NetScout Assures Network Applications Always On Tap for Northumbrian Water
Company Size
1,000+
Region
- Europe
Country
- United Kingdom
Product
- nGenius Solution
- InfiniStream appliances
Tech Stack
- VoIP
- Citrix
- Microsoft Office Suite
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Customer Satisfaction
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet
- Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software
Applicable Industries
- Utilities
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Process Control & Optimization
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL) is a major utility company headquartered in Durham City in the United Kingdom, and has been a NetScout customer since May 2009. NWL serves a population of 2.6 million people in the north east of England with water and sewerage services, and 1.8 million in the south east of England where it provides water services trading as Essex & Suffolk Water. As an essential utility, it is regulated by industry regulator, OFWAT. Northumbrian Water Limited is a company that is committed to best practice and continual improvement in the areas of environmental performance, community investment and sustainability, and this approach to business is reflected throughout the organization, including the IT department. The company is recognized as a sector leader in its industry. In 2009, NWL received a major accolade: The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its ongoing and impressive commitment to sustainability. The NWL application network plays a critical role in the company’s success, and is substantial in scope. The infrastructure base consists of three data centers, two in the north and one in the south, connected by IPoDWDM fiber connections. The data centers and NWL business office locations are interconnected by more than 50 separate WAN links, varying in bandwidth from 256Kbps to 10/100 Ethernet. More than 2,000 employees use the network, which is supported by a mix of equipment from multiple vendors, including Cisco (LAN, WAN), Nortel (LAN), and Siemens (VoIP). Primary business applications that depend on the network include desktops using the Microsoft Office suite, Citrix clients, and the company’s IP-based voice communications system. The network and service infrastructure also supports Northumbrian Water’s web presence, which is the information and contact portal for its 4.4 million customers.
The Challenge
Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL) is a major utility company that serves a population of 2.6 million people in the north east of England with water and sewerage services, and 1.8 million in the south east of England where it provides water services trading as Essex & Suffolk Water. The company is recognized as a sector leader in its industry. The NWL application network plays a critical role in the company’s success, and is substantial in scope. The infrastructure base consists of three data centers, two in the north and one in the south, connected by IPoDWDM fiber connections. The data centers and NWL business office locations are interconnected by more than 50 separate WAN links, varying in bandwidth from 256Kbps to 10/100 Ethernet. More than 2,000 employees use the network, which is supported by a mix of equipment from multiple vendors, including Cisco (LAN, WAN), Nortel (LAN), and Siemens (VoIP). Primary business applications that depend on the network include desktops using the Microsoft Office suite, Citrix clients, and the company’s IP-based voice communications system. The network and service infrastructure also supports Northumbrian Water’s web presence, which is the information and contact portal for its 4.4 million customers.
The Solution
NWL deployed the nGenius solution, including InfiniStream® appliances, in its data centers. This has enabled NWL to monitor, capture, and analyze all of the traffic that traverses the edge of the network. Besides the ability of the nGenius solution to effectively support its network and application environment, the IT team at NWL especially liked the user interface of the nGenius solution. Because of its intuitive operation, the solution enables NWL to obtain network and application information faster and more effectively than ever before. In addition, the quality of the information provided by the nGenius solution has proven to be more useful to the team compared to previous solutions, and has enabled them to take decisive action, using the InfiniStream appliances to drill down into the network.
Operational Impact
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