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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Challenge
The world of advertising is changing. Compared to the poster and press admen 
of yesteryear, today’s creative directors and executives are immersed in high 
technology working day-in, day-out, using digital media to create entire online 
worlds for their clients. At BBDO Germany, a group of eight advertising agencies 
within the global Omnicom Group, this shift had created infrastructure demands 
traditionally met with massive injections of server and storage capacity.
Dusseldorf-based BBDO Services, the internal service provider charged with 
delivering IT infrastructure across the eight businesses, had relied on a mixed 
technology data center. That heterogeneous setup, with large NetApp storage 
arrays, multiple physical server suppliers, and Citrix and VMware virtualization 
software, was beginning to pose challenges. 
Specifically, using servers from different suppliers was inefficient. It made data center 
administration arduous and time consuming for BBDO Services technicians, who each 
tended to specialize in a particular vendor technology. All lines of business would 
benefit from a single, standard platform, making it easier to introduce global processes 
and offering a solid foundation for growth. 
“The idea was to get one solution that would benefit all by lowering costs and 
increasing the amount of work we could do with the same amount of people,” says 
Martin Bandze, IT director at BBDO Services. “Moreover, the CTO of BBDO Worldwide 
wanted a follow-the-sun workflow solution with data centers across the globe all 
using the same systems and key performance indicators.” A final requirement was 
the capability of offering an unsecured network area, or demilitarized zone (DMZ), for 
safely managing client applications.
Solution
BBDO had already gained some exposure to Cisco® technologies through two earlier 
projects. First, Cisco had provided a Wi-Fi network to support the deployment of 750 
mobile devices across the business. Next, BBDO had used Cisco Adaptive Security 
Appliance technology to improve the perimeter security of its network.
Customer Case Study
FlexPod transforms data center efficiency and scalability for BBDO Germany
Customer Name: 
BBDO Services GmbH
Industry: 
Advertising
Location: 
Germany
Number of Employees: 
4200
Challenge
• Reduce IT department workload through 
infrastructure standardization
• Help enable follow-the-sun working 
within parent company
• Improve data-handling speed 
and capacity
Solution
• FlexPod architecture based on Cisco 
Unified Computing System with Intel® 
Xeon® processor 5600 series and 
NetApp FAS 3270 storage system
Results
• Simplified management and provisioning
• Ability to handle annual 15 percent data 
growth without increasing headcount
• Standardized architecture to improve 
global collaboration
© 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. 
 
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