MLF Mercator-Leasing Secures Its Future with an Advanced Network

MLF Mercator-Leasing GmbH & Co. Finanz-KG (MLF Mercator) is a financial company operating throughout Germany that specializes in equipment leasing. The company plays a significant role in the German economy by providing financing solutions for mostly small and medium-sized businesses to acquire machinery, IT equipment, medical and laboratory equipment, and other assets. Financial support from MLF Mercator helps these businesses invest in growth and modernization without significant upfront costs.

Founded in 1991, MLF Mercator has become a leader in the financing field by focusing on building long-term relationships with clients and providing personalized service. After three decades, MLF Mercator has grown its business to serve more than 82,000 customers and to hold an impressive balance sheet total of around 1.857 billion euros. An enthusiastic partner network helps MLF Mercator expand its customer base further.

Rapid growth in recent years led MLF Mercator to modernize and expand its headquarters in Schweinfurt, Bavaria, adding a new building with 1,600 m2 of space. The company took this opportunity to update its network infrastructure throughout the existing facilities, creating a unified network across all buildings. The network revamp not only supports the company’s physical growth but also enables new capabilities and reliable networking to meet current and future business needs.

Positioning the Network for Business Growth and Future Needs

Allied Telesis and IT partner RECOS SYSTEM SOLUTIONS GmbH (RECOS) have provided network solutions to MLF Mercator since 2011.

Their expansion project provided the perfect opportunity to build a highly reliable, easy to manage, future-proof network covering all MLF Mercator’s facilities. The main objectives were to ensure stable and continuous connectivity and to implement a flexible and scalable network to meet the long-term requirements of the growing business. The company wanted an upgrade to network security to better protect sensitive data. The new solution also needed to be centrally managed and energy efficient to reduce operating costs while achieving sustainability goals.

Although MLF Mercator gave passing consideration to other networking vendors, they elected to stay with Allied Telesis for a comprehensive solution from a single source as well as the good working relationship they had with both Allied Telesis and RECOS.

A Comprehensive Solution from a Single Source

The infrastructure was designed in such a way that future expansions and technological developments can be easily integrated as needed. Allied Telesis and RECOS established two advanced data centers and five distribution rooms, which serve as the backbone of the infrastructure. These facilities enable efficient and secure data processing while ensuring a robust connection between various business units.

Allied Telesis high-performance, feature-rich switches are at the core, the distribution layer, and the access layer of the network. The x550 and x530 families of switches work together to provide high performance, scalability, reliability, resilience, and ease of management. In 2025, the core switches will be upgraded to x950 models, adding even higher capacity and faster speeds to the network.

The x530 Series of switches provide constant power to PoE-powered devices connected to the switch, guaranteeing uninterrupted power supply for critical IoT devices and surveillance cameras and enhancing operational stability.

The network takes advantage of Virtual Chassis Stacking and Long Distance Stacking. These technologies allow multiple Allied Telesis switches to be interconnected and function as a single logical device, even over long distances using fiber optic connections. The benefits include enhanced reliability, increased scalability, improved network performance, and simplified management.

Overlaying all this equipment is centralized management based on Autonomous Management Framework Plus (AMF Plus), a sophisticated suite of management tools that provides an automated and simplified approach to network management. Powerful features like centralized management, auto-backup, auto-upgrade, auto-provisioning, and auto-recovery enable plug-and-play networking and zero-touch management. According to Michael Bock, IT manager at MLF Mercator, AMF Plus was a key factor in choosing the Allied Telesis solution. “AMF Plus significantly simplifies network management for my employees and thus minimizes operating costs.”

Advanced security measures were implemented, including Allied Telesis Media Access Control Security (MACsec), a powerful security solution that provides line-rate encryption and protection for traffic passing over Layer 2 networks or links. It safeguards data integrity, origin authenticity, confidentiality, and replay protection, protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and cyberattacks.

The network designers also incorporated remote working capabilities and secure connectivity for external offices, reflecting the company’s commitment to operational agility in a modern business environment.

Precision Planning and Teamwork Were Needed for Deployment

Setting up the new infrastructure had its challenges. A major consideration was that everything needed to be brought online without disrupting the daily workflow of regular business operations. This required precision planning and coordination between MLF Mercator, RECOS, and Allied Telesis, especially since the existing network would be integrated into the new solution. The complex structure of the new building required careful planning of the cable routing and positioning of access points.

The integration of Continuous PoE posed particular challenges, as it was critical to ensure that devices would operate reliably even in the event of power failures. Finally, the solution had to ensure that future technological developments such as IoT and cloud applications could be easily supported. Thanks to close collaboration and the use of state-of-the-art technologies, the team successfully overcame the challenges.

Benefits Beyond Basic Modernization

The new network infrastructure at MLF Mercator offers a multitude of benefits that go far beyond basic modernization. This expansion not only supports the company’s physical growth but also ensures seamless connectivity across multiple floors and departments, including administration, sales, and support teams. Remote working capabilities enable employees to securely work from anywhere. IT operations have been streamlined, reducing maintenance efforts and costs. And data protection has been strengthened—a critical requirement given the company’s regulatory obligations.

The network is well-positioned for the future. “We have a solid collaboration team between RECOS and Allied Telesis,” says Marcel Fuhrmann, CEO of RECOS SYSTEM SOLUTIONS. “We’ll be working closely in the years ahead to keep MLF Mercator’s network primed for whatever business opportunities come next.”