Otto Austria Group

Together with NTS toward a future-proof IT infrastructure for online trading

For quite some time, Otto Austria Group and NTS have been walking a common path. NTS was chosen as a partner for the corporate network back in 2010. In the meantime, the collaboration was extended to the areas of firewall and data center. Otto Austria Group counts on a strong and future-proof IT infrastructure, and it identified, at an early stage, the trend toward online trading.

Otto Austria Group is part of a larger corporate structure of the Baur Group that is in turn owned by the Hamburg-based Otto Group. The Otto Group comprises of more than 30 essential corporate groups, and they are all united by one spirit: responsible trade, that boasts quality and innovation. With its strong presence in the DACH region, the Otto Austria Group comprises of the brands OTTO, Ackermann, Universal, Jelmoli, Quelle and Lascana. The group consists of approximately 400 employees, 96 million visits annually, 3.6 million customers and a share of 92% of online sales, that are managed from the locations Salzburg and Graz in Austria.

HoMe Office? Absolutely no problem!

The pace of digitalization has also not stopped with the supply of tangible catalogues. Otto Austria Group successfully managed the transfer to an online player by means of a visionary and future-oriented focus and is now amongst the top 3 online shops in Austria. During this journey, Otto Austria Group counted on reliable partners for technical support.

“Thanks to NTS, the operation at Otto Austria Group runs smoothly”, explains Marko Puncer, Product Lead IT infrastructure at Otto Austria Group. “NTS is in charge of our core systems. In the process, we started with the network, and we finally ended at the firewall and the data center”, mentions a content Puncer. “For example, thanks to a firewall by Palo Alto Networks, the possibilities of our employees in home office were substantially facilitated. At home, everybody is able to use the available work resources in an uncomplicated and secure way.”

Smooth operation without a maintenance window

Next to efficiently providing home office resources, Otto Austria Group benefits furthermore from a significant reduction of administration efforts in the area of server infrastructure. Important updates do not require a separate, costly maintenance window, but can be installed during the day. “It is essential for an online mail-order business that the telephone system, including the call-center, runs in a stable manner. Our daily business needs to operate uninterrupted. Maintenance windows have to be kept as short as possible, so that all users can use all systems unhindered and that they are not affected by planned updates and changes”, substantiates Marko Puncer. “We achieved this jointly with NTS at the server migration.”

Matthias Wehowar, Strategic Lead IT/FM and Process Management, adds: “It is good that NTS works with several providers and that they are open to many different ways. For us it is a decisive fact that the support that helps us to troubleshoot is done in German.”

RELAX, WE CARE is NTS

“Relax, We Care” has been important at NTS forever. This philosophy can be mainly found in IT services and within the people behind it. Matthias Wehowar comments on the Relax motto at NTS: “At NTS, service is paramount. It is observed what the customer requires. No matter if we talk about swift answering or pro-active reporting – NTS is always on the spot, in an unbureaucratic and reliable way. During each action, the service concept has priority.” This is valid for any time during the day or night. “In our business, 24/7 availability is extremely important. For us, it is essential that NTS can be reached after 7PM,” adds Puncer, who has been satisfied with the service received from NTS, from day one.