References
Efficient endpoint management at KRITIS company
Adelholzener Alpenquellen GmbH
References
Adelholzener Alpenquellen GmbH, based in Bad Adelholzen in Upper Bavaria, is one of Germany‘s leading mineral springs water companies. The company bottles around 700 million bottles of mineral water and soft drinks every year under the „Adelholzener“ and „Active O2“ brands.
As a food producer, Adelholzener is subject to Germany´s Critical Infrastructure Ordinance (KRITIS), and must meet strict requirements for the security and stability of their IT systems, including:
- More rigorous IT security (cybersecurity) measures
- Implementation of the IT Security Act and the BSI-KritisV
- High availability and reliability
- Access control and identity management
- Supply chain security
- Employee security training and awareness
- Documentation and verification
To meet these requirements, Adelholzener employs a twelve-person IT team under the leadership of IT Manager Dr. Thorsten Caus. Half of the team is responsible for business applications, while three employees are dedicated solely to infrastructure and security.
Together, they manage around 700 Windows clients, 140 servers and 300 mobile devices at the beverage producer‘s headquarters - mainly HP clients in the form of laptops and desktop PCs, but also industrial tablets. The company‘s IT operates in a Microsoft environment with Windows servers, Windows 11 clients, Office 365 and Microsoft Dynamics Business Central as an ERP solution.
Discontinuation requires reorientation
For a long time, Adelholzener relied on DSM from Ivanti for its IT management. But when the product was discontinued, the company was forced to rethink its strategy and look for a new solution. IT expert Bernhard Bucher at Adelholzener explains: „In addition to the discontinuation, there were numerous reasons to reconsider the use of Ivanti DSM at Adelholzener. We were not only using Ivanti‘s software distribution, but also the ticket system. With both products, we were missing consulting from the partner at eye level. In addition, the Ivanti licenses for patch management had to be extended. In general, Ivanti‘s product was not a perfect fit for us.
We took these circumstances as an impetus to consider a product change. We therefore thought about what we absolutely needed and drew up a detailed catalog of requirements. This included the core topics of inventory, software deployment - both operating system installation and packaging - but also the mapping of a comprehensive CMDB and an ITILv4-compliant ticket system. With these expectations in mind, we approached Ivanti to develop a concept and estimate the costs. At the same time, we looked for alternatives on the market.“
The right product for all requirements
„Our Munich colleagues at the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, Adelholzener’s parent organization, then drew our attention to baramundi, which was a great fit for all of our requirements.“
„We initially started the implementation process with the baramundi inventory solution and ticketing system, replacing an outdated self-programmed solution for inventory. We gradually expanded the baramundi footprint at Adelholzener to cover OS installation and patch management, replacing Ivanti DSM in migration phases.“
First test passed
„Our first real test of the baramundi solution came during the KRITIS audit, where the CMDB, ticketing system, and inventory were examined in detail. The audit was completed successfully, without a single issue related to the IT team’s processes or their implementation with baramundi. At the same time, we placed a strong emphasis on improving efficiency. In particular, the time savings and centralized management of hardware and software have significantly boosted our department’s performance.“
Conclusion
„To summarize the switch to baramundi — it simply works. We are consistently impressed by the expertise of the baramundi team.Whenever we make a request, they take ownership and usually find a solution, even for complex challenges. Compared to past partners, our partnership with baramundi is on an entirely new level. We feel we are in highly capable hands, working with a team that is professional and meets us where we’re at. Importantly, working with baramundi is enjoyable.“
