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 Reliable, Flexible Network Keeps Users Chirping |
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By Mona R. Litt
When you bite into a juicy chicken sandwich, you're more likely to think of how the restaurant perfects the recipe rather than what it takes to maintain the network on which the company depends. Chick-fil-A of Atlanta will never disclose its secret recipe for its famous chicken, but doesn't hesitate to sing the praises of its flexible network. "With a reliable and redundant network, we can integrate new systems to coexist peacefully with existing systems and prevent problems rather than having to react to them," reports Tony Walker, Chick-fil-A's senior network analyst. The network constantly changes and grows, according to the demands from company executives to individual chain operators, and Walker makes sure his team provides the company with what
it takes to get their jobs done.
Chick-fil-A's switched TCP/IP network, complete with an ATM and Fast Ethernet backbone, may not seem that unique on the surface, but the way that the company utilizes its adaptability and reliability sets its functionality apart from other systems. "This network contains built-in redundant systems with a Caterpillar generator for backup with our UPS," Walker explains. "This lessens the chances that our network becomes inoperable for long periods of time. Our system is engineered for 24x7 operations. We cannot afford any interruptions." A mobile crash cart, which plugs into just about any rack-mounted server at any location, also contributes to the lack of operational disruptions, according to Walker. With the cart, problems are solved quickly no matter where they occur. To keep things cool on the back end, Unix, Novell NetWare and Microsoft Windows NT server management takes place in a climate-controlled console room. All Chick-fil-A restaurants, dubbed units , transmit time-sensitive data and dial into the company intranet via XcelleNet's RemoteWare. Operators order supplies online and acquire staff listings and sales reports with a few keystrokes, Walker says. Executives update hiring guidelines, skill tests, menu changes and ingredients on the intranet for exclusive employee use. Firewalls, keypad entry into the data center and the installation of Symantec Corp.'s Norton Anti-Virus on every Pentium PC guard the much-cherished secret recipe and other critical data, Walker explains. All employees extract data from reports gathered by the custom information warehouse software, using financial database application software from Oracle Corp. The new year holds a lot of growth for the Chick-fil-A network. Walker plans to link remote locations to a self-service online Oracle payroll system by the first quarter. "Each Chick-fil-A operator will dial into the ISP and link to headquarters which connects to the Internet via frame relay," Walker says. "This will cut the time each operator spends on payroll to one hour per two weeks." The security measures taken with the company intranet also will protect the payroll system. For more information on Chick-fil-A's products, museum and history, visit its Web site at www.chick-fil-a.com. |
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