Cloud services in logistics
Location-independent, fast, but also secure?
The first digital issue of LIS4U covers the topic of cloud computing. The trend towards location-independent 24/7 access to servers, storage space, applications and more via the Internet is on the rise. But does it work as smoothly as it sounds? What about data security? And what does LIS have to do with it?
Enjoy scrolling!
Table of Contents
Editorial
Dear customers, partners and friends of LIS,
if there is one positive thing to take away from the past year and a half of contact restrictions, it is that we have all had to further develop our digital skills – both in a professional and private context. Companies had no choice but to develop new technical solutions and to digitizework processes. And therefore, we also see the Corona crisis as a nudge in the direction of digitalization, which has certainly served the logistics industry well.
At LIS, we too have been working from home offices for long periods of time, holding meetings via video call, and decided to move away from printing LIS4U on paper. We decided to upload it instead, creating a higher interactivity – and quite honestly: Would a first digital edition really be worthy of its name if it didn’t include audio and video footage of the preface?
But above all, with LIS Cloud Services we have added new services to our portfolio that make the step into the “new normal” much easier for logistics companies. From now on, our customers can not only rent the WinSped software in a very flexible way, but thanks to our new computing center they can also have the entire application hosted on our servers.
This means that all data is stored well and securely with us and can be accessed from anywhere at any time. All of that thanks to the famous cloud!
If you keep scrolling down, you will find an overview of the multimedia articles we have compiled for you in this issue on the subject of cloud computing.
We hope you enjoy clicking through! And of course: Stay healthy!
Cloud Services
Castles in the air or down-to-earth IT – what do cloud-based services promise?
In the world of IT technologies, new developments arise from every corner – and shoot towards the sky, if you will. Example: Cloud Computing. Now that Dropbox, Google Drive and the likes have found their way into private use, more and more companies are also making use of cloud services. However, what services are there actually in this area and – are they safe?
What is cloud computing?
“The cloud is the computer” – In cloud computing, for example, software and data are made available over the Internet from the so-called cloud, hence replacing the local computer. The servers on which the data is stored and administered are located in computing centers all over the world. Sometimes, these servers are enormously big. Users can access the cloud from any location. The physical computer in the office or at home is then only used for hardware and software control.
What are the advantages?
Cloud services have many benefits, for example:
- larger storage capacity
- immediately operational
- location-independent access (mobile working)
- device-independent access
- better connectivity of devices
- easy teamwork
… and disadvantages?
Unfortunately, clouds also have a few vulnerabilities:
- Dependence on the Internet
- Access by third parties
- Data loss
What cloud services are available?
Depending on the level in the IT architecture at which a cloud service is located, a distinction is made between Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).
IaaS: In this model, the provider offers basic IT resources such as computing power, storage or network capacity. The user has control over operating systems and applications, he usually has to assemble the infrastructure himself from the computing instances and storage required.
PaaS: Here, a programming platform and developer tools are offered by the provider so that users can create and run cloud-based applications themselves. The required resources such as computing power, storage, network, middleware and databases are also included in this package.
SaaS: In this model, the provider offers its applications, which run on its own servers, to users via the cloud. This is why it is also referred to as Software on Demand. Users have only limited influence on the interface of the software.
And how can companies benefit from this?
Software as a Service (SaaS) in particular is becoming more and more important, as many companies now refrain from maintaining their own IT departments due to the growing shortage of skilled workers. Moreover, there are decisive advantages to having software hosted by a provider or even by their developers:
- no costs for own IT staff, hardware and premises
- growing IT infrastructure
- more stable processes
- automatic updates
- Infrastructure maintenance
- User support
- secure interfaces to partners
SaaS in logistics
In addition to general tools for travel expense reports, emailing, or customer relationship management (CRM), software from the cloud can be especially useful in areas where specialized functions are subject to frequent change. These include, for example, programs for:
- Shipment tracking
- Order processing
- Disposition of system logistics
- Freight inspection
Renting software instead of buying it
In addition, rental models for SaaS are very popular – in line with the principle of “only pay for what you need”. Customers then usually pay a variable monthly fee for the use of the software, based on the number of users or licenses, for example. Another payment method is the pay-per-use principle. In this case, billing is based on actual consumption. In the case of a customs clearance software, for example, the exporting company would pay per export declaration created.
Expert interview
Data security expert Andrea Pfundmeier on how to protect data
At the age of 23, Andrea Pfundmeier was involved in founding the start-up Secomba GmbH. That was 2011. At that time, storing data encrypted in the cloud was impossible. The young woman, who had just graduated with a degree in law and economics, saw this as an enormous security gap and set out with her business partner to fill this void: They developed the encryption service Boxcryptor and received several awards, including the German Business Founders Award and the Forbes 30 Under 30 Award.
