AXTEL Turns to IBM for Smarter Computing Overhaul

ARMONK, N.Y., Aug. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced that AXTEL, a leading telecommunications service provider in Mexico, has turned to IBM for a complete overhaul of its IT infrastructure to support the company's vigorous expansion into new markets and an ever-growing customer base.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

AXTEL, which provides communications services to more than one million customers in 39 cities across the country, has been growing rapidly since it was founded in 1994. As the company has grown so too has its business challenges. In addition to having to support more customers in more markets with additional services, AXTEL needed to improve its customer relationship capabilities to enable cross- and up-selling more effectively.

To solve this multidimensional problem, AXTEL selected IBM to re-architect its infrastructure of servers and storage devices with IBM Power Systems and IBM advanced storage systems. In addition to improving overall system performance and efficiency, and lowering costs, AXTEL was looking for seamless integration with the company's SAP installation.

"We have had SAP successfully in place for several years now," said Gaspar Rivera del Valle, IT Evolution Director at AXTEL. "The move to an all-IBM infrastructure created a synergy with our SAP platform that allowed us to achieve our business goals."

Working with IBM and IBM Business Partner, Genesys, AXTEL deployed IBM Power Systems built with IBM BladeCenter servers. For the storage overhaul, the company deployed IBM System Storage DS8300 and IBM XIV Storage Systems, virtualized using IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller.

Moving to the combined IBM server and storage infrastructure has already improved AXTEL's application performance by 60 percent, enhanced its system availability, and significantly improved the overall level of service to the business, Rivera del Valle said. Backed by a reliable, high-performance platform for business applications, AXTEL can serve the company's growing customer base more effectively and at a lower cost.

"AXTEL understands that the right technologies, applied strategically, can help organizations achieve real business goals," said Natalia de Greiff, IBM Mexico & LCR STG Executive. "This philosophy is the basis of our Smarter Computing approach to IT."

About AXTEL

AXTEL is a leading Mexican telecommunications company and one of the largest operators of virtual private networks in the country. AXTEL provides integrated telecommunications services to all sectors, from residential and small and medium businesses to large enterprises and government entities. AXTEL's telecommunications infrastructure consists of a world class network that integrates different access technologies such as point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and fiber optic, to deliver a broad portfolio of services tailored to the needs of its customers, their size and line of business. AXTEL has been recognized as a Socially Responsible Company by the CEMEFI for the past five consecutive years and has adhered to the United Nations World Pact since 2011. For more information about AXTEL, please visit http://www.axtel.com.mx. For a short video on AXTEL's implementation of the IBM Smarter Computing solution visit  http://bit.ly/P0dIjt

About IBM
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SOURCE IBM Corporation