Alcatel Solutions Power Up CompUSA's Network; Investment in Alcatel Networking Solutions Will Enhance CompUSA's Retail, Call Center and Training Businesses.Business Editors & High-Tech Writers CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2000 Alcatel today announced that CompUSA, one of the nation's leading retailers and resellers of personal computers and related products and services, has chosen Alcatel's Omni family of switches to support its retail stores, business units and call centers nationwide. Supporting more than 12,000 users in eight metropolitan area sites around the Dallas/Fort Worth area and more than 220 stores nationwide, the network will allow CompUSA to make a smooth transition from a network of mixed Token Ring A local area network (LAN) access method developed by IBM. Conforming to the IEEE 802.5 standard, Token Ring uses a token ring access method and connects up to 255 nodes in a star topology at 4, 16 or 100 Mbps. and Ethernet to an integrated, managed Ethernet-based IP environment of the future. This switched network is designed to be powerful and flexible enough to provide CompUSA with the ability to effectively deploy new applications such as SAP and Siebel so that the company can drive its retail, call center and training businesses to higher productivity levels. Omni Family Alcatel and CompUSA completed the installation of eight Alcatel OmniCore 5052s to provide CompUSA with more than 200 gigabits of switching power at the network core. Designed to meet the current and future demands of large-scale network backbones, Alcatel's OmniCore 5000 series will allow CompUSA to scale connectivity to all sites and servers and scale requirements as business needs dictate. At the edge, Alcatel's Omni Switch and Omni Switch/Router provide CompUSA's internal and metropolitan area networks with the flexibility to integrate Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) Often pronounced "fiddy," it was a LAN and MAN access method that had its heyday in the mid-1990s. FDDI was an ANSI standard token passing network that transmitted 100 Mbps over optical fiber up to 10 kilometers. and Gigabit Ethernet An Ethernet standard that transmits at 1 Gbps. Used mostly to connect high-end workstations and servers as well as for network backbones, Gigabit Ethernet transmits full duplex from point to point using switches and half duplex in a shared environment (CSMA/CD) using a hub. in a single platform, as well as a higher performance switched 10/100 connection for all upgraded workstations. "CompUSA's goal was to upgrade the network, retail stores and call centers for increased productivity and the highest level of reliability, as well as provide the power to support the training business offered in our retail facilities and call center outsourcing business," said Cathy Witt, CIO CIO: see American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. (Chief Information Officer) The executive officer in charge of information processing in an organization. , CompUSA. "With Alcatel's solutions, we can fulfill both our current and future operational needs and sustain our strategy as a technology-enabling company." "Alcatel's Omni family of switches is perfectly suited for large-scale customers such as CompUSA," said Joelle Gauthier, vice president, enterprise data marketing, Alcatel. "In the case of CompUSA, Alcatel brings a flexible, robust set of enterprise solutions that is providing the company with a pathway out of legacy protocols into a high-speed switched network to deliver efficient e-business offerings to customers, partners and suppliers." CompUSA's internal business will benefit from increased bandwidth and faster response times as it upgrades from a shared Ethernet Refers to the traditional Ethernet topology in which all stations share the total bandwidth of the network. Whether connected via a common cable (10Base5, 10Base2) or a hub (10Base-T), transmission is on a first-come, first-served basis. and token ring environment to a switched 10/100 Ethernet environment with Alcatel's Omni Switch/Router. In addition, it will benefit CompUSA's Call Center Services customers who deliver high-volume capacity and customized technical support and sales functions to customers. These customers include hardware and peripheral manufactures, software publishers, Internet service providers Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. and business customers. In CompUSA's retail stores, Alcatel's OmniStack workgroup switches A network switch designed for LAN traffic within an enterprise. Contrast with carrier-class switch. will provide switched 10/100 Ethernet connections as stores migrate from a shared hub infrastructure. These switches will enhance retail functions, as well as in-store IT training that makes CompUSA one of the largest IT training entities in the country. Alcatel Service and Support To meet the company's ongoing business needs, CompUSA's strategy was not only to support the business project requirements with increased bandwidth, but also to work with a vendor that could provide the necessary level of services and support to build and maintain a scalable, network architecture. "Alcatel distinguished itself by taking the time to understand our enterprise networking The networking infrastructure in a large enterprise with multiple computer systems and networks of different types is extraordinarily complex. Due to the myriad of interfaces that are required, much of what goes on has little to do with the real data processing of the payroll and orders. environment," said Witt. "They made it palatable pal·at·a·ble adj. 1. Acceptable to the taste; sufficiently agreeable in flavor to be eaten. 2. Acceptable or agreeable to the mind or sensibilities: a palatable solution to the problem. for us to migrate to a future state environment by protecting existing asset inventory with any-to-any switching and, in the same box, support the migration from Token Ring to Ethernet. We view their account team as a valuable extension of our staff, and their responsiveness to our needs has made the transition very successful." About Alcatel Alcatel (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :ALA) builds next-generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data communications data communications, application of telecommunications technology to the problem of transmitting data, especially to, from, or between computers. In popular usage, it is said that data communications make it possible for one computer to "talk" with another. solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 23 billion in 1999, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on Internet: http://www.alcatel.com. About CompUSA CompUSA Inc. (www.compusa.com) is one of the nation's leading retailers and resellers of personal computers and related products and services. CompUSA Inc. currently operates 218 CompUSA Computer Superstores This is a list of superstores by country. Multi-national
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