O2 Germany GmbH

A leading mobile service provider keeps pace with secure, cost effective remote access solution from Fiberlink.

Challenge:
Before deploying the Fiberlink solution, O2 Germany employees accessed the corporate network through a disparate series of systems and services. Unfortunately, this fragmented approach was quite costly and frustrating for both the company and its mobile workers, who frequently found it difficult, if not impossible, to connect.

“Aside from basic connection issues, the solution was useless outside of Germany,” said Nicolas Hernandez-Eckle of the company’s Application Development department. This was particularly problematic since O2’s parent company is located in the U.K. – a frequent destination for traveling employees. For non-local travel, the company was left to negotiate complicated roaming agreements with mobile vendors in a number of neighboring countries. O2 had evaluated alternative solutions but were disappointed with the results. One approach, which involved employees utilizing a call center prior to connecting, was so complicated that it was “essentially unusable,” said Hernandez-Eckle.

Solution:
O2 implemented a comprehensive mobility solution from Fiberlink, which now provides end users with an easy-to-use and secure way to connect to the corporate network regardless of where they are located. The company has deployed the solution to approximately 1,700 employees, of which more than 700 actually connect each month to access the company network for the data, information and applications they need to do their work from home or on the road.

Results:
In addition to increasing security since being implemented, the Fiberlink solution has yielded significant savings for O2, according to Hernandez-Eckle. Equally important, it has provided the company a way to track what it actually spends on mobile access for its employees. “ Employees no longer have to bring in their phone bills, which they greatly appreciate,” he said. “ And our accounting department now knows how much the company is spending to provide connectivity for our employees when they work outside the office.”