Bright Idea: Reconfiguring Existing Resources Lets Public Utility Virtualize Servers on a Budget

For one Midwest-based municipal utilities company, the decision to virtualize was easy. The hard part was how to accomplish the company’s IT objectives and virtualize their servers on a budget.

So, when MicroAge’s Chuck Chapman asked the IT director about the company’s current environment, he had an idea: they could reconfigure, or cannibalize, their existing hardware and accomplish virtualization without breaking the bank.

“They had some high-end servers that were not being fully utilized,” he says. “I figured, why don’t we reconfigure those existing resources instead of buying all new servers.”

The company had four processors in a couple of servers.

“The cost,” Chuck explains, “is in the power—in the processors.”

By pulling out the processors and then finding two refurbished HP chassis, Chuck was able to save his client money while still achieving the objectives of virtualization. Chuck also had to find the hard drives, which proved challenging because the processors were a couple years old.

“You’re taking an older environment and consolidating a bunch of hardware,” Chuck says. “If the equipment is too old, you can’t do that.”

But with some legwork, he found all the hardware, and his client had already purchased VMware software to enable virtualization.

“Virtualization is a way to utilize your resources so that you are using the true power of the computers to run multiple and various applications,” Chuck says. “You’re saving real estate, and your return over time will more than make up for the investment.”

For the client, the peace of mind of a warranty with the chassis was a part of that investment as well.

“The idea was to give him something that he felt as comfortable with as he would a brand-new product,” Chuck says. “Things are running well, and they were happy with it.”

Wondering whether your company can reconfigure existing resources to virtualize your servers on a budget? Talk to Chuck! You can reach him directly at 480-366-2254 or chuck.chapman@aol.com.