CloudFirst Helps Keep Railcar Manufacturer’s Network on Track

COMPANY OVERVIEW

CRRC MA is the North American division of the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation Limited (CRRC), a leading manufacturer of locomotives, high speed trains, mass transit/light rail vehicles and passenger coaches. With roots in the industry dating back to 1881, CRRC MA has emerged as a global leader in railcar and component design and manufacturing in the US and beyond.

THE CHALLENGE

Having won several contracts to build modernized subway cars for the cities of Boston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, in 2016 CRRC MA invested $95 million to construct a 200,000 square foot railcar manufacturing assembly operation in Springfield, Massachusetts. This cutting-edge facility – complete with a 2,240-foot dynamic test track and a brand new IT infrastructure – would be built from the ground up and come on line in fall 2018. They needed to be nimble yet cost-conscious, and placed great emphasis on expert IT support and security. Shane Chance, Technical Services Manager, needed to get a secure IT infrastructure up and running for the facility as quickly as possible, but was leery about hiring and managing multiple vendors to set up firewalls and install security equipment.

THE SOLUTION

Shane had contracted with CloudFirst at his previous position and was pleased with the experience. It was their value as a complete technology advisor with a full understanding of today’s security threats and network architecture that would allow CRRC MA to complete this project quickly while streamlining vendors and communications. Shane awarded the IT security, remote VPN access and network monitoring services to CloudFirst.

THE RESULTS

The transition to CloudFirst’s hosted firewall solution was seamless. The Springfield plant now enjoys Cyber Security and Networking through secure remote communications while the IT staff is relieved of the responsibilities of things like network maintenance and cyber threat detection. CRRC MA has just one partner to call in the event of an IT issue – even for networking equipment that CloudFirst does not provide, such as Cisco routers and servers, for example. Shane considers CloudFirst. to be a long-term strategic partner who provides best of breed technology and helps CRRC MA maintain their competitive advantage.