Riege Opens Data Center in Hong Kong
Meerbusch, Germany – With the opening of a new data center in Hong Kong in November 2011 Riege Software International, a leading provider of software solutions for air and sea freight forwarding as well as customs applications, has now created a rapid and secure cloud solution for its Asian region clients. The new hosting center, in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung district, expands the software company’s existing IT infrastructure currently located in Frankfurt and head office in Meerbusch. Among the first users of the new center is a long-standing client, Pan Asia Logistics. The logistics services company, with its head office in Singapore, uses the transport management system Scope from Riege, which is provided as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
The new data center in Hong Kong boasts the highest international standards in terms of building and data security, is ISO-certified and is operated in line with ecological practices by Japanese telecommunications supplier NTT Com Asia together with Green Management. Riege is thus able to offer its clients in the Asian region the same services as in Europe. This includes hosting the new transport management system Scope and ensuring availability of all services round-the-clock 365 days a year.
Until recently, clients in the Far East were hosted in European computer centers. However, this was unsatisfactory in the long term, according to Johannes Riege, managing director of the software company. In Asia, Riege handles about 30 clients and their numerous branch offices, with increasing demand for these services. “We are growing strongly in Asia with our own offices in Hong Kong since 1994. The new data center was therefore a logical step, since we bear a heavy responsibility with our transport management solutions.”
The background to this development is a lack of sufficient broadband capacity available between Europe and Asia. This meant that speed and availability of data from the European data centers could not be permanently ensured. Riege’s IT department in Meerbusch who control European operations and IT infrastructure are now also responsible for the new data center. The initial contact person for regional clients is the branch office team in Hong Kong.
In the last ten years Pan Asia Logistics has developed into one of the leading logistics companies in East Asia. The company has about 40 branches, mainly in Asia. In 2011, Riege’s new transport management system Scope was rolled out to all Pan Asia offices. The new head office in Singapore is scheduled to go live in spring 2012. Pan Asia Logistics uses Scope as a SaaS solution. The software is located centrally in the Riege data center. The outsourcing produces savings in hardware, maintenance and staff costs, while increasing the security and quality at Pan Asia Logistics.
About Riege Software International
Riege Software International, based in Meerbusch, near Düsseldorf, Germany is one of the leading providers of comprehensive software solutions for air and sea freight forwarding and customs applications. With some 80 staff, more than 300 clients and branches in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia, the family-owned company has been a trusted partner of forwarders, carriers and manufacturing businesses for the last 25 years. The list of long-term users of Riege’s software solutions includes Dachser, DB Schenker, Jet-Speed, Kerry Logistics, Logwin, Pan Asia Logistics, SDV Geis, UTi and Zufall.