Capri Linen, producer of unique luxury linen, has had all its performance
issues resolved with the help of Synergy Group, Hewlett Packard and VMware.
Having purchased a generic server (from another vendor), with the desire to
increase the performance of the Accpac system, the company experienced
frustrating functional and procedural difficulties. Upon implementation of the
system, it became apparent that the particular hardware and software
solutions provided had not resolved any of the existing complications.
Tyrone Kooyman, Head of IT at Capri, comments: “Upon my appointment,
the company was experiencing vast problems with its network and
domain control... I then urgently suggested that we turn to Synergy Group
for assistance in our dilemma.”
Synergy's experienced and knowledgeable networking consultants audited the
site and recommended that Capri purchase a new HP DL380 G6 server
specifically for the Accpac database. Standard practice for Synergy,
wherever possible, is to advocate virtualisation in order to get the best possible
performance, control and management out of the hardware. Synergy added
VMware and virtualised the server. The roll out of the server was hassle-free
and ran as smoothly as a perfect implementation can.
Kooyman goes on to say: “Synergy Group recommended that we stick with
Microsoft and far outclassed all previous providers with quality products and
services. The hardware recommended (namely the DL380 G6 Server), and the
project planning (set-up and virtualisation) resulted in a smooth-running engine
from start to finish, and has been highly satisfactory. The Synergy Group
consultants are always a pleasure to work with; I never find myself in a position
where there is no one to speak to when we require assistance.”
However, as is customary with Murphy's Law, after Synergy had taken care of
the issues on one server, the generic Active Directory server started its decline;
the obvious solution, to Synergy, was to move the Active Directory onto the
new, virtualised DL380 G6, which was under-utilised in its role. The idea was to
test the server's behaviour and function and take note of any benefits.
Synergy was extremely pleased with the ease of the move as well as the
virtualised environment's ability to handle the extra load.
With an HP DL380 G6 server and VMware working so well together, Synergy
was able to prove what they've always claimed; the new generation of servers
and virtualisation make it possible to achieve two main things that are,
ultimately, beneficial to businesses: hardware costs and performance issues
are drastically reduced. Synergy achieved this for Capri.
Hardware costs were reduced as virtualisation and the new generation of HP
servers allow for more than one virtual server to operate on a single box.
The VMware ESXi software is free and the cost of one very new, innovative
and high performance HP server far outweighs the value of multiple generic
servers. The issues were resolved due to the new generation software and
hardware, the costless, but highly valuable, VMware ESXi virtualisation software
and the skills of Synergy's staff.
As Ashley Regenass,CEO of Synergy Group, points out: “Virtualising your
business infrastructure with VMware and HP servers will shift your focus
from maintenance to efficiency and innovation. Virtualisation drastically
improves the efficacy and accessibility of resources within an organisation as
internal resources are under-utilised under the legacy model. Too much time is
spent managing and maintaining servers rather than innovating and
responding to market dynamics.” He goes on to say that VMware can
“save companies between 50% and 70% on overall IT costs as resource
pools are consolidated and highly available machines are delivered”.
Regenass goes on to conclude by validating Synergy's claims further: “This is
the system we use at Synergy Group. It really works!” Another benefit worth
noting, according to Regenass, is that virtualisation is good for the environment.
IT “carbon footprints” waste billions as well as cause serious damage
to the environment. As Regenass says: “Virtualisation can also save
costs on electricity and help you do your bit for the environment. Less
electricity is used to power the servers as there is only one machine and
less electricity is used to cool down the server room as much less heat is
generated by the reduced quantity of physical hardware. Virtualisation is the
new green.”
Virtualisation, according to the whizzes at VMware, is a “proven software
technology that is rapidly transforming the IT landscape and fundamentally
changing the way people compute... Virtualisation lets you run multiple
virtual machines on a single physical machine, sharing the resources of that
single computer across multiple environments. Different virtual machines can
run different operating systems and multiple applications on the same
physical computer.”
Hand-in-hand with virtualisation, the new generation of HP servers also play a
role in environmental friendliness; HP's innovative and energy saving features,
the Sea of Sensors, have been created and strategically placed throughout
the servers to optimise system cooling and increase efficiency by automatically
tracking thermal activity. With this in mind, Synergy Group's partnership with
HP is the perfect platform for reducing IT footprints as well as maximising
hardware and software performance. |
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