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Lifetime Products recently deployed a ProCurve Networking by HP infrastructure from the network core to the edge. Not only is the company utilizing ProCurve devices to connect the buildings comprising its Utah headquarters, but also its facilities in Missouri, Arkansas, China and Hong Kong. Lifetime is thrilled with the performance, reliability, wireless capabilities and centralized management offered by its ProCurve network.
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When John Bowden was named Chief Information Officer of Lifetime Products, he set numerous goals for the company. Two of the most important objectives were reducing the overall cost of technology ownership and standardizing the company's computing equipment. After a thorough search, Lifetime turned to ProCurve and never looked back.
Today, Lifetime Products is a complete ProCurve shop, from the network core to the network edge. Bowden spearheaded the deployment of an infrastructure based on the ProCurve Adaptive EDGE Architecture, which enables companies to effectively accommodate the evolution of the enterprise network into an anytime, anywhere resource that adapts to changing business needs using command from the center with control to the edge.
"We're big fans of HP," said Bowden. "Every device on the Lifetime network is a ProCurve product, and they all perform flawlessly."
At Lifetime's headquarters in Utah, ProCurve Switch 5300xl series devices connect more than 20 buildings. The layer 2/3/4 chassis switches offer scalable, layer 3 wire-speed switching in a compact 4- or 8-slot modular form factor. The convergence-ready switches are easy to configure and manage, and offer high port density.
According to Bowden, the chassis design of the Switch 5300xl series provides Lifetime with valuable network flexibility. "If we decide to augment our infrastructure in the future, we can simply pop a new fibre card into the chassis and go," he said.
In addition to the Switch 5300xl series, Lifetime is utilizing the ProCurve Switch 4100gl series at the network edge. Combined with HP's Fast Path Technology, these switches offer high-performance, reliable connectivity for a growing network such as Lifetime's. The convergence-ready Switch 4100gl series is the low-cost, modular alternative to stackable switches, perfect for the edge of Lifetime's network.
"ProCurve switches are incredibly reliable," added Bowden. "Most ProCurve products come with a lifetime warranty, but it's almost superfluous because they never break down. In fact, our switches have essentially become invisible—they perform impeccably and we literally forget about them."
Lifetime is also taking advantage of ProCurve's wireless offerings. The company is using ProCurve Wireless Access Point 520wl to facilitate bar coding in its metals division.
The ProCurve Wireless Access Point 520wl is a full-featured IEEE 802.11g, dual-radio access point ideally suited for large or extended Wireless LAN deployments, such as Lifetime's metals warehouse. It provides a cost-effective means to deploy 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks. The Access Point 520wl is a high-performance bridge that features roaming, automatic channel selection, and Web-based configuration and management. The Access Point 520wl supports up to 250 wireless clients per radio slot and 64- and 128-bit RC4 Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption.
"In the past, we were forced to manually enter every bar code and batch process our metals inventory. It was tedious, prone to human error and took our employees away from more important tasks," Bowden indicated. "I was shocked at the ease with which we were able to deploy ProCurve wireless capabilities. Now we use wireless devices to scan bar codes and upload data into our network's ERP system in real-time."
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In 2002, Lifetime built a manufacturing facility in Xiamen, China and later opened a sales division in Hong Kong. As the company expanded, so did its ProCurve infrastructure.
"We have offices in Utah, Missouri, Arkansas, China and Hong Kong, and we transitioned our network from a large LAN to a global WAN," mentioned Bowden. "Our ProCurve network is the crucial bridge that unites us all. Without it, our company would be highly disjointed. As it stands, we feel very close and connected to our manufac turing and sales teams overseas."
From ERP to finance to sales forecasting to email, collaboration among Lifetime's worldwide facilities is conducted over the network. Bowden indicated the integration, standardization and teamwork enabled by the ProCurve infrastructure help facilitate companywide efficiencies. "By conducting overseas business on our secure WAN, we are able to save vast amounts of time and costs," he said.
Bowden is also pleased with the easy, centralized management capabilities of Lifetime's network. Using ProCurve Manager, a Windows-based network management solution that is included in-box with all controllable ProCurve products, the company is able to manage network devices around the globe from a Web-based browser. ProCurve Manager provides mapping and polling capabilities, device auto-discovery and topology mapping, device configuration and management as well as troubleshooting data and alerts for Lifetime's entire network.
"I can monitor network activity and manage switches in China from my computer at home," exclaimed Bowden. "The Web-based network management capabilities offered by ProCurve are not only convenient, but also very important since our network requires 24-7 uptime. When we go home, our Chinese teams are beginning their day and utilizing the network. It's nice to know I can solve problems or make network adjustments from anywhere, anytime."
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- Outstanding infrastructure performance and reliability
- Global network connectivity for increased company efficiency and reduced costs
- Wireless capabilities for real-time data upload to company's ERP system
- Centralized, Web-based network management
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Hardware
Software
HP services
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Lifetime warranty with next-business-day advance replacement (available in most countries) on most products for as long as the customer owns it *
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Telephone support available during normal business hours
- Technical product support available via e-mail
- Comprehensive network design and configuration services offered at no extra charge
* The HP ProCurve Routing Switch 9300m series and Secure Access 700wl series have a one-year warranty with extensions available.
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When you are ready to explore the benefits a ProCurve Networking solution can offer you, call HP at 1-800-975-7682.
To learn more about ProCurve Networking's Adaptive EDGE Architecture™ solutions, visit our home page.
Purchase: In the US, HP business solutions, products, and supplies can be purchased at your local HP partner, or bought directly from HP either online or by calling 800-613-2222.
Finance: HP finance plans provide all the benefits of new technology without the risk or cost of ownership. For details, call 888-999-4783.
Accessibility: HP is committed to providing products and services that are accessible to people with disabilities. For more information, please visit the HP Accessibility web site or call 888-259-5707.
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