[Conventional issues] Decided to drastically review the network environment due to the strain on bandwidth due to response to the coronavirus pandemic

Yoku Moku was established in August 1969. Since then, the company has created a number of Western sweets, including Cigar, with the essence of handmade deliciousness made with heart and soul, and sells them through department stores, directly managed stores, and online shops nationwide. The company has established a strong position in the market for gifts such as mid-year gifts and year-end gifts, but in recent years, they have launched a new line of popular standard cookies packaged in single-serve sized paper boxes, based on the concept of ``me time decorated with cookies.'' The lineup also includes the series “MY YOKUMOKU”. It has been particularly well received by young people.

Up until now, the company has been using a leased line service provided by a telecommunications carrier for its WAN line. Communication from factories, group companies, and other locations had been configured in a centralized manner that connected to the internal network via a data center (DC) using a closed connection, but problems surfaced during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. It is said that he did. Tetsuya Yaesawa, Head of the Information Systems Group, said, ``In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Company has decided to promote remote work and web conferencing.Therefore, we introduced Microsoft 365 and started using Teams company-wide. "However, the bandwidth was tight, and problems often occurred, including interfering with web conferences," he recalls.

The problem with web conferencing was especially serious. Users often complained that the audio would cut out during meetings, slowing down the progress.
``If a problem occurs within the company, it can be managed, but if such a situation occurs in public relations or other public announcements, it can have a major impact on business operations. I thought we had to find a solution no matter what.'' (Mr. Yaesawa)

Initially, the company responded to this by increasing its line capacity. However, even if the lines at the bases were strengthened, connections to DCs where lines were concentrated became a bottleneck, and no fundamental solution could be reached. “In addition, with the existing leased line service, it took a considerable amount of time to open the line even when adding bases, making it difficult to respond quickly.The way people work has changed significantly before and after the coronavirus pandemic. However, rather than just maintaining a traditional office, the Company is also looking at the possibility of quickly and flexibly expanding smaller bases.Therefore, we believe that a flexible network environment is necessary. We decided to conduct a fundamental review.'' (Mr. Yaesawa)

[Product selection] Adopt Cato, which integrates SD-WAN and security and allows for integrated management.

Yokumoku initially consulted with existing telecommunications carriers, but since the proposals that came up were limited to extensions of leased line services, they decided to consider other methods.
"What we were looking for was a system that could be configured flexibly and quickly in response to changes in business, and not just changing the lines. Also, with an on-premises configuration, we would have to install firewalls (FW) and proxy servers ourselves. It is necessary to prepare and manage the system, but we wanted to eliminate that hassle.'' (Mr. Yaesawa)

In conventional networks that are centralized at DCs, it is necessary to strengthen the lines to avoid bottlenecks, which also incurs costs. This led to the emergence of an option called SD-WAN, which is decentralized yet capable of integrated management.
"This time, we received proposals from several companies, and among them, the SD-WAN proposal came from Japan Office Systems (NOS) and another company. However, the other company's proposal did not deal with security. , network and security had to be managed and operated separately.On the other hand, Cato, which NOS proposed, is a service that integrates SD-WAN and security, and the fact that it can be managed in-house is a big advantage. (Mr. Yaesawa)

The company has many sales floors in department stores and other locations, and the stores access the network via mobile lines. However, with conventional services, mobile network carriers are limited, and there were cases where it was difficult to connect to some stores.
"With the Cato mobile client, you can freely choose your communication carrier, so it's great that you can prioritize stability and cost when choosing a carrier." (Mr. Yaesawa)

The company has decided to hire Cato in the summer of 2022. After verification, etc., full-scale implementation work began in March 2023.

[Effects of implementation] By introducing Cato, operations are integrated, speed is improved, and real-time situation confirmation is possible.

In April 2023, implementation at nine locations including stores and factories was completed. Subsequently, we carried out the switchover at stores, etc., and completed the replacement at the end of June. Although the work was carried out while running the existing network in parallel, no particular problems occurred.

The first effect of Yokumoku's unification of its network on Cato is the integration of operations. "Until now, ordering and receiving orders at department stores and other stores had been done in parallel by distributing iPads and processing them using input on a browser. By using Cato for this communication, security was maintained and the optimal You can now choose your line.Also, previously the communication environment could be influenced by the facility where you opened your store, but that has been resolved.'' (Mr. Yaesawa)

Furthermore, previously the bandwidth was limited to a certain extent at bases with few people, but after switching to Cato, users are saying that the speed has become much faster. Naoya Sato, Information Systems Group Leader, said, ``The quality of Teams in particular has improved.Also, we use SharePoint for file sharing, and the Company say that it no longer poses any problems when sharing large files such as images.'' ” he says.

In addition, mobile users previously accessed SaaS and other services through internal channels due to security concerns, but now they can access them directly and benefit from increased speed. When an Member of the Board went on a business trip overseas the other day, he was able to use his iPad to automatically access the company network via Cato and perform approval tasks such as making decisions, and the convenience of the system was well received.

In terms of operational effectiveness, the big advantage is that you can check the situation in real time. It is now possible to understand the quality and usage status of Teams by location and user.
"Even in cases where the connection is poor or not possible, we can see when the problem started, so it is clear where to check to find the cause, and we are now able to respond quickly. This has led to a significant reduction in time and effort, as we had to make them work and fumble around.'' (Mr. Sato)

Setting up the device is now easier than before. Yoshito Miwa, head of the Information Systems Group, commented, ``The time and effort required for kitting work, especially when there are many transfers of people, has been greatly reduced.Also, the number of objects that need to be managed has also been reduced.''

[Future Developments] We look forward to appropriate advice from Macnica, which aims to use CASB to manage and control each cloud service

By introducing Cato, Yokumoku has established a high level of security regardless of whether it is inside or outside the company and has realized a comfortable network environment. Going forward, the company plans to use CASB to visualize the usage status of each cloud service and achieve appropriate management and control. "We cannot say that we have fully used Cato yet, so we asked Macnica and NOS for advice on security, parameter settings, and appropriate responses for each app, and we are moving forward with company-wide rollout. I think so.'' (Mr. Yaesawa)

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