Beakbane ERP upgrade transforms support infrastructure

IT service provider Icomm Technologies proposed a consolidated solution to rationalise seven existing Windows 2000 servers down to two Hewlett-Packard Proliant DL360s running Windows 2008. These were subsequently virtualised using EMC's VMWare ESX version 4 software and a NetApp FAS2020 pre-configured SAN (Storage Area Network). Chris Sheldon, Beakbane's IT manager, says the initiative took only 10 days to implement, including installation and configuration, before transfer of data and applications. "The implementation went really well and there was no downtime to cause disruption to the business," he says. "Fundamentally, with the NetApp solution, Beakbane's storage capacity is future proofed for at least the next five years. We have scaleablility so we can expand quickly and backup has become easy. It is also saving us significant management time, as the NetApp reliably takes snapshots of disk-stored data every hour. "An example, I was on holiday in Florida and someone accidentally deleted some files. I remotely accessed the system and restored a copy of a previous snapshot. The data was back within minutes and business could continue." Sheldon also says that the business can now plan material requirements six times faster than before. "The improved and rationalised server estate is enabling the ERP system to run much faster and has unlocked a mission critical 2011 schedule for our ERP upgrade." He says the fact that it is possible to add virtual servers very easily makes application testing and managing much simpler. "The consolidated infrastructure solution is saving time and money by operating more efficiently and reliably. We now have a resilient foundation to build on for future developments," says Sheldon.