Customer Cases

Baccarat

Logo Baccarat

Cloud in Baccarat's crystal

Baccarat, a worldwide flagship for high end crystal glassware, created under the authorisation of King Louis XV of France, is gradually shifting its computing system into the Luxembourg cloud of System Solutions. A carefully made choice, synonymous with security and economy.

 

The decision to shift into the cloud was only a question of principle. Again it was necessary to be able to meet multiple operational criteria. In the event, Baccarat chose a dated version of the DBMS. "Right away, System Solutions took this restriction into account, which a generic cloud service provider could not have," insists Thierry Mangin. "We have always been able to rely on their teams for various minor adjustments. For us, choosing the cloud option could not have been considered otherwise, that is without ongoing support."

Proximity

Again here is the importance of proximity. Baccarat would never have considered the redeployment of its information system to the cloud without the support of local teams (a Luxembourg company, System Solutions is present in Metz). "Yes to the cloud, given support from a local team; yes to the cloud also provided we know where our data and applications will be. Operating from the System Solution data centers in Luxembourg reassured us. Its PSF approval (Professionnel des Services Financiers) is a solid advantage, even if, in our business, we are not affected by financial regulations. We see it rather as an extra, a quality label in terms of data protection. Now, whatever the sector we operate in, this data protection aspect can only reinforce confidence." The approach of the System Solutions integrator has also been significant. Baccarat reckoned that the resource, whether expressed in capacity or power, is not sufficient. The crystal company required more security, especially more control. "We wanted to be supported in all areas. For example in backup processes, a grey area for many cloud computing providers. While some VM support critical workloads in the cloud, a backup is crucial..."

The ultimate question is reversibility. Among all the confidence factors, the reversibility clause is the most significant: it must be considered and formalised by both parties in order to guarantee the efficiency of a cloud service contract to the moment of its closure. "This is a sensitive subject that has to be dealt with so as to specify how the activity continues in the event of breach of service contract or at the natural termination of the contract," says Thierry Mangin. "From a practical point of view, a reversibility clause entails reciprocal undertakings between the two parties."

Image Baccarat HPE Helion, choice of openness

The innovation of the proposed technical proposal also played a part. The first CloudAgile certified partner of HPE in Luxembourg and in French-speaking Belgium, System Solutions has built its solution on an OpenStack cloud based on an HPE Helion infrastructure. This is a subtle choice. Indeed, for its customers, OpenStack appears as the "Linux" of the cloud, based on its community of more than 30,000 members. It is supported by a foundation that unites many digital players, from IBM to VMware including Intel, Dell and Cisco. Resolutely hybrid, HPE Helion is also open to major cloud service providers like AWS.

"With this choice, we are avoiding any 'vendor lock-in'. Today we are operating in a much more open environment than before! In this way, the cloud is reassuring. This is a contribution to confidence. Created by System Solutions. We will not be committed to a relationship without having met its managers, without knowing who we are speaking to, without being able to visit them. The more the relationship is built on confidence, the more physical proximity is important!"

The shift into the cloud has not yet been finalised. It is gradual, especially for the ERPs. This was a collective choice, argued for evident security reasons. According to Thierry Mangin, this is where System Solutions has clearly played its part as an integrator. Next major step: full shifting over of INFOR M3. This will be during the first quarter of 2017.