30 January 2014
Based in Paris, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing is a government department with numerous responsibilities, including:
- Ensuring the quality and sanitary security of imported foods
- Conservation and environmental preservation
- Agricultural education
- The economic development of agricultural sectors and the agricultural industry (both within the European Union and internationally)
- The development of employment in rural areas
The main aims of the Ministry are to maintain and enhance economic performance in agricultural sectors, and protecting the health of the French people by ensuring the safety and suitability of food.
The Ministry is very large, with approximately 30,000 employees right across France. The central administration offices in Paris house 2000 employees alone. The main network in Paris is located on six sites, called Varenne, Vaugirard, Lowendal, Maine, Helder and Fontenoy.
In 2005, the Ministry decided to replace their existing network core, which had become problematic. The previous integrator was no longer actively maintaining their equipment, and as they had no local network management tool, the network was difficult to manage. Furthermore, their network lacked cohesion as it consisted of various products from multiple vendors.
