Docrafts – Installing Servers and Storage

Bechtle’s Solution

After listening to the challenges that David faced along with an understanding of where the company was likely to require change in the near future, Bechtle was able to propose an innovative solution that not only refreshed his ageing server farm, but also introduced a shared storage platform that would sit inside his virtualisation space, thus limiting the need for complex and proprietary hardware based SAN’s.

 

The approach offered by HP’s StoreVirtual VSA, is to use industry standard Proliant servers that are equipped with several hard drives rather than rely on a dedicated storage array.

 

This solution runs in a virtualised environment that has a HP StoreVirtual VSA software overlay. It transforms the server into an economical, scalable and upgradeable virtual storage array that is easily managed from the same console as the virtual environment. This is a cost effective solution that also helps to meet the budget requirements of the business.

 

 

The Benefits

Docrafts have seen significant improvements since the upgrade with a big impact being reduced administrative costs.

 

As well as financial improvements, Docrafts can now also do more with less. With a single platform that converges data and compute into a single highly available cluster, the company can spend less time keeping the lights on and more time responding to advances in the business.

 

HP StoreVirtual VSA offers Docrafts scalability on demand. Should they require an extra server, it’s simple to acquire additional storage and compute. With the HP StoreVirtual VSA, everything is modular and standardised, so unlike previous SANs that require a ‘rip and replace’ approach at the end of its life, Docrafts can simply add a node to cluster and live migrate the workload.

 

By using Proliant technology, which is readily available, the return on investment is quickly realised with its affordable performance. The modular approach means that Docrafts can follow technology trends, allowing them to continually bring new technologies that can drive better TCO.