Success Through Automation and Partnership: How Accelleron Reinvented its IT with Cisco
2 min read
When Accelleron was spun-off from the ABB Group in October 2022, the company faced a major challenge: within just a few months, it had to build an independent, globally operational IT landscape for two major production sites and around 60 subsidiaries.
“It was a very big challenge,” recalls Andrea Crosetti, Network Service Owner at Accelleron. “We had to set up a completely new infrastructure – while at the same time ensuring that business operations continued uninterrupted worldwide.”
The Challenge: Restarting IT While Operations Continue
Accelleron produces turbochargers, fuel injectors and digital solutions for heavy-duty engines and supplies customers worldwide – from shipping companies to energy providers. A stable and secure IT environment is essential. After gaining independence from ABB, however, an entirely new IT network had to be created that was globally scalable while remaining efficient to operate.
The Solution: A Strategic Partnership with Cisco
To bring this vision to life, Accelleron chose after deep evaluation of the technology available on the market, Cisco, by an accurate selection of value proposals for networking. Together with the Cisco Customer Experience (CX) team, a close collaboration began in 2023 that went far beyond a technical implementation – it evolved into a strategic partnership.
At the heart of the solution are Cisco Catalyst Center, ThousandEyes, and Cisco’s network infrastructure. They form the backbone for all business-critical applications, including SAP, Microsoft 365, engineering tools, as well as connections to production plants and warehouses connections to locations in over 50 countries.
The Results: Automated, Secure, and Sustainable
- Efficiency Through Network Automation
Before having Cisco Catalyst Center, network components had to be updated manually – a time-consuming process. At the Baden plant, updating around 100 switches used to take 50 to 70 working hours. Today, the same task takes only about ten minutes per switch – a time saving of 75%, with no on-site personnel required. Automation also ensures consistent configurations and reduces sources of error.
- Greater Transparency and Cybersecurity
With Cisco Catalyst Center, Accelleron now has centralized, real-time inventory management and full transparency: every device, every version, and every location is visible at a glance. This significantly reduces risks and dramatically increases response speed.
- Faster Troubleshooting Thanks to Assurance and ThousandEyes
When reception issues occurred after the installation of new access points, Assurance analysis provided quick answers: the cause – interference between devices from different manufacturers – was immediately identified and resolved.
The ThousandEyes tool also plays a key role. It monitors connection quality and enables early detection of latency issues between global locations – a critical factor for collaborative development processes and engineering work across continents, for example when teams work together in real time on graphical drawings for turbochargers.
- Sustainability Through Energy Optimization
Accelleron is also optimizing energy consumption. Access points are automatically throttled at night and during periods of low usage. This intelligent control reduces power consumption by up to 40%.
Looking Ahead
Following the successful implementation, Accelleron plans to further develop its infrastructure to support with the most advanced solutions for networking the business demands.
“The combination of automation, transparency, and security is a decisive competitive advantage for us,» says Crosetti. «With Cisco, we haven’t just transformed our IT – we’ve laid the foundation for our future growth.”
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