Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, faced a massive challenge: modernizing its vast global IT infrastructure while ensuring unwavering security and efficiency for its critical production lines. Their existing setup of traditional VMware virtualization was holding them back. It was time for a change.

The Production Puzzle: Complexity, Cost, and Compliance

Imagine managing hundreds of manufacturing lines worldwide, each needing its own isolated, secure IT environment. Foxconn is faced with multiple puzzles to solve:

• Sky-high Costs: Traditional VMware virtualization alone drove up expenses due to its licensing and hardware requirements.
• O&M Nightmares: Managing such complex, fragmented systems was a constant headache for their IT teams.
• Security Hurdles: Ensuring strict isolation for production systems like MES and SAP was paramount but increasingly difficult.
• Stifled Innovation: Traditional infrastructure wasn’t agile enough to support modern needs like container apps development.
• Risk of Downtime: Critical systems lacked robust, cross-data center protection, leaving them vulnerable.

The Arcfra Solution: Edge Power, Simplified

Foxconn found its answer in Arcfra Enterprise Cloud Platform (AECP). A rigorous proof-of-concept test proved AECP’s power: a mere 3-node AECP cluster demonstrated high performance in both speed and responsiveness.

This impressive result led Foxconn to deploy AECP across its branch factories in Mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and North America. The solution brought a new level of sophistication to their edge operations:

• Consolidated Edge IT: AECP clusters now power both their DMZ environments and critical production systems like MES and ERP directly, as well as DevTest and VDI.
• Unified VM & Container Environment: With Arcfra Kubernetes Engine (AKE), they can manage both virtual machines and containers (including container workloads for agile DevTest & Shop Floor Control) from a single platform.
• Ironclad Security: Arcfra Network Service (ANS) provides microsegmentation, creating a powerful layer of security for their sensitive DMZ environments.
• Unbreakable Resilience: Active-Active stretched clusters ensure “zero RPO and RTO in minutes” for critical systems like MES and Oracle databases, virtually eliminating downtime risk.
• Centralized Control: Arcfra Operation Center (AOC) gives them a single pane of glass to manage all AECP clusters globally, drastically improving O&M efficiency.

The Payoff: Efficiency, Security, and Future-Readiness

The results for Foxconn are clear:

• Massive Cost Savings: Reduced infrastructure needs mean lower capital expenditure.
• Streamlined Operations: Centralized management has simplified IT processes across continents.
• Enhanced Security: Multi-layered protection secures their vital production data.
• Unrivaled Uptime: Critical systems now boast near-instant recovery capabilities.
• Modernized IT: They’ve replaced aging virtualization with a scalable, future-proof platform.
• Accelerated Innovation: Agile development is now possible with unified VM/container management and GPU support.

What’s Next for Foxconn?

Foxconn continues to leverage AECP to optimize its global manufacturing. This robust foundation paves the way for deeper integration of AI/ML, advanced edge computing, and real-time insights, ensuring Foxconn remains at the forefront of the electronics manufacturing industry.

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