Feng Shui for PRIMEDIA Out Of Home

[Published on IT Web: 6 September 2011] -
When asked to describe how the recent server installation and migration project implemented by Synergy Group went down, Morne van Heerden, Chief Information Officer for PRIMEDIA Out Of Home, had only two words: “Exceptionally well!” A lot can be said in just two words...

Staring down the loaded barrel of server sprawl, PRIMEDIA OOH needed a bulletproof vest. The Synergy IT infrastructure ninjas quickly came to the rescue, deflecting all shots fired, and saved PRIMEDIA OOH from potential drama.

Brennan Fritz, Godan* IT Ninja, Synergy Group, comments: “PRIMEDIA OOH's server room was crowded and they had a 2003 domain that needed some serious upgrading.”

The 2003 domain controllers were decommissioned and the domain was upgraded to 2008 R2 Core domain controllers. Brand new HP DL380 G7 servers with VMware vSphere 4 Essentials were installed, making the server room clean-up a cake walk.

VMware is stealthy software (perfect for ninjas) that means no chaos. VMware is virtualisation and virtualisation is feng shui-ing your server room, hardware costs and resources by removing clutter and being gentle on the environment.

Running multiple operating systems on a single server, virtualisation gives reliability and the trusted platform for cloud computing, more with less hardware, reduced costs, saved time and resources, and improved performance.

Van Heerden concludes: "I cannot express how happy we are with the service and also, in particular, with Brennan [Fritz]. He is an asset to [Synergy] and to all his clients."

Harmony and balance have returned to the PRIMEDIA OOH server room. The Synergy IT ninjas and virtualisation are victorious, again.

* 5th Dan Black Belt – a skilled IT consultant with extensive knowledge and considerable experience.