Ryanair and Maxima enter contract for improved web booking


2 Feb 2011

Ryanair has chosen IT business systems company Maxima to support its web booking application by implementing Citrix’s latest web acceleration technology.

Maxima, a Citrix Solution Adviser, will implement seven NetScaler MPX 9500 hardware appliances to enhance server load balancing, improve web traffic management, increase security levels and lower Ryanair’s online operating costs.

Maxima has entered the contract with a three-year Gold-level support agreement for this implementation.

“Online booking is obviously a critical service for Ryanair – particularly as our traffic volumes continue to grow – so it’s essential that our web infrastructure performs to the highest level,” said Ryanair’s IT director, Eric Neville.

“Having assessed the market it was clear that Maxima not only had the in-depth expertise in Citrix’s core web acceleration technologies, but also had the proven implementation skills and competitive prices we required.”

Citrix’s NetScaler MPX 9500 Platinum application delivery solutions combine load balancing, content switching and IPv6 support for intelligent traffic management and server availability for Ryanair.

Data compression is incorporated to speed server response times while the Platinum specification secures Ryanair’s applications from hacks that network firewalls and intrusion prevention systems fail to block, thanks to a web application firewall.

Applications are accelerated further through an AppCache module for static and dynamic caching.

Citrix’s EdgeSight for NetScaler technology enables the proactive management of application performance.

“We’re delighted that Ryanair – one of the world’s leading airlines – has acknowledged our comprehensive Citrix and virtualisation skills, and selected Maxima to implement this major web acceleration project,” said Aidan McEvoy, Maxima Ireland’s managing director.

“Citrix NetScaler technology allows Ryanair to optimise its server and bandwidth usage, and we’ll be working closely with the airline’s IT team to ensure that its Citrix web application delivery, load balancing and virtualisation technology perform to the highest levels.”