The Editis group is the number 2 publishing group in France. It brings together nearly 50 prestigious publishing houses in the fields of literature, education and reference, as well as a structure for the distribution of books. The company employs over 2,500 people and publishes 4,000 new titles every year.
Its vision: "Publishing is permanent invention".
Its objective: to promote culture and education, to share the reading experience, to disseminate knowledge and know-how, to develop new learning solutions... Building the future!
Project background
In early 2020, Editis moved its headquarters to brand-new premises at 92 avenue de France in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. These new premises now house staff from the group's fifty or so publishing houses, alongside management and associated services.
This new headquarters, which some say is reminiscent of a GAFA campus, had to offer a high level of IT infrastructure, capable of providing an exemplary connectivity experience for all employees.
Editis wanted to deploy a WiFi network across its entire premises, while guaranteeing optimum quality of service for each and every user. This quality implies a network capable of supporting the load of a very large number of simultaneous users, the intensive uses linked to the "enterprise" context (videoconferencing, cloud software...) but also a "premium" maintenance offer with high guarantees in terms of service availability.
Challenges met
- Designing a network to meet Editis' current and future needs
The technical foundation of the solution (cabling + switching) will enable us to envisage technological evolutions on the network in the years to come, if necessary.
- Sizing the WiFi infrastructure to accommodate the 1,200 employees at headquarters
Very high-density Ruckus R610 access points were deployed in the offices to support a large number of simultaneous users and high throughput requirements. The parking areas were covered by Ruckus R310s.
- Covering the entire surface of 92 avenue de France
Wifirst deployed and wired WiFi access points on all 11 floors of the building to ensure complete wireless coverage of the headquarters (including the parking lots).
- Interconnecting the Wifirst network with the Editis information system
Wifirst's engineering department worked closely with Editis' technical teams to set up all the necessary interconnections between our network and their IS (e.g. for authentication).
- Deployment in record time
After signing the contract in mid-January, Wifirst set up a dedicated task force combining our Engineering, Deployment and Maintenance teams to meet the deadline for Editis employees to move into the new premises.
Concrete results
Wifirst was able to capitalize on feedback from WiFi services in other major corporate headquarters to offer Editis a tailor-made WiFi solution, perfectly meeting the needs expressed and providing the best connectivity conditions for the group's employees:
Switching
The network deployed is based on 10 Gbps switching and Cat6A cabling, enabling high throughput capacities. 19 switches were installed throughout the site: 17 Cisco SG350X-24MP switches served by a stack of two Cisco SG550XG-24F switches ensuring high availability of the service.
Access points
A total of 116 access points ensure wireless connectivity at Editis headquarters. The ground floor and offices are supported by a state-of-the-art infrastructure comprising 103 Ruckus R610 access points, complemented by 13 Ruckus R310 access points on the lower levels.
Security
Wifirst's engineering teams interconnected the Wifi network with the customer's Radius server to enable intuitive and secure authentication for employees using the 802.1X protocol, under the control of Editis' IT teams.
Express deployment
Wifirst drew on its deployment expertise and well-honed project management processes to deliver a solution that met Editis's requirements in a month and a half, in time for employees to move into their new offices.
High availability
In addition to redundant core switches, Editis is guaranteed a 4-hour recovery time in the event of an incident blocking the WiFi network. This is made possible by 24/7 equipment supervision and advanced alert systems. Spare equipment is also available on site to replace equipment in the event of an incident, within a short timeframe.
"The aim was to provide a WiFi infrastructure to match the magnificent new Editis premises, and this challenge was met with flying colors to offer unrivalled connectivity to Editis employees spread over the building's ten floors within the allotted time."
David Berkowicz
Technical Director, Wifirst