Now, ten years later, Andrea Pfundmeier is firmly anchored in the business. She is married and has two daughters. Encryption of data is no longer considered an innovation and data protection is on everyone’s lips. We asked the expert about the topic.
Content of the interview
- 00:06 – Why was the company Boxcryptor founded?
- 01:15 – Against what risks can companies protect themselves when handling data?
- 02:58 – What security measures should a computing center be able to demonstrate?
- 04:53 – Information exchange, IT interfaces, real-time access – What are the neuralgic points for forwarders?
- 06:24 – How secure is a cloud?
- 08:40 – Are there differences in data security between small and medium-sized enterprises and corporations within the logistics industry?
- 10:00 – What are the minimum data security requirements that small and medium-sized enterprises should meet?
- 11:40 – Who is liable in case of data loss – cloud operator or data provider?
- 12:45 – In your opinion, is there sufficient awareness of the issue of data security?
- 13:24 – Are you afraid of someone accessing your data without authorization and have you ever had a data security leak?
Lissy’s column: Offering Data, Looking for Security
The paradoxy of cloud computing
It may not be obvious to everyone at first glance, but the world of logistics is a colorful one. In Lissy’s column, we dedicate ourselves to the often neglected sides of the industry. There is always room at this point for a topic that has recently given rise to joy, sadness or anger. Or in this case, fear.
7.5 terabyte main memory for WinSped® customers
We present our new computing center
Already 100 companies use the online application of our Transport Management System (TMS) WinSped. It is hosted on the servers of our own computing center, which is certified according to DIN standard EN 50600 and which we put into operation at our headquarters in Greven at the beginning of 2021. In this way we can guarantee that the technology and safety standards are always up to date.
“The months in the home office in particular have shown how relevant modern IT structures are. With the access to WinSped via a simple internet connection we help logistics companies to act flexibly and independently”, says our board member Rolf Hansmann and adds: “This makes them more resilient to external impacts like a pandemic.” In addition, they benefit from automatic backup and update services, and there are no costs for otherwise necessary hardware and its maintenance. The connection of further devices and workstations is also possible without any problems.
- 10 Server mit insgesamt 7,5 TB Arbeitsspeicher, mehr als 100 TB Speicherplatz und 250 CPU-Kerne
- Einbruch- und Brandschutzanlagen
- Unterbrechungsfreie Stromversorgung (USV) zur Energiezufuhr bei Stromausfall
- Notstrom-Aggregat für den Fall eines Blackouts
- Redundante Kühlung
- Vergleichbare, separate Ersatz-Serverleistung bei Verlust der Hauptserver (Wiederherstellung der Umgebung wird monatlich geprobt)
Relocation to the computing center
LGI gives complete hosting of WinSped to LIS
“Cobbler, stick to your trade!” Michael Metken, Head of Corporate IT at LGI Logistics Group International GmbH (LGI), took this German proverb to heart and moved WinSped, which the company has been using as a TMS since 2014, into our new computing center. The reason: The internationally active logistics service provider wanted to focus solely on its core competencies. The company no longer wanted to deal with the operation and maintenance of the software in-house. And who better to run the TMS application than its developer itself, or in other words, us?
The initial situation
Until October 2020, the logistics service provider hosted the central systems of all national and international subsidiaries – including WinSped – in two of its own computing centers at the company headquarters in Herrenberg near Stuttgart. With a view to the expiry of the lease for 250 servers, Metken says it was time to question the independent operation of the ever-growing IT infrastructure:
“I don’t put a premium on having my own ‘metal box’ in the basement, because an in-house computing center always requires management attention and staff.”
The solution
Metken outsourced the programs whose providers also had a hosting solution ready:
“There can be no better person to run and maintain the application than the developers themselves.”
For this reason, and in view of our many years of good cooperation, Metken also decided to outsource WinSped. Right on cue, we were building our new computing center at our headquarters in Greven at the time and were able to accommodate the renowned customer LGI and its 750,000 square metres of logistics space, their 300 commercial vehicles and 100 connected workstations.
The relocation
Over a period of six months, five people from LGI’s application management and technology departments, as well as five employees from our side, took care of the preparation, planning and implementation of the data transfer. First, the master data needed to be transferred and external devices such as printers or scanners needed to be connected. Admittedly, some steps went not quite the way we anticipated. For example, it took several attempts to load all the data.
Relocating the transaction data from the trucks connected to the TMS was a major challenge, as it was carried out “on the living object”.
“Our 300 trucks are on the road all the time. That’s where you have to coordinate exactly when you transfer which data so that everything continues to run smoothly.”
