Optimizing Cianbro’s Networking Infrastructure

Founded in 1949 by the Cianchette Brothers, Cianbro is one of the United States’ largest, most diverse, 100% employee-owned construction services companies. Operating in more than 40 states and employing over 4,000 team members, Cianbro manages and performs civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, telecommunications, thermal, fabrication, and coating projects.

Overview

Cianbro’s networking infrastructure was aging and in need of optimization. This included both wired switches and wireless access points, all of which were standardized on Cisco for nearly 30 years. The construction industry typically follows the status quo when purchasing technology. They had been using this standard for networking for a long time, but Cianbro had the foresight to see the innovation and advancements being made with Dell EMC Networking. Dell’s partnership with Ruckus allowed for a streamlined conversation encompassing all of Cianbro’s needs.

Historically, Cianbro would purchase switches in small quantities as needed, rarely replacing older switches. This led to many being out of support, yet still in production. Cianbro also needed to replace and update their aging Meraki WAPs, while adding outdoor access points for many of their job sites.

Cost was the primary issue when Cianbro thought about doing a large refresh. After being educated by Winslow Technology Group’s (WTG) technical team on the various networking options available, Cianbro was very excited to talk about Dell’s networking solution set.olution and Outcome

Winslow Technology Group and Dell Technologies collaborated on a joint, all-encompassing networking solution for Cianbro. Dell EMC and Ruckus were first able to provide Cianbro with networking gear to test and see all of its capabilities. This led to an install that included over 100 Dell Switches and over 200 Dell branded Ruckus Access Points.

WTG’s strong engineering expertise allows for long term relationships and sustained value. The partnership between WTG and Cianbro goes back for almost a decade with solutions like Dell EMC SC Series storage, VxRail, VxBlock, and more. Cianbro realized the exact outcome they were looking for: a massive return on investment.