Gräfe und Unzer 1943

Customer Case Study

Keeping a 300-Year-Old Publisher Connected: Gräfe und Unzer Upgrades to pfSense Plus

Implemented by: ESBYTE, Premier Netgate Partner, Germany 

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150

Users

1

Sites

1 Workday

Deployment time

Netgate 8200 MAX

Product

“The migration to pfSense Plus was completed in just one working day with minimal disruption to our team. Since moving to dedicated Netgate hardware, our network has been stable and reliable, allowing us to focus on our publishing operations without worrying about connectivity issues.”

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Stephan Schoppel, Senior System & Security Engineer, Gräfe und Unzer

Up and running in a single working day!

  • Two pfSense CE VMs on vSphere replaced with two dedicated Netgate 8200 MAX appliances

  • Full migration, configuration, and handover completed within one working day

  • HA instability resolved; network flapping eliminated

  • IPsec VPN, OpenVPN, and traffic shaping configured and live

Customer Overview

300 years of publishing, one day to a better network

Industry: Publishing, Cookbooks, and Lifestyle Guidebooks

logo-partner-case-studyGräfe und Unzer (GU) is one of Germany’s most established and recognizable publishers. Founded in 1722 and based in Munich, GU is the market leading guidebook publisher in Germany, known particularly for its cookbooks and lifestyle titles covering food and drink, health, gardening, pets, and travel.

Operating from a single Munich site with 150 users, GU depends on reliable network infrastructure for its publishing, editorial, and distribution operations. When their existing pfSense CE virtual machine setup began causing HA instability, the decision was made to move to dedicated on-site hardware. ESBYTE, a Munich-based Netgate Premier Partner with over 11 years of experience, was brought in to carry out the migration.

Challenge

Resolving HA instability and eliminating server dependency

GU had been running pfSense CE across two virtual machines on vSphere, configured in high availability (HA) mode. In practice, the setup was operating on only one of the two HA nodes, causing network flapping and increasing the risk of unplanned downtime. GU chose not to investigate the root cause in the virtualized environment, and instead opted to move to dedicated physical hardware.

Key Challenges included:

HA mode instability

The two pfSense CE VMs on vSphere were not functioning as intended in HA mode, due to underlying server resource constraints, resulting in recurring network flapping.

Infrastructure dependency

The virtual machine setup meant GU’s network firewall was tied to the underlying server infrastructure. Becoming independent of those servers was a primary aim of the migration. 

Operational continuity

For a publishing house managing editorial workflows, supplier relationships, and customer orders, preventing network downtime was a business priority. 

Solution

Two Netgate 8200 MAX appliances, live in a single working day

ESBYTE migrated GU from their two pfSense CE virtual machines to two Netgate 8200 MAX appliances running pfSense Plus, deployed on-site at GU’s Munich office. The project was led by Hagen Herrschaft, ESBYTE’s CTO, and completed within a single working day. Hardware sizing and capabilities were agreed upon during a pre-sales discussion between ESBYTE and GU, ensuring the appliances were correctly specified to meet GU’s requirements before deployment.

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Key elements of the deployment included:

Two Netgate 8200 MAX appliances

Purpose-built hardware replaced the virtual machine setup, eliminating dependency on the underlying server infrastructure and resolving the HA instability. 

pfSense Plus software platform

GU moved from pfSense CE to pfSense Plus, gaining enterprise-grade firewall, routing, and network management capabilities on dedicated hardware. 

IPsec site-to-site VPN

Secure VPN tunnels configured to various service providers, maintaining GU’s connectivity to external partners and systems. 

OpenVPN dial-in VPN

Remote access for home based staff and road warriors, keeping the team connected from any location. 

Traffic shaping (limiter)

Bandwidth management configured to ensure consistent network performance across GU’s 150 user sites. 

Single day implementation

The full migration, including configuration and handover, was completed within one working day with minimal disruption. 

“Gräfe und Unzer had reached the point where their virtualized firewall environment was creating instability that affected day-to-day operations. By moving them to a dedicated pfSense Plus deployment on purpose-built hardware, we eliminated network flapping and delivered a stable, reliable platform in just a single working day.

The transition was smooth, downtime was minimal, and the result is a network infrastructure that supports their business today while giving them room to grow in the future. ”

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Sebastian Meier, CEO, ESBYTE

Results

Stable infrastructure, independent of the underlying servers

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With two Netgate 8200 MAX appliances running pfSense Plus, GU achieved:

HA instability eliminated

The network flapping caused by the virtual HA setup no longer occurs. Both physical appliances operate as intended. 

Server infrastructure independence

GU’s firewall and network environment is now fully independent of the servers that previously hosted the virtual machines. 

Reliable performance

While dedicated hardware has different performance characteristics than the VM resources it replaced, it is more than sufficient to meet all of GU’s requirements. This was confirmed during the pre-sales process with ESBYTE. 

Full feature set live from day one

IPsec VPN, OpenVPN, and traffic shaping were configured and operational from the moment the migration was complete. 

Fast time to value

The entire migration was live within one working day, with consistent support from ESBYTE throughout. 

Single day implementation

The full migration, including configuration and handover, was completed within one working day with minimal disruption. 

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About Gräfe und Unzer

Founded in 1722 and based in Munich, Gräfe und Unzer (GU) is the market-leading guidebook and lifestyle publisher in Germany. GU publishes across cookbooks, healthy eating, health and wellness, home and garden, pets, travel, and more.

With over 300 years of publishing history, GU is one of the most trusted and recognizable publishing brands in the German-speaking market.

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ESBYTE

About ESBYTE

ESBYTE is an IT service provider, process consulting partner, and Netgate Premier Partner based in Munich, Germany. With over ten years in the market and as a Netgate partner, ESBYTE supports small and medium-sized businesses across Germany and the surrounding region.

Their services include network infrastructure, process consulting, external IT support and helpdesk services, as well as pfSense Plus and TNSR deployment and management.

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Netgate Logo

About Netgate

Netgate develops pfSense software-based routers that deliver enterprise-grade networking, security, and flexibility across commercial, government, and remote applications. With over 10 million installs worldwide, Netgate delivers network security that is accessible, affordable, and built on open standards. 

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pfSense Plus

About pfSense Plus

pfSense Plus is Netgate’s enterprise-grade firewall and routing software platform, combining advanced firewall filtering, VPN capabilities, multi-WAN load balancing, IDS/IPS, and detailed traffic management in an intuitive web interface. Deployed on purpose-built Netgate hardware or in virtualized environments, pfSense Plus is trusted across industries for reliable, scalable, and secure networking. 

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