Achieving the optimum through flexibility.

Marc Funcek, Head of IT, and Stefan Koch, responsible for infrastructure and networking, were faced with a challenge: standardizing IT services both at the business locations and on construction sites. The goal was to increase efficiency and enable a stronger focus on core competencies. Until 2014, the numerous construction sites had been connected via simple DSL lines, with Halter implementing networking through VPN connections. “Unfortunately, outages occurred repeatedly, and identifying the root cause was usually difficult,” explains Marc Funcek. It was not uncommon for one to two days to be spent fully diagnosing a problem. As a result, work on construction sites was delayed and tight project schedules could no longer be met. To counter these time- and cost-intensive incidents, Halter AG decided to place its networking in the hands of specialists and turned to Cyberlink.

“Cyberlink was recommended to us by third parties,” says Funcek. High availability, great flexibility, and a strong price-performance ratio were the primary requirements for the new solution. After in-depth discussions and a detailed assessment of needs, the project began with an initial test installation. “We quickly realized that this was exactly the type of service we had been looking for.” In a first step, the four business locations and the first three construction sites were connected and networked. At the headquarters in Zurich, Cyberlink installed a redundantly designed Business Internet connection via fiber (Ethernet) with an availability of 99.97%. The other three locations, as well as major construction sites, were also connected via Ethernet-based fiber, while smaller construction sites were connected using Managed DSL. “From the initial discussions to commissioning, the implementation of this first phase took just four months — that’s extremely fast,” notes Stefan Koch. This was followed by the gradual migration of the remaining construction sites. Within one year, the second phase was also completed.

“Thanks to Cyberlink’s managed service, we were able to reduce our support efforts at external locations by around 80%,” explains Marc Funcek. “The time savings are enormous.” With the site networking solution (Corporate Network) and centralized internet access at the headquarters, Halter AG was also able to centralize its entire telephony system. “This resulted in significant cost savings,” Funcek adds. Cyberlink’s flexibility also receives high praise. For example, a dedicated product was created specifically for connecting construction sites — and within a very short time. As a result, several construction sites without suitable physical connection options are now integrated into the network via 3G/4G routers using mobile connections. This state-of-the-art mindset aligns perfectly with Halter AG’s own approach.

Marc Funcek and Stefan Koch conclude: “We can recommend Cyberlink to anyone looking for a reliable and flexible partner with a modern mindset and stable services.”