32 COMMUNICATIONS
TOMMY HILFIGER DEPLOYS VIRTUAL FITTING ROOMS
practices differently. On average, some of its staff spent up to 15 days a month travelling between its offi ces in Amsterdam, New York and Hong Kong – sometimes just to review one new design. Not only did such long distance travel often remove very senior workers from the offi ce, there were also signifi cant environmental and fi nancial implications, as well as potential losses incurred as more time spent travelling meant products took longer to get to market. So Hilfi ger investigated viable alternatives, with video collaboration as their fi rst port of call. Tommy Hilfi ger worked closely with Cisco
I
TelePresence Technology Group (TTG) and BT to install the industry’s fi rst ever ‘virtual fi tting rooms’ at Hilfi ger’s offi ces in
nternationally known as a ‘trendsetter,’ the designer apparel Tommy Hilfi ger Group was keen to continue to look at their
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York. The Cisco TelePresence system is designed to provide a high-quality, lifelike video collaboration solution that connects people face-to-face in the same room, regardless of their location. Its deployment included add-ons such as mobile cameras and recording facilities, allowing the smallest details to be reviewed without requiring staff in different locations to travel. The telepresence technology means judgements can now be made quicker and garments fi nalised sooner, crucially, hitting the shop fl oor while still on-trend. Fred Gehring, Tommy Hilfi ger Group
chief executive, said: “The creative, innovative solution which the BT-Cisco team offered made the decision easy. It will bring us an immersive virtual meeting experience and save both time and money. Teams will be able to interact and collaborate as if
DEBENHAMS SECURES REMOTE ACCESS
High Street retailer, Debenhams is using an intuitive identity and access management (IAM) system from Nexus Portwise to grant secure remote access for employees and partners.
The IAM system means over 600 users, consisting of employees, partners and
suppliers have instant access to a Citrix published desktop of key applications to ensure increased productivity and 24-hour access. Debenhams can rest assured that this access is secure and all users are authentic. The system removes the need for costly fi xed virtual private networks (VPNs) at
suppliers or remote offi ces. The bespoke solution incorporates remote access and two-factor authentication for when sensitive information is being accessed. A variety of Nexus solutions to suit access levels are in use, including SMS authentication and one- time passwords to enable access to the corporate systems via VPN. The intuitive solution from Nexus means that the access and authentication methods
are straightforward and quick to allow for Debenhams’ external suppliers and partners to gain secure access with no complexity issues. Aqil Nasser, Debenhams technical architecture controller, said use of the system
has grown by over 400% since it fi rst started using it in 2005. “And we are still able to manage the growing estate with the same workforce still enjoying the simplifi ed service management,” he said. Nasser told Retail Technology he anticipated more growth of users in future. The might
include “ideally a remote access method for London staff during the Olympics and a access method for staff in the event of a disaster recovery scenario,” he concluded.
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY JULY/AUGUST 2011
they were in the same room, making us much more agile and competitive. We look forward to better and more regular communication between our entities across the globe. “Like other leading companies in the retail sector, Tommy Hilfi ger has recognised that high-quality telepresence can make their processes faster and more effective, delivering a distinct competitive advantage. All that remains to be seen is how quickly other retailers cotton on to the many potential benefi ts cutting-edge video communication technology brings to the retail sector.”
Scottish Midland Co-operative Society has chosen a single wireless local area network (WLAN) system from Aerohive to enable operational improvements throughout its business, from voice picking in the warehouse, to lower cost voice-over internet protocol (VoIP) phones at head offi ce, and wireless connectivity to support future needs in its 260-plus stores.
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