Johannesburg, 14 Sep 2010
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 rollout 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, Managing Director of Synergy, 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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