Summary

Like so many organizations, Higashi Holdings depends on a reliable and scalable IT and network infrastructure to support business continuity and growth. This is why, when the logistics company’s existing technology vendor experienced problems delivering new equipment to meet Higashi Holding’s evolving needs, the company turned to NETGEAR Enterprise for help.

Fortunately, not only was NETGEAR able to match the previous vendor in terms of performance, reliability, and quality, but it also achieved this with favorable pricing and delivery of wireless access points and multi-gig switches within the specified timeframe. A further bonus is NETGEAR Insight Cloud, which enables Higashi Holding’s IT team to easily manage the network, even remotely, reducing workload for the IT team.

Furthermore, Higashi Holdings can be confident that the NETGEAR solution will support uninterrupted business continuity and continued growth.

Background

Headquartered in Osaka and established for over 80 years, Higashi Holdings Co., Ltd. supplies Japanese customers with a comprehensive variety of B2B services. From its logistics and warehousing roots, the organization has since expanded into other areas, including office relocation, in-building delivery, third-party logistics, and even nursing care services.

Challenge

Having a reliable IT and network infrastructure has long been vital for Higashi Holdings. In the logistics business, downtime not only disrupts operations but also impacts client trust. With Higashi Holdings’ increasing portfolio of business units and locations, that need had been yet further amplified, and so the overall network environment had to scale.

The problem was that the existing vendor was suffering from the global semiconductor shortages, meaning that its product delivery timescales were stretching to as long as six months. At the same time, equipment prices were high, putting pressure on Higashi Holdings’ IT budget.

So, the IT team needed an alternative and fast, without any compromise on enterprise-level performance, and within the right price range. In addition, beyond replacing what it already had, Higashi sought a solution that would simplify network management across multiple sites in the future, helping it to evolve without disruption or unnecessary maintenance headaches.

Solution

While time was of the essence, Higashi Holdings carefully evaluated various options and ultimately decided to move forward with NETGEAR Enterprise. The reasons were compelling:

Performance – the equipment matched the quality and reliability of the previous vendor, supporting efficient day-to-day operations

Affordability and availability – NETGEAR’s ability to deliver products within an acceptable timescale and at a reasonable cost, to help ensure business continuity

Remote network management – through NETGEAR Insight Cloud, centralized cloud management of multiple sites, even remotely, significantly reducing complexity and effort.

A phased deployment strategy was adopted to ensure a smooth transition. The deployment began with a pilot project at the head office, to thoroughly test performance and manageability, using a NETGEAR Insight-managed wireless access point (WAX 610) and a Multi-Gig Smart Switch (MS510TXUP). Following the successful validation of these products, the rollout was extended to smaller warehouses, culminating in the installation at the company’s large-scale warehouse, built in 2022.

Results

According to Mr Yuichiro Takada, Deputy Manager of the IT Planning & Development Department at Higashi Holdings, “the company found that NETGEAR’s products have delivered enterprise-grade performance on a par with the previous equipment, ensuring there has been no compromise on quality or reliability.”

Mr Takada continued, “At the same time, the ability to centrally manage the entire network through NETGEAR Insight has provided significant advantages by reducing IT complexity, streamlining day-to-day operations, and giving the team greater confidence in managing multiple locations.”

Mr Takada also explained that, “Another decisive factor was NETGEAR’s reliable product availability and favorable pricing structure, which helped the company overcome the supply chain challenges experienced during the global semiconductor shortage.”

Consequently, Higashi Holdings now has a robust, scalable, and reliable network — one that is future-facing, easy to manage, and ready to support the company’s continued track record of success and growth.

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