients, and the network—and Bechtle is on the case immediately whenever we have service requests. Our total monthly IT costs are also now 50% lower than those typical for our industry.

Alois Eckert, Managing Director, Eckert Transport & Logistik GmbH & Co. KG

Solution.

After comprehensive consultation with Bechtle, Eckert Logistik decided to stop purchasing their entire IT opting instead to use it for a fixed monthly rate. Eckert Logistik was able to do this as its headquarters was equipped with fast two-line internet. The company was also very interested in the cloud and eager for a new IT service provider to assume the administrative burden. Eckert wanted to do away with as much on-site tech as possible and relocate to the cloud wherever feasible. With Bechtle’s SMART Workplace bundle—specially designed for SMEs—Eckert gets their IT seats for a fixed monthly rate that includes hardware, Microsoft licences, operational management, support, maintenance and insurance. The only thing not included is the electricity! Bechtle arranged for the logistics company’s server to be hosted by Bechtle in the Microsoft Cloud, and the cloud environment managed via Azure Operations. Everything is backed up via Microsoft’s security precautions and backup strategies. Moreover, compared to operating its own server, the transport company also saves money with the cloud solution.

The final switch for Eckert Logistik took place within just a few days and required precise planning and analysis from Bechtle as it was the equivalent of open heart surgery on a system that needed to keep running. Bechtle invested nine months in the planning, meaning it needed a mere three hours on site before employees could start getting back down to business. After the analysis came the preparation—finding the right clients and software. Eckert Logistik opted for HP ProBooks and ProDesks as their workhorses. In parallel, Bechtle bundled the software and assigned the right licence models to the standard clients—including some from Microsoft. Bechtle constructed the entire network with Cisco Meraki hardware. The Cisco Meraki firewall systems, switches, and access points managed in the cloud offer all the benefits of the cloud while being locally installed and made available to Eckert Logistik for 60 months (Bechtle SMART Network). The simple management, homogeneous structure, network-wide transparency and overview reduce admin time and costs. In a test phase, Eckert Logistik trialled the clients, the network, and the new Azure environment. Only when everything was working smoothly was it time for the roll out. with Bechtle setting up 35 clients simultaneously, and the two other branches following suit. Since adoption, Bechtle has been managing the entire IT as a fully managed service for 49 staff. An IT coordinator at Eckert Logistik forwards all support requests to Bechtle via a ticket system and Bechtle takes care of everything else.

Business benefits.

The Bechtle SME team supports Eckert Logistik locally with the Bechtle SMART Workplace bundle and knows the on-site installation like the back of its hand. Everything is new and at a fixed price. The entire infrastructure is provisioned and operated by Bechtle as a fully managed service. The only costs generated by the IT are therefore OpEx costs, and these are more than half as much lower compared to the standard in the transport industry. Eckert Logistik no longer needs its own IT team as Bechtle takes all the strain.