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For this project, we collaborated with an international player active in the construction industry more specifically for construction machinery. Currently, this company has over 47,000 employees.
Over time, our customer outgrew their existing data storage systems, leading to disruptions in time-sensitive tasks. To address this issue and ensure timely delivery of products to their distributors, we standardized and consolidated their entire IT infrastructure. For this purpose, we utilized advanced Lenovo System X3550 M5 servers and Storwize V3700 equipment. The significant advantage of centrally managed IT systems is their 100% reliability in facilitating rapid and secure operations.
Hardware:
Software:
Services:
In the past, managing this company’s IT infrastructure was challenging due to its size. Besides their internal systems, they also had the responsibility of managing infrastructures in different locations abroad. Each of these had its own on-site data centers with varying architecture at each site. As a result, a substantial amount of hardware was on-site, making it challenging to oversee the diverse environments across all facilities. Moreover, several sites were using outdated and unmaintained hardware. The small Network-Attached Storage (NAS) devices were not fully capable of handling the necessary workload, frequently losing connectivity and causing significant disruptions.
Given these various challenges, we were assigned to accomplish the following objectives:
• Simplifying IT management
• Increasing reliability
• Reducing the risk of downtime
Therefore, we designed a customized architecture to standardize and centralize the IT infrastructure. This would facilitate centralized management of operations and ensure prompt deliveries to their distributors. In this instance, the requirement was to choose a single solution from one provider. This was done to maintain a specific level of uniformity.
After a thorough evaluation of several solutions through our different partners, and as a Lenovo Platinum Business Partner, we decided to replace the existing hardware system at all locations with Lenovo components. Specifically, Lenovo System X3550 M5 servers with Intel® Xeon® E5 family processors and Storwize V3700 equipment. This choice immediately revealed two things: Lenovo offered the most attractive price-performance ratio for this situation and provided the most capacity for the price.
In addition to configuring the servers and storage systems, we organized a three-day training with various workshops. During these workshops, we taught their employees how to efficiently transfer data to new environments, as well as how to build and configure these new environments.
This allowed us to successfully standardize and centralize their IT infrastructure. Ninety-five percent of their IT systems, including the Baan ERP system and the associated IBM Informix databases, were virtualized and managed from the Belgian office.
This new solution is 100 percent reliable thanks to its components, and unexpected interruptions are being eliminated. This ensures that they always manage to deliver their parts to distributors on time.
The price of the Storwize V3700 solution is similar to that of an entry-level NAS system but provides an enterprise-grade solution. It guarantees high performance at a low cost, making it perfectly suited to support a demanding business.
Centralized IT management simplifies everything. The Storwize V3700 solution handles most of the work for this multinational. An integrated Easy Tier feature, for example, ensures that this solution constantly optimizes itself, freeing up a significant amount of time for their IT staff to focus on other important tasks.
Thanks to the components, this new solution is 100% reliable, preventing unexpected interruptions. This ensures that they consistently deliver their components to distributors on time.
“Previously, it could take up to 6 weeks for anything to be repaired. Our experience with Lenovo now is that we can count on replacement materials the next day. This way, we feel well covered with top-class high-quality support.”
Without a doubt, this case encompasses all the elements of a successful project. Lenovo’s solution has brought significant optimizations to this multinational company. Their operations are now uninterrupted, their deliveries are punctual, and their distributors keep their customers satisfied as a result.
If you would like to learn more about this case, have questions about the mentioned products, or are seeking a customized approach for a specific problem, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a non-committal discussion.
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