PartnerDirect is Dell’s global channel partner program. Particularly in EMEA, numerous case studies showcase the capabilities of this international network of Dell Partners. Over the coming weeks I’ll be blogging about some of these great success stories which demonstrate the true value-add that Dell partners bring to the table.
Most companies struggle with data storage, and more often than not this is because their IT needs have changed rapidly over the years. Generally, companies face a couple of issues. First, their legacy solutions simply can’t cope with the volumes of data that they’re now legally required to keep. And second, they want to hold on to their data because it’s a rich source of strategic information.
For Endsleigh, the need to accommodate increasing data volumes was a real IT headache. The insurance company’s existing policy – which was to run one application per physical server with directly attached storage – was no longer cost-effective, while server sprawl made the environment difficult to manage. Although Endsleigh was in the process of virtualizing its server infrastructure using VMware, it wasn’t sure which path to take for storage.
Dell Partner Computerworld invited the company’s IT team and key stakeholders to several demonstrations of Dell EqualLogic storage so they could see how the technology would work in the Endsleigh environment. The demonstrations were a great way to get everyone on board. And for Steve Street, IT Services Strategy at Endsleigh, it was all the proof he needed to deploy 15 Dell EqualLogic storage arrays across the IT infrastructure.
The automation and streamlining of the environment with Dell EqualLogic has given his team a lot more scope for getting on with its strategic projects – in fact, the team increased the number of servers by around 33 per cent in six months with no impact on workloads. Street says: “We can provision storage for a new server in just 10 minutes. Before storage was virtualized, it would have taken days.” Performance has also been given a real boost. He says: “Expansion is linear, so you add controllers, ports and cache as well as disc drives. It prevents any loss of performance – in fact, in our experience it helps deliver better performance.”
Street’s also saving IT admin spend thanks to data-tiering. “Successful businesses always look to deliver more for less. We can meet this goal with Dell EqualLogic technology, which has increased the cost effectiveness of our storage through built-in tiering,” he says.
Read more about Endsleigh’s experience here (or click on the image below):
