U.S. Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM)

Success Story

Facing the challenges of managing a large, dispersed network, NEXCOM selected Novell Open Enterprise Server to consolidate and automate its global networking. Finding the right open platform for its FreeRADIUS authentication software has also helped NEXCOM comply with key regulatory requirements.

Overview

The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) is headquarters for the worldwide Navy Exchange System that oversees 107 Navy Exchange facilities and its 344 stores worldwide. NEXCOM's mission is to provide authorized customers with quality goods and services at a savings and to support quality of life programs for active duty military, retirees, reservists and their families.

Challenge

NEXCOM has more than 500 selling locations in nearly 20 countries around the world. With a centralized IT staff, NEXCOM often had to send IT personnel to troubleshoot issues at individual sites. Consolidating its environment and automating network management would help the organization's small IT staff manage its global operations.

NEXCOM also needed a new encryption solution to meet Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance as its existing solution failed to meet updated standards. Without compliance, the organization could face fines of potentially millions of dollars. NEXCOM wanted to run an open solution that would provide greater security for wireless authentication.

Novell solution

"With Novell Open Enterprise Server, we get the best of both worlds - all the benefits of NetWare with a Linux flavor."

Sean Zackman
Field Engineering Manager
NEXCOM

After determining that Linux would provide the right platform for its business, NEXCOM wanted to make the move while maintaining the familiar benefits of NetWare. The organization selected Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 which brings all the networking, security and management services of NetWare onto SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

"With Novell Open Enterprise Server, we get the best of both worlds - all the benefits of NetWare with a Linux flavor," said Sean Zackman, Field Engineering Manager at NEXCOM.

NEXCOM is migrating to Novell Open Enterprise Server running on HP servers for file, print and the majority of its security services. Using Xen virtualization, which is integrated into SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, the organization is consolidating servers across its locations and has already reduced 45 servers to 10.

"The ability to virtualize servers has been a huge benefit for us," said Zackman. "We looked at several options to reduce the space and cost requirements of our data center and ultimately decided to go with Xen for virtualization."

Now the IT staff can set up a new virtual server in minutes, rather than hours, without leaving their desks. Eventually, NEXCOM hopes to consolidate to one server in each of its locations, which will dramatically reduce hardware and administrative costs.

"We are also using Xen to virtualize many of our Microsoft Windows servers," said Zackman. "We are now moving everything we can to Linux."

NEXCOM is running FreeRADIUS on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to manage secure authentication for the nearly 7,000 wireless devices in its stores including cash registers, barcode scanners and printers. The company is now able to comply with PCI requirements and avoid costly fines.

"Running FreeRADIUS SUSE Linux Enterprise Server has allowed us to meet the deadlines to comply with updated PCI standards," said Zackman. "Otherwise we could face monthly fines of thousands of dollars for each of our locations."

NEXCOM also uses Novell ZENworks to manage 4,000 PCs across 100 locations worldwide. The IT staff can deliver new applications to its enterprise in a matter of hours from a central location. Using remote control, the IT staff can easily troubleshoot machines without having to send a technician to individual workstations.

"Novell ZENworks helps us manage our geographically dispersed organization," said Zackman. "The ability to update desktops in Japan or Germany from our headquarters is the only way our small, centralized IT staff can keep our workstations up to date."

Results

"We are also using Xen to virtualize many of our Microsoft Windows servers. We are now moving everything we can to Linux."

Sean Zackman
Field Engineering Manager
NEXCOM

Upgrading to Novell Open Enterprise Server has helped a small IT staff at NEXCOM manage a large and dispersed IT environment. NEXCOM as already consolidated 45 servers and plans to consolidate another 40 more by the end of the year for a savings of more than $200,000. Moving to a single server in each of its locations will also reduce IT maintenance and administration.

With FreeRADIUS running on an open platform, NEXCOM can comply with PCI regulatory requirements and avoid potentially millions of dollars in fines.

"Without Novell Open Enterprise Server, we would have had to hire a lot more people to maintain any other environment," said Zackman. "We also would have been hard pressed to comply with regulatory requirements."