Colgate-Palmolive adopts SD-WAN to help enable business agility and change

Ensures delivery of applications and services with optimal performance and security
Helps with compliance by enabling the multinational to meet industry standards and regulations, while protecting data
Centralized network management and orchestration helps streamline its operations

Deploying Internet connectivity quickly, reliably and securely

Colgate-Palmolive, a global consumer products company tightly focused on four attractive core categories: oral care, pet nutrition, personal care and home care, was looking to transform its global networking capabilities to support its digital transformation roadmap.

It wanted a cost-effective, scalable, flexible and secure connectivity solution that would enable it to adhere to strict compliance and regulatory guidelines. A solution was needed to fully support its global digital ambitions.

A secure foundation for digital transformation

Operational simplicity and improved security

Enhanced performance and user experience

Increased bandwidth, agility and better managed costs

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SD-WAN enhances business agility and efficiency

One way that Colgate-Palmolive drives innovative growth and reimagines a healthier future for all is through digitization. Its digital strategy embraces data-driven ways of working, and reliable, secure connectivity is a prerequisite of this.

Colgate-Palmolive had previously depended on MPLS. It wanted a network that would support its digital ambitions while improving global network consistency, enhancing application and user performance and cost-effectiveness. All while meeting its security and compliance demands.

The multinational is leveraging its capabilities to drive growth in areas like innovation, digital e-commerce and advanced analytics. The network is critical in supporting its 34,000 employees across more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

SD-WAN: key to successful digital transformation

Colgate-Palmolive partnered with Orange Business to implement a network strategy that fit with its digital transformation roadmap.

An assessment determined the best solution for Colgate-Palmolive was a co-managed SD-WAN solution, which would improve network performance and diversity while providing unparalleled agility and cost savings. A software-defined networking approach simplifies the management and operations of the multinational’s global infrastructure. By decoupling hardware from orchestration, cost, reliability and security are all improved.

SD-WAN fit with Colgate-Palmolive’s transformation plans, providing a flexible network infrastructure that supports its digital change and innovation goals. It also provides the multinational with centralized control and visibility, allowing it to better manage a global network.

The co-managed SD-WAN solution supports both the network's overlay and underlay components. This simplifies management, reduces complexity and improves communication and accountability associated with the multinational’s global network.

SD-WAN: a key ingredient to digitally transform

In the context of globalization, Colgate-Palmolive faces increasingly complex network demands as the digital economy expands. It must ensure that all of its offices, branches and plants worldwide have reliable, secure, flexible network connections. SD-WAN fulfills the multinational’s requirement for a centrally managed and controlled network, enabling easy monitoring and configuration regardless of where the office or manufacturing plant is located.

Testing is embedded in all Colgate-Palmolive’s IT methodology. Orange Business ran a proof of concept (PoC) for all sections of the SD-WAN fabric to ensure it fulfilled demands.

The co-managed SD-WAN infrastructure connects all the multinational’s global operations. However, it has retained the MPLS connections in regions where the Internet is not as reliable or there are specific compliance issues.

With some sites requiring more bandwidth than others at any given time, the SD-WAN can intelligently balance traffic through bandwidth management to ensure that users get the performance they need.

Delivering a secure, flexible network for transformation

The SD-WAN solution provided by Orange Business provides flexibility, high-quality connections, bandwidth optimization and advanced monitoring to support Colgate-Palmolive’s digital transformation roadmap.

At the same time, this software-defined approach substantially reduces the total cost of ownership by accelerating the ease with which new sites, applications and network/compliance policies can be set up.

The result is a global, tailored SD-WAN network that fulfills the multinational’s strict compliance practices while providing stable, efficient and secure network connections to support global collaboration and retain a competitive edge. At the same time, it has been designed to evolve with the multinational’s needs, ensuring the network is well-prepared for a future of seamless growth and adaptability.

Simplified and transformative capabilities

Ruben Panizza, VP, Global Infrastructure and Operations, Colgate-Palmolive

For Colgate-Palmolive, IT performance and reliability are a top priority – I am confident that Orange Business can continue contributing and delivering to our IT strategy.

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