Success Story

Cable management at Zurich Airport

Efficient Documentation and Visualization

Overview through network visualization

Zurich Airport AG, operator of the largest Swiss airport, relies on modern and smart technologies and management systems to meet its own demands for high quality, service and customer orientation. This applies in particular to the IT infrastructure. The VM.7 software solution from AT+C EDV GmbH offers transparent and efficient management of the entire cable network at the airport.

It is considered the Swiss gateway to the world: more than 27 million passengers use Zurich Airport every year, on some days there are over 100,000 passengers. Once again awarded the World Travel Award as Europe's leading airport in 2016, Zurich Airport offers short transfer routes, reliable processes, cleanliness and attractive service and shopping offers. The approximately 1,700 employees of the operating company Zurich Airport AG (FZAG) ensure this together with the 280 partner companies based at the airport.

The infrastructure required for smooth operation and the transmission of the huge amounts of data remains hidden from passengers and visitors - cable landscapes that run underground through the area, switch cabinets and network nodes. Tom Gaffuri, senior project engineer at FZAG, is at home in this world and knows what he is talking about: over 55,000 UKV sockets (universal communication cabling), over 1,300 store racks and around 5,000 cables; the 1,500 fiber optic cables alone make a total length of 410 km.

Managing such a network is a challenge in itself. As the airport continued to grow in recent years, the previous solution with several individual systems reached its capacity limits: Above all, there was no overview of the distributors and connection routes. A lack of plausibility checks led to multiple assignments. The existing SQL database with Access Frontend did not allow for differentiated allocation of rights, for example only for certain areas. A particular problem, however, was the billing of services to partner companies. Our IT department was well-positioned in terms of expertise and personnel from the outset. Whereas we were previously only asked for support in individual cases, since 2003 we have been offering a large portfolio of standardized, managed provider services for other companies based at the airport, reports Markus Poguntke, Head ICT Customer Support Information & Communication Technology at FZAG. However, the billing of these contract services could not be properly mapped; there was an additional database for this, data was often not coordinated and had to be entered twice. This cost time and entailed the risk of errors.

The solution: Visualization of network cabinets, combined with database-based information

That is why they were looking for a complete solution that covered all requirements: A visualization of all cabinets and connections and a representation of the entire lifecycle of the individual components, including relocations. A routing solution, i.e. system-generated suggestions for setting up new connections. Since the services to other companies were billed via SAP, a corresponding interface was also needed.

This requirement proved to be decisive in selecting the system: AT+C EDV GmbH not only offered the best overall package, but with its connection management solution VM.7, it was one of the few providers to also offer a bidirectional interface to the SAP system. The AT+C connection manager VM.7 is an information and planning software for networks and cable management. All associated IT components and circuits are documented. The aim is to combine the geographical order of a building plan with the logical order of a database, as Katja Herr, project manager at AT+C, explains.

The effort for data collection and processing is worthwhile

It was initially a lot of work for the IT department at FZAG to create the necessary conditions. Visualization was very important to us. But in order to be able to use this function at all, we first had to photograph all the distribution locations individually, recalls Markus Poguntke. Over 1,000 photos were created in this way in order to collect the necessary information and enter it into the new software. Cleaning up the data, some of which had been created years ago, also required time and care. Test migrations were used: some data was migrated to the new database on a trial basis, then checked and cleaned up or enriched. This procedure was then applied to all data.

However, the effort was worth it in every respect: all of the UKV documentation and the data center infrastructure are now shown in the VM.7 connection manager. The data quality has improved considerably. The IT employees appreciate the visualization and now also have an overview of the capacities. Markus Poguntke gives an example: Previously, only the occupied connections were recorded, now we can see at a glance which possible connections are still free and can be used in the future. The routing module makes work easier and shortens the time it takes to establish a connection. The connection to SAP works smoothly, and the entire billing workflow for the IT department's provider services could be digitized.

Applications in the electrical and air conditioning sectors will follow

Poguntke describes the collaboration with AT+C GmbH as uncomplicated, pragmatic and customer-oriented. After the introduction went so well, further projects followed at FZAG: As an additional feature, the so-called network topology was initially adopted, which helps with capacity planning. It shows which locations can be connected and how, a logical connection between geographies, similar to a road network. Such an overview previously had to be created by technical draftsmen as CAD, but with VM.7 this map is now generated automatically.

But other departments within FZAG were also interested in the solution: In a current project, VM.7 is being introduced as an asset database for the electrical, air conditioning, ventilation and transport sectors. This means that all assets can be documented and managed, from pumps to escalators to control cabinets - the better overview makes work easier for users.

Author: Nicola Hautmann
Image source: Zurich Airport AG