Case Study: RHI AG achieves centralized global management, major cost savings and resilient high‑bandwidth networking with Barracuda Networks' CloudGen Firewall

RHI Networks Global Locations with Barracuda, Barracuda NG Firewall Proves Its Worth on a Daily Basis

Vienna‑based RHI Magnesia, an international leader in refractory materials with €2.3B in revenue and about 12,000 employees, grew its network from 15 sites in 1998 to over 105 locations across four continents. That expansion exposed the limits of costly frame‑relay/MAN links and dispersed hardware routers, creating a pressing need for a cost‑effective, centrally managed solution that could guarantee reliable, high‑availability communications.

RHI implemented Barracuda CloudGen Firewall appliances and the Barracuda Firewall Control Center as centrally managed software on standard hardware, using built‑in failover, Traffic Intelligence and multi‑link/multi‑provider support. The rollout delivered large cost savings (payback in roughly two months per location), increased bandwidth, reduced staffing and travel (managed from Vienna by three admins), and improved resilience and application prioritization—keeping operations running during major outages such as the Taiwan cable failures.

RHI AG

Clemens Chizzali-Bonfadin

Manager of Global IT Security (CISO)