September 17, 2010
3 min read

A New Era of Branch Store Technology – GK/Retail Allows the Centralization of the Branch Stores Systems

On the EHI Technology Days on November 13-14, 2007, the GK Software AG presents its new GK/Retail Enterprise Store Server solution by means of which the BackOffice servers can be completely relocated from the branch stores to the head office. By means of this solution, retailers can open up substantial saving potentials in the field of service, maintenance and hardware.

With the "Enterprise Store Server", the GK Software AG allows retailers to achieve considerable cost reductions connected with an improved performance offer. Using the new technology, all the branch-store server systems can be replaced by central scalable systems. The arguments concerning hardware, service and maintenance costs speak for themselves in favor of this central architecture. With that, a considerable step toward a reduction of the TCO is possible because the maintenance and the troubleshooting can be realized in completely different cost dimensions and at a central point.

Complexity reduction on site

With the use of the "Enterprise Store Server", the branch store is relieved of a complex data management, of numerous processes and of expensive IT equipment. For the employees in the branch stores, nothing changes because the client applications stay unchanged and merely access the central systems in the background. In contrast to that, in the head office, the possibilities of up-to-date servers and multiprocessor architectures now can also be utilized for the Backoffice processes. In place of the local databases in the branch store, in a central scenario, powerful and unlimited databases can be used in the head office. In that way, simplified backup and deployment concepts become applicable in the database area too.

Security network for link troubles

Prerequisite for the real-time information exchange between head office and branch stores are broadband links. However, because there is no 100% network availability, the GK Software AG developed the Business Continuity Technology as security instance for the offline case. It ensures that a link disconnection cannot result in a data loss. At the same time, this ensures that all processes are automatically resumed when the link has been recovered.

Ready for use even under extreme load conditions

Already since September, the "Enterprise Store Server" is available even under extreme load conditions. With that, the GK Software AG causes its portfolio to be extended by a solution by means of which branch store retailers can increase the performance of the branch store IT and, at the same time, can noticeably reduce the TCO.

Press contact Dr. René Schiller Global Head of Marketing | VP
Press contact Americas Ketner Group Communications