Worldwide, the IBM brand is synonymous with advanced technology solutions that enable e-business, including computer systems, software, IT services, storage systems and microelectronics. People recognize IBM for setting industry standards and leading the way in innovation - in every one of its offices around the world.
Communication is central to ensuring IBM maintains its leadership position in the global marketplace. The company faces the huge challenge of keeping all of its international offices securely and efficiently connected to the corporate network, especially in developing regions. In Latin America, where more than10,000 employees are based, securing strong connections to the corporate WAN over an out-dated and fragmented public infrastructure is especially difficult.
"We were dealing with different capacities, depending upon the size of the country, and different levels of maturity of the network services," said Sergio De La Parra, Latin American Business Information Executive at IBM. "The public network infrastructure varied widely by country and even by city. We were really struggling in some countries where network response time was up to a minute long."
To improve communications between international offices, IBM began working with AT&T, its long-term solutions partner, on a project called Power 9. The Power 9 project is an international initiative to upgrade all IBM networks to the most advanced technology available in the world. Starting in the U.S., the project expanded to Latin America, Europe and to other locations around the globe.
In Latin America, where the poor public infrastructure was a frequent problem, speedy implementation was essential. AT&T worked closely with the IBM team to plan each step of the implementation process. The two teams began meeting very early in the process to discuss the details of each critical action item and work out an aggressive implementation schedule. Taking into account the complexity of the Latin American telecommunications infrastructure, original estimates put implementation time at six months.
However, as the project progressed, it became clear that the initial planning process would pay off. Implementation was completed without any major obstacles, finishing almost two months sooner than expected.
"The project ran well ahead of schedule because AT&T understood how important it was for us to have this project completed as soon as possible," said David Beltran, Latin American Network Project Manager at IBM. "AT&T worked with us as part of our team to quickly overcome any challenges we faced and keep the project on track."
IBM has already noticed significant improvements in Latin America due to Power 9, including a 40 percent increase in network capacity and a reduction of more than $1,130,000 in annual operating expenses.
The upgraded network runs on the AT&T Global Network using Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology that allows customers to prioritize data traffic into one of four categories or classes of service. High priority data travels faster through the network, ensuring that the most important data arrives at its intended destination as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The new network also provides a host of tools that monitor the network, identify potentially damaging problems, and terminate them before they occur. In addition, AT&T provided a Service Level Agreement that supports network performance in Latin America well above what IBM was previously experiencing.
"With Power 9, IBM in Latin America is now exceeding global standards for network performance," said Beltran. "That's a really big change for us."
According to De La Parra, the Power 9 project was one of the most complex networking projects ever conducted by IBM in Latin America. He also noted that the smoothness with which it was planned and implemented is a testimony to AT&T's dedication to exceed customer expectations and form long-term relationships.
"We are extremely pleased with how smoothly this project went and that AT&T delivered not only what they promised, but ahead of schedule," said De La Parra. "We expect to keep the momentum and relationship between AT&T and IBM Latin America at this level for years to come."
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