Associated Wholesale Grocers Eliminated Legacy Risk with Files.com
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the backbone of America’s grocery supply chain. As a wholesale cooperative serving over 1,100 member grocery retailers, AWG moves billions of dollars in food annually, supporting over 3,400 supermarkets across 33 states.
Their business isn’t just big, it's huge. Every single day, over $30 million worth of goods flow in and out of AWG’s distribution hubs. Logistics at that scale require a firehose of real-time EDI data: orders, pricing, and inventory.
The stakes are too high in food distribution.
Perishables demand flawless data exchange.
Any breakdown or delay in logistics can result in spoiled food before it ever reaches store shelves.
AWG was operating its most critical data transfers on a 20-year-old server still running Windows 2003. The system was severely outdated and barely functioning, with frequent service interruptions that led to missed deliveries, spoiled products, and strained retailer relationships.
Each outage created operational chaos.
Legacy infrastructure often persists in large enterprises for this very reason—its critical nature makes downtime for upgrades nearly impossible, while full rip-and-replace projects are too disruptive to consider.
What AWG needed was an MFT modernization solution that could integrate with existing systems and enable gradual workflow upgrades, ensuring continuity while moving toward a modern, reliable infrastructure.
They needed Files.com.
The Solution
A Secure, Scalable, Cloud-Based Transformation with Files.com
AWG turned to Files.com to tackle this challenge head-on, and it didn’t take long to see why. Files.com isn’t just a replacement for outdated systems - it’s a transformative platform that eliminates risk, enhances security, and drives operational efficiency from day one.
Here’s how Files.com made it happen.
The Bridge Between Old and New
AWG deployed Files.com’s On-Premises Agent to act as a secure, two-way bridge between AWG’s existing infrastructure and the Files.com cloud. The result is that AWG could migrate partner retailers to Files.com's modern solution one at a time, reducing migration risk without ever halting business operations.
Self-Healing, High-Availability Agent
With Files.com’s agent, AWG wasn’t just upgrading, but future-proofing. The self-healing agent minimized unplanned interruptions and instantly recovered from disruptions. Legacy environment issues which once would have caused major delays are now handled in seconds, ensuring AWG can keep its supply chain running smoothly even during critical times. No more scrambling to fix outages.
No more operational chaos.
Security at Scale
With support for modern encryption, 2FA, and granular role-based access, Files.com allowed AWG to enhance security dramatically. No longer was their legacy MFT system exposed and vulnerable to attacks. Files.com gave them a hardened environment for secure data exchange, safeguarding sensitive information across the supply chain.
The Results
Transforming AWG’s Operations, Cutting Costs, and Ensuring Future Growth
The results of transitioning to Files.com were felt across the business immediately:
No More Downtime, No More Chaos
The self-healing agent and real-time recovery features have already reduced service disruptions. AWG’s distribution centers ran without interruption, even during peak periods like Black Friday and holidays. That meant no missed shipments, no spoiled food, and no retailer dissatisfaction.
Major Cost Savings
The decommissioning of AWG’s legacy MFT system and outdated hardware will soon free up valuable resources. AWG is free of having to budget for maintaining the old system or worry about the costs associated with a massive infrastructure overhaul.
Scalability on Autopilot
AWG’s ability to scale during busy times, like the holidays, is a game-changer. With Files.com’s cloud architecture, they can now handle growing demand with ease, without having to invest in new hardware or worry about system failures.
A Future-Proof Solution
Files.com didn’t just solve AWG’s immediate problems, it set them up for long-term success. With high availability and flexible cloud support, AWG can continue to grow and expand without worrying about the limitations of their previous infrastructure.
Files.com Powers AWG’s Next Chapter
By partnering with Files.com, AWG didn’t just upgrade their MFT system, they turned a major operational risk into a competitive advantage.
Files.com gave AWG the ability to handle massive data exchanges securely and reliably, scale without limits, and eliminate the chaos caused by their legacy infrastructure.
Now, AWG is poised to meet future demand, continue supporting their massive network of retailers, and ensure that grocery goods keep flowing seamlessly across the country. Files.com has become an integral part of AWG’s growth story, making the impossible possible and turning operational bottlenecks into business-as-usual.
AWG is ready for the future.
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