Distributor Hills upgrades infrastructure with Extreme Networks kit

Distributor Hills Limited has upgraded its network infrastructure from Cisco to Extreme Networks.

The network upgrade was deployed to 20 of the distie’s sites across Australia, with the infrastructure upgrade and network management software completed. Wireless and core networking upgrades are on the way as well.

Hills said moving to Extreme also brings the management of its voice and data network in-house and will help ramp up adoption of cloud-based services.

“Extreme Networks is part of our future, both as the technology underpinning our systems and as part of our distribution portfolio and Health Solutions business,” Hills chief executive David Lenz said in a statement.

"We believe in the brand, which is why we’re making the investment to upgrade our entire networking environment from Cisco to Extreme Networks.”

Lenz added that Hills has already made “significant efficiency gains and cost savings” and expects it to continue along the network upgrade process.

As part of the upgrade, Hills will also move its servers to Azure, with support from Extreme’s Elements suite, including ExtremeSwitching technology and ExtremeAnalytics software to improve network visibility and reporting capabilities across the hybrid cloud environment.

“Extreme’s technology is enabling more remote reporting, diagnostics, and configuration capabilities for Hills, providing ‘on the ground’ IT resources to move beyond operations tasks,” Extreme Networks ANZ general manager Julian Critchlow said.

“Hills is deploying a cloud-ready platform that delivers enhanced network security, increased automation, and greater efficiency. This will help drive Hills’ digital transformation programs, and ensure they are ready to take advantage of key emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.”