Network Transformation for Global Manufacturer AkzoNobel

AkzoNobel is a Dutch multinational and a global market leader in the fields of decorative paints, performance coatings, and specialty chemicals. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam and has a corporate history that dates back to 1646. Today, AkzoNobel operates in more than 80 countries around the world and employs approximately 46,000 people. The company operates with a highly centralized IT infrastructure used by hundreds of locations worldwide. The growing adoption of cloud-based solutions was contributing to increased Internet traffic and consequent congestion of its WAN infrastructure.

AkzoNobel, a Dutch multinational and global market leader in decorative paints, performance coatings, and specialty chemicals, was facing a significant challenge with its IT infrastructure. The company operates with a highly centralized IT infrastructure used by hundreds of locations in 80 countries worldwide. The growing adoption of cloud-based solutions was contributing to increased Internet traffic and consequent congestion of its WAN infrastructure. A hub-and-spoke architecture forced all traffic to be backhauled to a single regional Internet gateway each for EMEA, the Americas, and APAC. This setup faced serious capacity constraints and could not rationally support the expanding need for Internet bandwidth for cloud-based applications, as well as a pending Office 365 implementation. AkzoNobel’s IT organization began to study a new hybrid network model that would increase the number of Internet “breakouts” and improve performance in accessing the web, while guaranteeing a safe internet experience. Since AkzoNobel did not want to implement and manage additional network hardware, adding security appliances was not a solution.

AkzoNobel was looking for a more flexible solution for outbound Internet access while providing optimal security for all staff worldwide. Orange Business Services (OBS) proposed Zscaler’s cloud-based Internet Security Platform, which offered all the required security functionality, including Web Security, Advanced Threat Protection, Next Generation Firewall, and Secure Browsing. This highly integrated solution provides a streamlined migration path towards a hybrid WAN/Internet network model while adding security functionality at reduced total cost. During product evaluation, Zscaler proved itself a viable and technically advanced solution with an easy-to-administer administration dashboard, facilitating the implementation of 25 additional Internet breakout points during 2016. Zscaler’s security suite provides extensive scanning functionality against modern malware threats including viruses, botnets, and zero-day exploits. As quite a large part of the staff accesses the mobile network through tablets, smartphones, and laptops, protection of this traffic was an important factor in AkzoNobel’s decision to implement Zscaler.

• The implementation of Zscaler’s cloud-based Internet Security Platform has resulted in a number of operational benefits for AkzoNobel. The solution provides security with exceptionally low latency and requires no hardware or software to be maintained. When the additional Internet breakout points are implemented, Internet traffic no longer has to be backhauled to AkzoNobel’s principal data centers for appliance-based security scanning; the company is saving considerable MPLS traffic. This rationalization combined with Zscaler’s bandwidth control capability is essential to the pending Office 365 implementation. Furthermore, AkzoNobel considered the administration of its prior security configuration extremely burdensome due to the number of separate point solutions involved. With the move to Zscaler, one integrated administration portal has taken complexity out of administration. The whole set-up is very easy to understand and manage.

• Implementation of 25 additional Internet breakout points during 2016.
• Protection for mobile users accessing the network through tablets, smartphones, and laptops.
• Reduced total cost due to the addition of security functionality.