Integrated Network Management and Seamless Wireless for Leading Technology Company
An Allied Telesis solution achieves integrated management for new high-performing wired and wireless systems with Vista Manager EX, AMF and AWC Channel Blanket.
Customer: | Industry: | Location: |
TAZMO CO., LTD. | Manufacturing | Okayama, Japan |
The deciding factor was Vista Manager EX, which allows fully integrated management of our wired and wireless networks. Other proposals were lacking in that they only offered management tools for wireless LANs or were not completely localized into the Japanese language. Vista Manager EX was the only solution that met all of our needs.
Section Chief, Computer System Division, General Affairs Department,
TAZMO CO., LTD.
TAZMO CO., LTD. (TAZMO) is a cutting-edge technology company based in Okayama, Japan. Established in 1972, TAZMO designs and manufactures machinery including semiconductor manufacturing equipment, precision molding dies, plastic moldings, conveyance robots and UV irradiation equipment.
TAZMO’s head office and four production plants are in Okayama, and the company is actively expanding on a global scale with affiliated subsidiaries in the United States, China and Vietnam. TAZMO is a leader in its field: “Our engineering capabilities allow us to precisely handle special, customized jobs, which other rival firms are unable to accept,” says Mr. Ryoji Fujimoto, Section Chief of the Computer System Division at TAZMO.
A New Integrated Network
In December 2019, TAZMO relocated its headquarters from Ibara, Okayama Prefecture, to a new head office in the city of Okayama itself. The opportunity to concurrently redesign the network could not be passed up—with the old network experiencing issues like network loops, TAZMO needed a high-performing solution that would facilitate integrated management through visualization of both wired and wireless networks.
Why Allied Telesis?
TAZMO chose an Allied Telesis solution over proposals from several other leading network vendors and system integrators. Mr. Fujimoto explains why, “The deciding factor was Vista Manager EX, which allows fully integrated management of our wired and wireless networks. Other proposals only offered management tools for wireless LANs or were not completely localized into the Japanese language. Vista Manager EX was the only solution that met all our needs.”
Cost performance was also a key factor. “The Allied Telesis proposal was superior not only in terms of network functionality—it also offered a much higher level of performance in terms of cost,” says Mr. Fujimoto.
The Solution: Vista Manager EX, AMF and AWC
To achieve integrated management of both wired and wireless networks—not only at TAZMO’s head office but also at its plants and its Tokyo sales office—Allied Telesis introduced Vista ManagerTM EX in conjunction with powerful network automation tools: Allied Telesis Autonomous Management FrameworkTM (AMF) for wired devices and Autonomous Wave Control (AWC) for wireless devices.
Vista Manager is a state-of-the-art management and monitoring tool for AMF wired, AWC wireless, and third-party network devices. Vista Manager provides a single-pane-of-glass interface to the entire network—the dashboard shows a network overview and current status, and simple navigation provides operating information for any network device. Actionable reporting lets TAZMO’s network administrators easily solve issues, and maximizes the availability of digital resources and business information.
Vista Manager EX combines with AMF to reduce running costs, and provide true plug-and-play networking. AMF is a highly scalable network automation solution, with advanced features including automatic backup, upgrade and provisioning, as well as management of many, or all, network devices at once. Automated device recovery enables zero-touch replacement, with new devices simply appearing in Vista Manager EX.
Vista Manager has added support for indoor location-based services, with the ability to show the approximate path of a connected device as it moves within the wireless coverage area. This includes, for high-risk assets, the ability to show current device location and a history of its movements.
AWC in the head office enables a self-tuning wireless solution, automatically analyzing traffic patterns and optimizing the wireless network for maximum performance and minimal interference. AWC’s single-channel mode is called Channel Blanket (AWC-CB). It guarantees non-stop roaming because the entire Wi-Fi network acts as a single virtual AP, so there are no lost connections or even poor performance as employees move around the office.
Numerous other Allied Telesis products and devices complete the new head office network. SwitchBlade x908 GEN2 Advanced Layer 3 modular switches at the core provide redundancy, while x530L Series Stackable Intelligent Layer 3 switches were chosen for the floor and server switches, and GS920 Series switches enable secure Gigabit switching performance at the edge.
Allied Telesis TQ5403 Wireless Access Points (APs) enable optimized wireless networking, and boast the innovative Channel Blanket hybrid mode. With simultaneous multi-channel and single-channel Wi-Fi connectivity from the same AP, TAZMO’s network administrators can combine maximum performance and seamless roaming for the best possible user experience.
Allied Telesis installed x230L Series Switches at each of TAZMO’s plants, and x530L Series Switches at the Tokyo sales office; and built a system that enables visual management of their entire network across all office and plant locations using Vista Manager EX.
TAZMO has also connected factory equipment devices in its plants to the network, improving business process efficiency via smart networking. “Although the network for our production machinery differs from our Allied Telesis network, we are now increasing efficiency by connecting devices to the network which previously operated as standalone units,” says Mr. Fujimoto.
Total Network Visualization and Integrated Management
The new network was built in parallel with the construction of the new head office building. It went very smoothly, and the install was completed without any issues. TAZMO was more than satisfied with the proactive support provided by Allied Telesis, and report stable and optimal network operation, with Mr. Fujimoto saying, “We have gained total network visualization and integrated management. We have experienced only one loop and Vista Manager EX alerted us immediately so we could quickly identify the location of the problem and resolve it easily.”
AWC-CB provides seamless roaming and optimal wireless performance in the head office, while Vista Manager minimizes both technical complexity and running costs. AMF provides immediate value through automation, with centralized network management to treat the network as a single, converged entity. Network intelligence reacts to changes in the network and automatically changes the topology, while smart commands allow network problems to be quickly identified and issues resolved.
Going forward, Allied Telesis will continue to provide active support for TAZMO’s networks and systems with superior products, technologies and support services.
