Automating Global Network Operations for Resilience

Powering a resilient global network with automation

How a global food and beverage leader unified data, voice and security with HCLTech

5 min Lesen

Overview

A mission-critical network, everywhere the business runs

Our client operates a vast distributed estate spanning WAN and LAN (across data centers and field sites), wireless LAN and voice, supporting ~2200+ sites with 64,000 network & security devices worldwide. To keep the business always on, they set out to strengthen visibility, accelerate incident response, harden security and reduce manual error-prone effort across the network lifecycle.

The Challenge

Complexity at Scale

Operating at this magnitude presents significant operational risks. The geographic dispersion across 2,200+ locations creates a massive attack surface and a high degree of technical fragmentation. Historically, reliance on manual, labor-intensive processes has introduced human error, slowed incident response times and limited end-to-end visibility, threatening the stability of global operations.

The Objective

Resilience, automation and hardened security without added complexity

To modernize and future-proof its global network operations, the client set out to build a more resilient, secure and insight-driven operating model across its distributed enterprise. The objective was to centralize management, strengthen enterprise-wide visibility and accelerate response times while reducing operational complexity and dependence on manual processes. By embedding automation and standardized security controls into the network lifecycle, the organization aimed to improve operational precision, minimize risk and ensure uninterrupted business continuity across its global footprint.

Key priorities included:

Centralize end-to-end management for data, security and voice networks
Establish differentiated enterprise-wide visibility and a “single pane of glass” view across 64,000 network and security devices to eliminate operational blind spots
Accelerate incident and problem resolution through automation-driven operations and reduced MTTR
Reduce manual effort across backups, health checks, upgrades and documentation through automated workflows
Strengthen security, compliance and firewall assurance with robust vulnerability management and standardized controls
Improve operational precision and reliability by minimizing human error across day-to-day network operations
Coordinate multiple vendors effectively while optimizing resource utilization and operational cost efficiency
Keep hardware and software environments current through efficient racking, stacking, cabling and lifecycle management

Powering a resilient global network with automation

The Solution

End-to-end managed network services with automation at the core

The operating model combines comprehensive managed services with deep automation, unified communications, modernization and an integrated command center for visibility. Expert teams and a unified toolchain integrated these capabilities, while lifecycle automation ensured the environment remained current and consistent at scale.

Managed network services: Comprehensive operations for data, security and voice covering WAN/LAN, wireless assurance and cloud connectivity
Automation at scale: Automated device backups, health checks, IOS upgrades, zero‑touch provisioning, asset database updates and real-time documentation
Unified communications: Transformation from legacy PBX to IP-based unified communications with predictive analytics, automation/self-service and proactive ticketing
Enterprise visibility via a Digital Experience Office: An integrated command center enabling differentiated monitoring, multi-service tracking and proactive incident management
Dedicated expertise: Certified subject matter experts, regional delivery leads and specialized teams for day‑to‑day operations, transformation and experience management
Lifecycle automation: Server provisioning and decommissioning, patching, VM right-sizing and network configuration backup/restore

The Impact

Operational stability, faster resolution and measurable efficiency gains

The transformation delivered clear data-backed outcomes. Operations became more predictable and transparent; incidents dropped in frequency and severity and automation removed significant manual toil. With disciplined vendor governance and a global delivery model, the network evolved into a resilient insight driven backbone for the business.