Virtualization is the New Reality: How an International Outsourcing Company Improved IT Efficiency

Teaming up with Technology

Providing a range of business services ranging from HR outsourcing and finance to IT outsourcing and customer service call centers, this Fortune 500 client company has thousands of employees and a significant national and international presence. It also operates data centers in the western United States that employ approximately 2,000 people, and which recently required significant server consolidation, storage expansion and virtualization to more efficiently meet its needs and turn savings to the bottom line.

From a server perspective, the company wanted to consolidate and streamline servers at particular data centers to reduce operating costs and improve efficiencies. MicroAge Solutions Expert John Lojudice worked closely with the company’s IT Department director and staff to develop the solution. The result was a 40 percent reduction in the total number of servers by installing robust Dell R710 servers capable of handling ever-increasing volumes of data. “ROI was almost as immediate as it was measurable,” says John, “The client realized savings very fast within the total solution.”

A simultaneous goal was to increase network-attached storage capability, achieved by replacing the existing and unwieldy SAN array with Dell PowerVault MD1000 and MD3200 units. This was further enhanced by the later addition of a Dell EqualLogic SAN to strengthen storage capability.

Another key component of the server and storage uplift was to virtualize operations, accomplished by implementing VMware’s vSphere software. John collaborated with MicroAge colleague Vicki Barkley, whose expertise as a capacity planning and VMware engineer lent itself to crafting an effective solution.  First, Vicki implemented a capacity planner to run analytics on the client’s environment; she then generated a comprehensive report that served as a roadmap to developing the most appropriate virtualization solution. “This complimentary effort represented significant added value for the client; as most capacity planners cost a few thousand dollars. However, a unique benefit of working with MicroAge is that clients can leverage our in-house technical resources to achieve a leading solution. John’s dedication to developing this solution delivered both leading technology and cost savings to the client,” comments Wyatt Bowman, MicroAge Chief Engineer and Director of Technical Sales & Professional Services.

vSphere creates a ‘virtual’ machine that resides on the virtual infrastructure, allowing additional server functionality without taking on more hardware. Virtualization is a leading technological value-add as it reduces equipment costs and better utilizes existing servers—network performance is assured while processors and RAM run more efficiently, all of which helps boost overall productivity. MicroAge regularly deploys VMware solutions and as Jared Byrd, VMware Sr. Partner Business Manager, says, “MicroAge is a strategically important VMware solution provider that holds our core technical certifications and program partner competencies—it’s a partnership that generates continued success.”

Since the project got under way, the client has further engaged MicroAge to support its technology objectives by expanding storage and virtualization for other data centers located around the country. A sizable solution, it incorporates Dell Power Vault storage and VMware virtualization to extend the technological peace of mind their combined strength and agility deliver.