Revving Up Dealerships Nationwide with VLCM and HPE Aruba Networking

Client Overview

With over 30 years of networking equipment holding together their vast operations, an automotive dealership group with a multi-state presence faced an uphill battle in maintaining their IT infrastructure. As their business expanded, so did the complexity of their network, but their outdated technology couldn’t keep pace. When a new IT director took the reins, it became clear that they were operating on borrowed time—and resources. They needed a transformative upgrade to avoid a potential collapse in the heart of their business: the data center.

The Challenge

The group operated on aging IT infrastructure, with networking equipment dating back over 30 years. Much of this equipment was so outdated that the company that manufactured it no longer existed, forcing the team to source replacement parts from eBay to keep their network afloat. VLCM Network Engineer Kurtis Pickett recalls, "The client's new IT director expressed that he was 'scared of everything' because they had no backup parts. If you can’t get the hardware and are hit with an outage, your data center is dead."

The data center is the nerve center of the entire operation—every piece of data, from vehicle sales to financial transactions, flows through this critical hub. A failure in the data center wouldn't just be an inconvenience; it could bring the entire business to a halt, disrupting operations across all dealership locations.

The Solution

After a data center walkthrough, Kurtis recommended HPE Aruba Networking, stating, “We did two designs for their data center. They went with a simpler one of the two Aruba CX 6405s. They deployed the switches themselves and fell in love with Aruba and CX."

Upgrading the data center

To upgrade the dealership group’s data center, VLCM recommended HPE Aruba Networking CX 6405 switches. These switches are designed to handle the heavy demands of a modern data center, ensuring that all critical business operations run smoothly. One of the key strengths of the CX 6405 switch is its ability to support many network speeds, from 1GbE to 100GbE, making it adaptable to the dealership’s current needs while being ready for future growth.

The switches also offer built-in features that keep the network running, even during maintenance or unexpected issues. For example, if one part of the network needs to be updated, the switches can continue operating without causing any downtime. This ensures that essential activities, like processing sales or managing inventory, are never interrupted.

Additionally, the CX 6405 switches come with tools that provide real-time insights into the network's performance. If something goes wrong, the IT team can quickly identify and fix the problem before it impacts the business. This level of visibility and control helps the dealership group maintain a stable and efficient network, essential for their day-to-day operations.

Upgrading the dealerships

After modernizing the data center, the next priority was updating the network infrastructure at the individual dealership locations. The existing switches were outdated and no longer capable of handling modern network traffic and management demands. VLCM recommended the Aruba CX 6300 series, which was a perfect fit for the dealership’s needs, providing advanced functionality, security, and simplified management.

The CX 6300 switches were chosen for several key reasons:

• Scalability and Flexibility: The CX 6300 switches offer stackable Layer 3 capabilities, supporting up to 10 switches in a single stack. This makes it easy for the dealership group to scale its network as it grows, all while keeping management simple and efficient across its many locations.

• High Performance: With non-blocking bandwidth up to 1760 Gbps, these switches easily handle the heavy traffic demands of modern business operations. They also support power-over-ethernet (PoE), providing reliable power to wireless access points, IoT devices, and other essential dealership infrastructure.
• Enhanced Security: The switches come with built-in MACsec encryption, which ensures data integrity and security across the network. This is critical for protecting sensitive customer and financial data as it moves between different parts of the network.
  

Leveraging HPE Aruba Networking Central 

To help our client’s IT team manage their network across dozens of locations, Kurtis recommended integrating Aruba Central into the dealership group’s networking strategy. Aruba Central is a cloud-based management platform that simplifies the oversight of the entire network. IT teams can monitor, configure, and manage all network devices from a single, easy-to-use dashboard.

This platform provides real-time visibility into the performance of wired and wireless networks, making it easier for the team to identify and resolve issues quickly. Kurtis noted, "They can now view everything from a single dashboard. They can see every site, get alerts, and view reports." This centralized control simplifies day-to-day management and enhances the team's ability to quickly address any network issues as they arise. 

Aruba Central also streamlined the setup and management of network devices at each dealership location. With its zero-touch provisioning feature, the IT team can remotely configure and activate new devices, including the CX 6300 switches, without visiting each site. Kevin Tanner, their Account Executive, noted the benefits: "Instead of sending their IT team out to dozens of locations, they can leverage Aruba Central to streamline management and reduce the need for on-site visits." This approach saved time and resources, allowing the IT team to maintain and expand the network efficiently while focusing on more critical tasks.

Conclusion

The successful partnership between the dealership group and VLCM, combined with the advanced capabilities of HPE Aruba Networking, led to a transformative upgrade of the group’s IT infrastructure. The group established a reliable and scalable network by modernizing its data center with Aruba CX 6405 switches and upgrading the dealership locations with Aruba CX 6300 switches. 

The integration of Aruba Central further enhanced the effectiveness of the IT team, allowing them to manage the entire network with greater ease and efficiency. This centralized approach reduces the need for on-site interventions and provides real-time insights and control, ensuring the network remains resilient and responsive to any challenges.

With these upgrades, the dealership group is now well-equipped to support its day-to-day operations and future growth. With a solid foundation in place, they can continue to deliver exceptional service to their customers while maintaining the stability and efficiency of their IT infrastructure. 

A special thanks to Kevin Tanner and Kurtis Pickett for their expert guidance and dedication throughout this project. Their work played a critical role in the success of modernizing the dealership group's IT infrastructure. For more insight into Kurtis Pickett’s expertise, check out VLCM Champions Network Transformation at Major International Airport, where he also partnered with HPE Aruba Networking for another impactful project. 

Additional Resources

• Read about VLCM’s award-winning partnership with HPE Aruba Networking
• VLCM Champions Network Transformation at Major International Airport
• HPE Aruba Networking CX 6400 Switch Series Data Sheet
• HPE Aruba Networking CX 6300 Switch Series Data Sheet
• HPE Aruba Networking Central Data Sheet

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