Three years ago Exonet switched to FlexPod – a fully validated combination of Cisco UCS blade servers, Cisco Nexus core switches and a NetApp storage cluster. Following this transition, Exonet decided that they needed a central point of contact which had knowledge of converged infrastructure environments. Exonet called in Proact, who had gained wide experience after installing and managing various converged infrastructure solutions in the Netherlands – as well as in other European countries. One of the first projects to be carried out by Proact at Exonet was an upgrade of the storage environment within the converged infrastructure platform. Proact completed an analysis of the existing workload and thereby determined the estimated load after the upgrade. This estimate proved to be exact following the end of the project. Exonet now benefits from greatly improved performance, lower latency and a more stable environment.
The next step was the extension of the entire converged infrastructure. Proact thereby provided an advisory and supporting role following the delivery of the hardware and software.
Jesper Weiland, Commercial Director at Exonet, said: "We opted for FlexPod as this concept responds to the high demands of our customers on availability and reliability. We build custom hosting environments, which we roll out and manage in a fully automated way. This is possible with this converged infrastructure solution. With this platform, we can easily scale up, and thereby grow.
“In order to do this properly, we need a partner who can assist us with detailed knowledge and expertise. Proact is that partner. With their advice and support, we can continue to work on the further expansion and improvement of this platform."
Sander Dekker, Business Unit Director for Europe West at Proact,said: “With a converged infrastructure, companies can always be sure that they have an optimally working system that has been completely validated by the suppliers and can be directly put to use. This offers the perfect solution to any organisation that is looking for availability and reliability on the basis of standard components from market leaders supplemented with Proact’s services.”