Pet care is big business, and one of the dominant players in the industry is Merial. When the animal healthcare company decided to centralize its key business applications, the project spawned a handful of related IT projects, including a WAN optimization deployment designed to speed data center backups and boost application delivery worldwide. A joint venture between Merck & Co. and sanofi-aventis, Merial employs more than 5,000 employees and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Some of its consumer pet supply brands include Heartgard and Frontline. The company’s global headquarters is in Atlanta, and its second-largest hub is in France.