In order to avoid delays or even standstills in the transports and in LGI’s warehouses, we precisely coordinated all the processes. In this way, LGI only had to accept a downtime of a few hours during the weekend.
The benefit
When LGI was still operating its own computing center, Metken and his team themselves made sure the technology ran smoothly. Management therefore had to pay regular attention to that matter and staff with IT skills had to be employed. But since we have taken this responsibility away from the logistics service provider, they can focus on their core competencies. This has freed up personnel resources at LGI, which are now being deployed elsewhere.
“Both the computing center infrastructure and LIS’s services are optimally designed for WinSped users.”
In addition, as developers of the WinSped product family, we have profound application knowledge and, as industry experts, we know the needs and requirements that logistics service providers impose on software.
LIS employee portrait
Johannes Willenberg was responsible for the relocation of our computing center
“Data security is a top priority,” says Johannes Willenberg, eagerly explaining why everyone should be thinking about how to protect their data these days – private individuals as well as entrepreneurs. The man who runs the technology department at our company knows thousands of examples of how dependent our society is on data. “Today, almost nothing works without IT. This starts with taking a taxi and ends in hospitals, where surgeries have to be cancelled if patient data is not available. In case of doubt, this costs human lives,” says Willenberg. On the one hand, he shudders. On the other hand, it fascinates him. Find out more in this portrait.
A sense of responsibility drove the 33-year-old, who still regularly attends seminars on IT security, to train with us in 2007 as an IT specialist for system integration. The right move for him, as it turned out. This is because he has found his professional home at LIS in Greven – just 500 metres away from the house where the man who was born in Greven lives with his family.
Willenberg has headed our technology department since 2012. Together with five permanent employees and two trainees, he ensures that our IT and that of our customers runs smoothly. “We’re responsible for everything that has a plug – in-house and with the forwarders,” he says, figuratively describing the job. This includes the administration of laptops or the setup of SQL servers as well as problem analysis and troubleshooting when the customer’s software performance is not 100 percent.
„Tenacious organizational skills.”
This is what particularly appeals to Willenberg about the challenge. “If everything here should fail, 200 LIS employees and a multiple thereof of employees at our customers sides would not be able to work,” he explains. Between August 2019 and December 2020, he was understandably committed to leading a project that was unique to him until then: the relocation of our computing center. The 33-year-old planned the new building and the relocation, commissioned and coordinated around ten service providers and monitored the progress of the project – all without sacrificing the activities that he had previously performed as head of technology.
Our chairman Magnus Wagner can only think of words of praise for this: “Fortunately, Johannes is blessed with tenacious organizational skills. Otherwise, he would certainly have reached his limits here and there.” For example, when the server cabinets did not fit through the fire doors, contrary to the planner’s statement. Our technical manager solved such problems pragmatically: He had the fire doors temporarily removed. Like this, the actual relocation of the servers from the old to the new computing center was completed on time in December 2020. Willenberg remembers one particular moment particularly well: “For a moment, all the machines were off and it was quiet in the server room. That usually does not happen at all because the equipment runs 24/7.”
Sense of responsibility
He briefly contemplates a thought and then comes back to the challenges he tries to overcome every day: “A planned shutdown in the computing center is justifiable because everyone affected is prepared for it and can adapt their processes to it. Unplanned, it’s a disaster.”
Unfortunately for him, this is more than theoretical knowledge. Because not all LIS servers were always located in our own computing center. For a while, we had outsourced part of it to a service provider, where there were some failures. “That’s when we realized we would rather be in charge ourselves,” Willenberg said. After all, then you know the systems, you can make regular backups, test them, and so on and so forth. “This is how we ensure the highest level of data security.”
Tips and tricks from real examples
Useful hints for the application of WinSped®
You use WinSped on a daily basis? Then simplify your own work and take a look at the following tutorials. In it, we show you how to adapt our software to your individual needs and how to operate it optimally with just a few clicks. This time we focus on: Column formatting based on conditions, Dockable Windows and the Order Entry screen designer.
Do you have further questions? No problem! Just contact our support as usual.
We are also always open to ideas and suggestions for which workflow you would like to see more tricks. Just send us an e-mail to lis4u@lis.eu.
Column formatting
Do you already know the column formatting based on conditions? This feature takes your WinSped grids to a new level of visual configurability.
Workspaces
Gone are the days of rigid program layouts. With our “Dockable Windows” you can create individual layouts in every WinSped module. Depending on the application, you obtain an individual program workspace.
Screen designer
Do you only use a certain selection of available fields in our WinSped Order Entry? Then use the screen designer and create your own input mask from your most needed input fields. Everything is intuitive and simple, thanks to drag & drop.
