The ADN Group relies on IGEL for home office and hybrid work

It almost seems as if the ADN Group, headquartered in Bochum, had anticipated the development towards remote work and home office. Even prior to the Corona pandemic, the value-added distributor from the Ruhr region decided to enable working at home in certain areas – and did so by relying on IGEL, Citrix and Microsoft. That‘s why the company had a sufficient amount of hardware available when the crisis hit. „In just a few days, we were able to ship the equipment within Germany and to the employees at our external locations,“ recalls Michael Bölk, Head of Professional Services at ADN. The Group employs more than 250 people. Those of them who did not already have home office hardware were given IGEL devices or UD Pockets for laptops and other BYOD. Both options included the latest IGEL management software in the Citrix infrastructure.

„If there were any difficulties, the support at ADN could easily access the clients from outside via the Universal Management Suite (UMS) and fix everything,“ explains Michael Bölk. The experiences that the ADN Group has had with IGEL as a home office solution inspire his positive mindset. „There were many test sessions, the updates of the remote clients worked well and the Secure-OS harmonised flawlessly with the devices.“ Another advantage of IGEL was the option to work via terminal services that can be managed well and thus ensure a higher level of data security including encryption. „This is very easy to do with IGEL,“ praises Michael Bölk. The set-up, configuration and roll-out of the devices were uncomplicated and quick because IGEL OS was already pre-installed as the operating system, he reports with satisfaction.

Noticeable increase in demand for IGEL

Interest in IGEL hardware and software was not only high among ADN Group employees; partners also increasingly requested the all-rounders for their customers in the course of the crisis. „We have seen a noticeable increase in demand,“ says Michael Broos, Business Development Manager for Virtual Infrastructure at ADN. In a short period of time, ADN shipped thousands of devices to customers. In addition to the normal daily business, this was very easy to implement due to the uncomplicated handling.

IGEL-Ready hardware provides more freedom of choice

ADN is also well prepared for the post-IGEL hardware era and can offer partners even more possibilities to provide their customers with customised solutions regarding IGELready hardware. „We have already sold over ten thousand of our certified HP and LG clients with pre-installed IGEL OS and can use our know-how to create significant added value for interested parties,“ says Michael Broos with conviction. LG and HP, who have entered into a strategic partnership with IGEL, have been in ADN‘s portfolio for years – so partners have full freedom of choice. On top of that, customers can obtain high-quality, additional equipment such as headsets and VDI solutions with Citrix, Microsoft and Parallels directly from ADN, which thus
becomes an all-round carefree provider.

„Our partners can always turn to us with questions and problems. We are and remain their first point of contact,“ emphasises Michael Broos. Especially in home office matters, partners can rely on ADN‘s wealth of experience with IGEL, HP, LG and other manufacturers. Another advantage is that the hardware can be rolled out quickly with the central management and operating system – the corresponding security concept is inherent.

Become a certified IGEL partner in the authorised training centre at ADN

The ADN Group is a full professional in the field of IGEL. This is also supported by the fact that the Group operates the only authorised IGEL training centre in Europe, where trainers with practical experience conduct training courses and workshops at the highest level in close cooperation with IGEL. „We want to look further ahead in this area, offer more webinars and premium certifications, and intensify the cooperation with IGEL,“ Michael Broos looks to the near future.

Martin Kubitza, Senior Consultant at ADN‘s Professional Services, emphasises the advantages for the course participants: „They learn and consolidate the technical and sales know-how around IGEL with highly qualified trainers at their side. Our training courses and workshops
are at the top level throughout Europe.“ Another advantage is that the ADN trainers remain contact persons for their protégés and are happy to support them directly in upcoming projects.