Modernising telecom & IT infrastructure
in a small furniture factory
(new DC, VPN, WiFi, CCTV and CNC integration)
We were commissioned to redesign and modernise the IT and telecom infrastructure of a small furniture factory. The main goal was to improve quality and security without disrupting production – all changes had to be introduced with zero downtime for key systems.
As part of the project we built a new data centre, replaced the internet service provider and delivered several new services for users: secure VPN access, a factory‑wide WiFi network, IP telephony and collaborative document work for office staff. This allowed the company to largely eliminate paper‑based processes.
The modernisation plan was prepared together with the factory management. We defined milestones that marked each phase of the implementation and tangible deliverables. The work followed an Agile approach – after every iteration the client received a working component of the new infrastructure that delivered measurable business value.
The technical environment was demanding: several production halls away from the office building, challenging terrain, high dust levels from wood processing and other modernisation projects running in parallel. All of this had to be handled carefully to keep production running while delivering the project on time.
Scope of work – from audit to BAU
Concept phase
- Audit of the existing infrastructure – full inventory and baseline for planning.
- Design of the new environment and migration plan for systems and services.
- Formal approval of the design as the go‑ahead for implementation.
Passive infrastructure
- Construction of main server room A and backup server room B on the shop floor.
- New structured cabling across production halls and offices.
- Physical separation of the WiFi network from the CNC machine network.
- Gradual decommissioning of legacy cabling and migration of traffic to the new links.
Active infrastructure
- Deployment and configuration of a Zyxel XG1935 core switch.
- Factory WiFi based on Cisco AIR-LAP access points and Zyxel GS1915 switches.
- New internet connectivity from local ISP Telemedia via a Mikrotik RB5009 router.
- VMware virtualisation cluster on two Dell R260 servers with EMC PowerVault ME4/ME5 storage.
Service migration & data protection
- Rollout of DHCP and DNS servers, web, file and application environments.
- Implementation of an open‑source VPN server for secure remote access.
- Migration of the Subiekt accounting system from OVH cloud to the new on‑prem environment.
- NAS based on FreeBSD (FreeNAS) and monitoring powered by Nagios (FreeBSD jails).
- Environmental and machine temperature monitoring using Domoticz running in Docker.
- Cross‑site backups of all virtual machines and SQL databases between server rooms A and B, with critical backups stored in Google Cloud Platform.
Post‑implementation
- Full technical documentation of the new infrastructure and configurations.
- BAU processes for monitoring, maintenance and day‑to‑day operations.
- Lessons Learned document with key takeaways and recommendations for future upgrades.
Business outcomes
- Project delivered in three months from completion of the initial audit.
- No production downtime during migration to the new environment.
- Cost savings and better user experience after moving the accounting system from the cloud and reducing paper usage.
- Higher data security thanks to local and cloud backups.
- Stable and secure internet connectivity with the new ISP.
- Secure VPN access enabling flexible remote work for office staff.
- Direct integration with CNC machines for program delivery and data collection.
- High‑resolution IP CCTV and a modern WiFi 5 network with dedicated production VLANs.