Dell R720 servers & Dell iSCSI San Storage | CONCO

by | 2 Apr 2014 | Case Studies, Dell, Microsoft

AVeS implements the Dell advantage in the electricity industry

Client Understanding

To ensure that the critical business applications perform at their best, AVeS relies heavily on their preferred hardware vendor Dell. This could not be more true with the Virtualisation and System Center deployment for CONCO, creator of turnkey solutions in the electricity supply industry. 

To respond to their rapid organisational growth, CONCO urgently needed to maximise their available technology stack to ensure effective Business Continuity. The maximisation of their technology stack was possible with their existing Microsoft Enterprise Licensing Agreement.

Roadmap Approach

To fully understand the applications and hardware dependencies employed throughout the organisation, AVeS performed various assessments as part of the initial roadmap deployment. AVeS’s architects drew knowledge from comprehensive technical training on all core business components to design an extended application-aware, site-resilient cluster. All aspects of the Infrastructure had to remain resilient to hardware failure and data corruption. Consequently, an intelligent replication schedule was built into the roadmap with Microsoft System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager.

Solution

With a deep understanding of the server and storage capabilities, AVeS was able to ensure that the tightly integrated hardware stack enabled the high IO requirements demanded by the company. A combination of high-end Dell R720 servers tiered from stacked Dell iSCSI San Storage. The Dell hardware stack delivered CONCO with the flexibility to grow and adapt to their expected growth as defined prior to the engagement. AVeS transitioned CONCO’s two existing Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Clusters to Windows Server 2012 R2 to utilise the platform’s extended Business Continuity features. Together with Microsoft System Center 2012, the Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V platform laid the foundation for CONCO to further extend their IT Infrastructure into a Hybrid Cloud Solution.

AVeS further extended the two Hyper-V clusters with an additional Hyper-V Host. As CONCO already benefited from a standardised Dell server, storage and switching platform, existing business critical workloads could enable business growth without extra cost. The Dell hardware and Microsoft software combination warranted that recovery points can remain Always Available without having to acquire often costly replication technology. Lastly, application-aware clustering features provided by Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 ensured that the delivery of a Critical Messaging Platform was available through a cross-site Database Availability Group (DAG). Microsoft System Center enabled CONCO to manage and monitor their IT infrastructure through a single pane of glass. The Microsoft technologies responsible for this were:

  • System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (SCCM) – System Management
  • System Center 2012 Operations Manager (SCOM) – System Monitoring
  • System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) – Data Protection Management
  • System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) – Virtualisation Management

Final Outcomes

The reliable hardware set, coupled with industry leading support, enabled CONCO to meet their yearly budgetary considerations. At the same time, it ensured that the end goal of centralised storage and computing layer would eventually be met.

“We are not only comfortable with using Dell hardware, but we also insist on it. We have many years of engagement with the provider due to their cost effective balance with enterprise quality hardware”, says Ueckermann. “We are confident that when we engage the supplier they will always go the extra mile to assist both us and the client for a successful implementation.”

About AVeS
AVeS combines expert knowledge and services with leading technologies to provide comprehensive information security and infrastructure solutions. Working off 15-years of migration strategies, as well as effective designing of various platforms, we pride ourselves in offering an out-of-the-box approach to many tricky situations in which companies find themselves. We create a multi-phase approach to the technologies, we streamline business spend and ensure compliancy with regard to IT infrastructure.

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