Foundry Networks ServerIron Manages Capital & Regional's Expanding Assets

Property asset manager supports multiple business divisions with ServerIron® technology.

Capital & Regional: At a Glance

	Business Challenge Network uptime and reliability are critical to Capital & Regional's business operations. This entrepreneurial business supports multiple applications across 80 sites in the UK, including its three SNO!zone indoor ski slope facilities. Solution ServerIron technology is at the core of Capital & Regional's WAN, delivering application switching and load balancing for a suite of business applications. Results Capital & Regional's IT architecture easily expands to support new applications and new businesses, nurturing the company's dynamic growth and entrepreneurial spirit Using ServerIron technology, Capital & Regional can manage multiple applications across more than 80 different sites within five business divisions Capital & Regional's distributed staff has dependable access to VoIP, e-commerce, accounting, and other business-critical applications

Capital & Regional, a co-investing property asset manager with £6.5 billion (U.S. $13.3 billion) worth of property under its management, relies on Foundry Networks' ServerIron 850 Series switch technology to provide application switching and traffic management capabilities for its vast business.

The company's operations cover five key divisions, and all these divisions must have reliable access to their critical business applications. The majority of Capital & Regional's business systems are located at a co-location center in East London. Interxion operates the facilities, and Capital & Regional's various U.K. businesses link into the co-location center. Capital & Regional has more than 80 sites, and Foundry is at the heart of its WAN. All the LANs terminate across the WAN on the ServerIron based at Interxion.

"The staff can access corporate files, centrally-based business applications, VoIP and call center solutions, and e-commerce systems," says Richard Snooks, Capital & Regional's Chief Information Officer. "Our IT team can manage all backups and provide business continuity, along with disaster recovery. Foundry is the glue that brings the network together and makes everything work."

ServerIron Positioned in the Middle of the Action
The ServerIron 850 technology is crucial to the success of Capital & Regional's SNO!zone operation, which consists of three indoor ski facilities in the U.K. All the business at these indoor ski slopes goes through the Foundry switch.

The staffs use Web-based transactions that interact with two integrated e-commerce systems: X-Book, a booking and ticketing system, and X-Sales, an electronic point-of-sale system used in the bars, restaurants and ski rental shops. These LINUX-based applications link to clustered Oracle high-performance databases and Dell EMC SANs based at Interxion. The ServerIron switch balances the traffic loads from these applications to ensure availability and complete reliability. Without ServerIron, the business simply could not function or take in revenue.

Capital & Regional also installed an Avaya VoIP solution at each of the three SNO!zone centers, which combine to create one virtual contact center. ServerIron balances the voice traffic across the contact center and call management system.

Capital & Regional derives a significant proportion of its revenue from rent paid by the companies located at its retail and leisure sites. Estate Computer Systems, an off-the-shelf property management and accounting system, manages the rental process. The application sits at Capital & Regional's London headquarters and is accessed by the different businesses via Interxion using Citrix. The ServerIron switch technology again provides the load balancing.

"We have been very impressed with how the relationship with Foundry has developed," says Snooks. "We can talk to someone who knows about our business, we get the support we need, and we feel secure. I couldn't think of another company who I would trust to be at the heart of my network."