Tommy Hilfiger upgrades European network

BT has announced a three-year contract with premium lifestyle brand Tommy Hilfiger, one of the largest designer apparel brands globally. Under the deal, BT will provide wide area network services to the customer's 90 stores, located in 12 European countries such as The Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and France. For Tommy Hilfiger this is the first step in its strategy to improve the services to, and the communications with, its stores across Europe.

Tommy Hilfiger wanted to replace their existing dial-in infrastructure with a new network solution that would allow them to install and run new applications on their systems. As such, BT will provide a resilient IP network that offers the flexibility to introduce new applications that will help improve efficiency both in-store and across the retail enterprise.

"We were looking for an extremely reliable network which would offer the necessary coverage and flexibility to support our expansion. Our decision for BT was mainly based on the consistent offering across multiple countries and the outstanding service levels that BT is able to provide", said Mike Day, senior vice president operations and IT of Tommy Hilfiger.

The contract encompasses an MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) platform, xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and IPsec, a suite of protocols for securing Internet Protocol (IP) communications.

www.btexpedite.com

Survey reveals inability to track and trace data access among UK retailers

Almost half (45 per cent) of medium to large retailers in the UK who handle credit card transactions are unable to track and trace who has been accessing data within the company network according to a survey carried out by research experts Vanson Bourne on behalf of log management integration provider LogLogic.

Restrictions on budget (24 per cent), time (14 per cent) and other priorities (41 per cent) were cited as the reasons why concerned IT directors didn't have systems in place to track and trace data access.

Of the 55 per cent who are able to track and trace data access, only a quarter are able to identify and analyse potential security breaches within one hour. 31 per cent didn't know how long it would take to track and trace, while for 14 per cent of those questioned, it can take more than 8 hours, the equivalent of a working day.

Despite the launch in 2004 of the PCI Standard which is designed to protect card holder data, only 14 per cent of those questioned said that they had reached PCI compliance. Only 25 per cent of respondents said that senior management within their company viewed PCI as a valuable mandate with obvious benefits to the company and its customers.

In contrast, given the choice, 65 per cent of the IT directors surveyed said that, as a consumer, they would personally feel more re-assured purchasing from a retailer who was PCI compliant.

Commenting on the findings, Henning Ogberg, vice president, LogLogic EMEA, said: "These research findings are concerning. They come at a time where instances of identify theft and data loss are increasingly commandeering column inches across the media. As such, retailers need to reassure consumers that their personal and financial data is entirely safe and secure. It only takes a matter of seconds for a security breach to occur. But with so many companies unable to track or trace for data loss or theft, by the time any potential security risk has occurred, the damage will have been done, long before the company, and the consumer are even aware of a problem in the first place."

www.loglogic.com

YO!Sushi predicts 2 year pay back for network

Leading high street restaurant chain YO!Sushi is predicting a two year payback for its next generation MPLS network from NetworkFlow which it is confident will support the company's ambitious plans of growing to 100 restaurants by 2010.

YO!Sushi's first restaurant was opened in London's Soho in 1997 and now operates 41 restaurants in 5 countries, 30 in the UK and 11 franchised overseas with partners in Ireland, Russia, Malaysia and the Middle East. YO!Sushi is based on the concept of a Japanese 'kaiten' sushi bar offering a quality, fast and fun dining experience for all ages.

IT manager Billy Waters explains, "NetworkFlow's MPLS solution offers us twice the product for half the price; it truly is excellent value for money. There were a few drivers for choosing it; firstly, our previous infrastructure - a pseudo leased line over copper - was close to capacity, and secondly, we wanted to more effectively link all of our internal voice requirements for the 30 restaurants."

"Above all though, it means that we have a one stop shop - it sounds clichéd but it means we no longer have to deal with BT, an ISP, a router company etc. Just cancelling the BT lines for internal calls alone has saved us huge amounts of money, and we're expecting a payback overall of two years which is excellent."

Working together with NetworkFlow, GP Network Solutions handled all of the hardware configuration for the telephony and worked with NetworkFlow to integrate it onto the MPLS network.

www.networkflow.com

zavvi increases online sales

Multi-channel communication and commerce software vendor Hybris and its implementation partner Javelin Group are claiming a vital role in the 70 per cent increase in online sales experienced by zavvi during its first Christmas trading period in December 2007.

One of the main reasons the hybris e-commerce platform was chosen by zavvi was for the strength of its Product Information Management (PIM) features. By providing information management and publishing in one location that can be updated in real time, hybris increases the ease and efficiency with which zavvi can manage the merchandising, promotional and transactional elements of its main retail website.

Steve Kincaid, zavvi's E-commerce director, commented, "The hybris e-commerce platform, combined with Javelin Group's redesign and re-build of the website itself, are key to zavvi's multi-channel strategy. We plan to drive increased growth in the business in 2008 by extending our games and Blu Ray product lines. In order to provide an online shopping experience geared to the needs of our customers across such a diverse and expanding product portfolio, we must be able to provide accurate product information and pricing at all times. A sophisticated PIM solution is critical in achieving this goal and we are reaping the benefits of a consistent and coordinated approach to product information thanks to hybris, only six months after going live."

www.hybris.com

TRI-NET go global with Kewill

Kewill a provider of global solutions for the dynamic supply network has been selected by Tri-Net Logistics Management, Inc., as its solution provider for its U.S. based Freight Forwarding business, to enable it to offer its customers greater visibility and control of shipments.

Tri-Net, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., selection of Kewill extends the existing worldwide relationship of the two organizations which has already implemented Kewill's Freight Forwarding Solution at Mitsui & Co.'s Freight Forwarding operations in Singapore and Japan. Kewill Forwarding was selected for its global capabilities, GlobalControl shipment management and complete visibility across all parties in the logistics chain.

"We needed a solution that could support our customers worldwide," said Nobu Izumi, IS manager of Tri-Net. "It is crucial to our success that we are able to provide all users, wherever they are located, with full visibility and control of shipments. After a rigorous selection process to find the best solution, we found in Kewill the right blend of global vision and dedication to customer service that our business demands. We believe Kewill's solution will play an important role in the global standardization & streamlining of freight forwarding operations among Tri-Net groups worldwide."

The Kewill Forwarding solution leverages Kewill's knowledge of the Asian marketplace, and delivers key integrations into upstream and downstream supply chain partners to deliver a seamless information flow. The key strengths of the system include a collaborative supply chain web portal, integrated export compliance, and global visibility.

www.kewill.com