Nordzucker AG – Spine 2.0: Newly conceived network technology as the backbone for Nordzucker.

As a leading sugar producer, Nordzucker AG focuses on innovation and efficiency. With locations in over nine countries in Europe, a reliable and secure IT infrastructure is the backbone of the company. Nordzucker therefore planned to set up a completely new, modern network at all locations, designed to meet future security requirements. State-of-the-art technology, centralised management and a scalable architecture were to ensure security and flexibility. Nordzucker wanted to make its IT more efficient and optimise collaboration across all locations.

Bechtle won the tender for this challenging project. In the first phase of the project, Bechtle worked with Nordzucker to design the planned network renewal. All wishes and requirements were precisely implemented in iterative workshops. Cisco was chosen as the technology partner, whose components such as Catalyst switches, firewalls and Identity Services Engine met the security and efficiency requirements. Bechtle then migrated the networks, converting one location to the new infrastructure each month. With the introduction of software-defined networking, Bechtle also took the automation and segmentation of the network to a new level. In addition, Bechtle implemented a central management system for greater transparency and control over all network components. State-of-the-art security solutions such as Cisco Umbrella provide comprehensive protection for the IT environment against external threats. The external partner compl3te GmbH took over project management and stakeholder management. The successful implementation of Nordzucker's new backbone will be completed by March 2025.