BEDMINSTER, N.J., -- Nov. 9, 2004 -- Liberty Travel is e-enabling its business operations and strengthening its corporate network through a new networking solution from AT&T. The $4 million deal provides Liberty Travel's first network-based Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN). Faster service time is one of many benefits expected from the upgrade.
"Originally, we were going to simply re-new our existing Frame Relay contract, but AT&T showed us our business goals would be better served with a more effective option," said Danny Hudson, chief information officer of Liberty Travel. "We will now have a network that can easily handle all of our current demands while allowing us to add applications in order to better serve our travelers. And, our network is now more secure than ever before."
Under terms of the contract, AT&T will migrate Liberty Travel's current network to a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) platform that offers the ability to prioritize traffic in order to more efficiently host the company's main reservation system. The enhancement also allows Liberty to roll out a major enterprise resource planning (ERP) deployment that integrates wholesale and retail agencies with key enterprise resources in order to offer customers the best possible service. The MPLS network also enhances network performance, security and reliability.
With its any-to-any connectivity capability, the new network also assures business continuity for Liberty Travel. Should any network site become inoperable, traffic is immediately and automatically re-routed through any other network node.
In addition to the IP-based network, Liberty Travel will gain managed Internet and metropolitan Ethernet services as well as new, high-capacity fiber service for added bandwidth, allowing the company to easily scale the network to meet future demands. DSL service is also being deployed for disaster recovery and load-sharing purposes.
About Liberty Travel
Liberty Travel is one of the largest travel companies in the United States, and the largest privately held leisure travel company, with over 205 stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Florida. Liberty Travel does not charge a service fee -- part of the 53-year-old company's goal is to deliver simply exceptional service to its clients.
About AT&T
For more than 125 years, AT&T (NYSE "T") has been known for unparalleled quality and reliability in communications. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company is a global leader in local, long distance, Internet and transaction-based voice and data services.
