Galliker Transporte can rely on Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform

The end of a lifecycle led Galliker to switch to Nutanix in 2015. The Nutanix Enterprise Cloud platform enables Galliker Transport AG to focus on the applications and services that promote its own success. This allowed a dynamic, high-performance IT environment to be provided in a short space of time. Then, in 2018, the migration from VMware vSphere to the KVM-based Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor was completed. This allowed Galliker to further simplify its operation, improve performance and stability while at the same time saving additional VMware costs. What’s more, replacing NetApp with Nutanix Files allowed the infrastructure to be further consolidated and optimised.

The Challenge

Galliker Transport AG was founded in 1918 and is today an internationally active logistics company with 21 subsidiaries in 5 countries. Galliker is 100% family-owned. This financial freedom means the company can invest in its future without regard for quarterly targets.

In keeping with the motto “in generations, not in quarters”, this long-term mentality has continued to pay off to this day. Galliker greatly values open, fair customer relationships and honest, direct interaction with its employees. This has resulted in an above-average number of long-term partnerships with customers and employees. As an independent family company, Galliker has short decision-making channels, even when it comes to alternatives in terms of IT infrastructure. Galliker was faced with the task of renewing this due to a lifecycle (Cisco UCS) coming to an end

André Dousse, Head of IT Infrastructure at Galliker Transport AG:

„We had a look around early on. I need to be able to rely on the infrastructure. It needs to be simple – I don’t need 1,000 buttons.“

The Solution

Dousse’s small team, made up of him and two system engineers supported by five first-level employees, is responsible for Galliker’s entire IT infrastructure across Europe, including procurement and operation. The transportation industry in general and Galliker specifically are driven by a strong momentum with new external subsidiaries which IT needs to keep up with.

Based on Nutanix, the new solution does exactly that – it is extremely dynamic, flexible and fast. Working with Axians Amanox, a proof of concept was drawn up with the Acropolis Hypervisor on Nutanix which, according to André Dousse, “only took half a day to finish. We then drew up the productive environment, started with a few test machines and finally transferred 500 VMs – all with only three people.” Today, Galliker runs all virtual workloads on the Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor. Dousse added that “everything is much easier” now with AHV than with the previous solution.

Tools & Technologies

Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Plattform
• Nutanix Acropolis
• Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor
• Cloud Hypervisor
• Nutanix Files
• Nutanix Flow
• Prism Pro

Results

The Nutanix Enterprise Cloud platform enables Dousse and his team to focus on the high-quality applications and services that promote the success of Galliker Transport AG. This allowed a high-performance IT environment to be provided in a short space of time. André Dousse: “The infrastructure is up and running within hours. It no longer takes weeks like it did before.” And Dousse added that, compared to earlier, “we pay half the money for a Nutanix Cluster.” And if he ever has any questions, he contacts Nutanix support, which he describes as “brilliant”.

„I have my contact, an engineer, by my side and he has always been able to help me very quickly.“

Dousse stressed how solution-focussed the Nutanix support team is: “They listen to their customers and take them seriously.”

CUSTOMER: Galliker Transport
Galliker Transport AG is a modern logistics company with four main areas of business: car, cargo, food and healthcare logistics. The family company was founded in 1918 and is now in its third generation. The company has around 3,050 employees and operates a distribution network with nine subsidiaries in Switzerland plus its own logistics sites in Belgium, Italy and Sweden.