Seizing the Possibilities: Boosting Our Business’ Resiliency with Cisco Security Solutions

To most, outdated IT infrastructure is a curse. It can inhibit your day-to-day operations and slow down your response to unforeseen challenges. But look on the bright side: It’s also a chance to update your systems and build your dream IT environment.

At first glance, some people might have only seen the shortcomings of the Foxtrot Group’s outdated IT infrastructure. But when I joined the group as its CIO, I focused on what it could become data center ccie. 

The Foxtrot Group is a leading Ukrainian retail network focusing on consumer electronics, household appliances, and retail distribution. We are the market leader of consumer electronics retailers in Ukraine. With 162 stores in all over Ukraine, we employ about 4,600 people.

As CIO, my role is global in nature, as I also take on the responsibilities of a CTO and CEO of IT company. I joined Foxtrot almost two years ago, when Foxtrot was on the cusp of digital transformation; it was the beginning of Foxtrot’s IT infrastructure modernization journey.

There were a lot of issues when I took this position. There was 15-year-old Wi-Fi, server, and network infrastructure. There were no cloud solutions (we stored everything internally), and no intentions to go to market with IT services. It was a challenging position, but that meant it had so much potential. I saw the possibilities if only Foxtrot invested in the right solutions and systems that would modernize its outdated infrastructure.

And for the past two years, everything I’ve done to our systems has been in an effort to upgrade this infrastructure with an understanding of how it will impact Foxtrot’s business KPIs. To do that, we needed to overhaul our infrastructure, move our operations to the cloud, and, in particular, strengthen our security solutions, since security was one of the weakest points within our IT systems.