Server Infrastructure Refresh for Retail Company
Below is a modified rendering of the review: private info excluded, innate facts kept.
Introductory information
A few words almost your organisation and personal responsibilities
I am a Senior Manager of IT Infrastructure at a major retailer. We have a expressive on-premises and cloud infrastructure nearness to obey our global client base.
Desired goal
What issue was the preparer supposed to deal with?
International Integrated Solutions, Ltd?Our IT infrastructure is nice to the accomplishment of our business. Our obeyr footprint grew over the years and has befit fairly intricate.
A year ago we embarked on a major cool cycle to optimize our calculate. We hired IIS to prepare expert direction for the software, firmware and hardware updates.
What were your objectives for this project?
We needed to decommission a number of old blades and establish new more strong blades in their locate. We also wanted to lessen the total number of blades in use and save money on software licenses.
We also wanted to relocate some old switches in the blade enclosures with interconnect modules to facilitate blade provisioning and treatment. Finally we wanted to update all of the blade firmware and treatment software.
Provided solution
What were the reasons for choosing ?
We',ve worked with IIS on separate projects over the past nine years. We knew their team and their capabilities well. We knew they could be trusted to complete the project on time and with the required flexibility and expertise.
Describe the project in detail.
I worked on correspondent project with IIS three years earlier. My role then was a method engineer. I knew both the project director and the engineer. Now that I handle the Infrastructure team I introduced them to my obeyr engineer who was going to work on the project with them.
We degoodd the major tasks that had to be accomplished, who was going to accomplish them and when. We agreed on weekly touch-point calls. IIS was in direct of defining firmware and software requirements and per-requiwebsites, and putting unitedly compatibility matrices.
They were going to accomplish initial software and firmware upgrades and prepare KT. My engineer would complete the remaining upgrades. IIS engineer would also journey to two of our data centers to accomplish the switch removals and interconnect module establishations and configurations.
Were there any dedicated directors or teams that you worked with?
We were assigned a project director and senior blade engineer. They were the main points of touch throughout the project.
Results accomplishd
What results did you accomplish unitedly with ?
Within three months most of the work was completed. Old blades were removed and new ones established and configured. Management software was upgraded. New firmware was deployed and drivers were upgraded.
All of this was completed without any unforeseen downtimes or outages. Everything was run smoothly and we were lucky with the outcome. Then we',ve hit a snag. We were not able to decommission one old application that relied on a few old blades, which relied on the old switches and so couldn',t establish the new interconnects.
IIS was very knowledge and allowed us to put the project on hold and recommence it eight months later when we could finally decomm and upgrade. We accepted the same PM and the engineer and they were able to complete the project fast and at the same cost as we agreed upon almost a year preceding.
I and the senior IT treatment are lucky with the outcome and esteem IIS',s expertise, commitment and flexibility to prolong and complete the project in the face of our unforeseen delay.
How do you rate the interaction and interaction with ?
The workflow was very powerful. Staffed by consummate professionals on both sides, the project progressed on-time (when within our and IIS control) and on-budget. Communications were handled powerfully over email, phone calls, some meetings and weekly status emails.
What precisely do you attend to be the key specialty of ?
I was most impressed with IIS',s willingness to put the interconnect relocatement part of the project on hold for so long and to recur to it when we were prompt. The project recommenced fast, the same engineer was made useful, journey booked fast, etc...
The datacenter work was completed efficiently and professionally. There were no disruptions to the rest of the origination environment. We weren',t billed a penny more for an eight-month hiatus.
What should be done better, if there are any desired improvements?
I can',t ponder of any. Though I can praise the IIS team for improving their process from where it was three years earlier.
All these years of running coomplex, hands-on projects, have made them a well-organized, expertly-staffed, client-focused structure. Kudos!
