Scale Computing HC3 saved our IT Infrastructure
Overall Satisfaction with Scale Computing HC3
The Scale Computing HC3 solution is used across the entire organization. It replaced over 50U of traditional hardware down to 3U. Saving us a lot of aggravation dealing with multiple third party vendors for support and maintenance agreements, while simplifying our own internal support and maintenance of over 50 Virtual machines. The savings was so significant, that we realized an 18 month ROI and saved tremendously on energy costs. Additionally, a battery backup unit now provides us with over 7 hours of backup power vs. 45 minutes previously.
Pros
- One point of contact for everything infrastructure, namely storage, compute and hypervisor.
- Updates can be applied with very little downtime if any, and no longer needs weeks/months of preparation.
- Recovering data is as easy as booting up snapshots, which we are now using as a backup tool.
- Can't wait to roll out Scale Computing at our disaster recovery site for painless failover and failback.
Cons
- Wish there was flash drive when we purchased it, but they have it now, and actually have a retrofit for our existing units which we will consider implementing shortly.
We run a SQL based document management system from OpenText that manages close to 30TB of documents. Moving to Scale Computing HC3 gave users much faster search and fetch times by a factor of 5. We run 4 Exchange Servers along with 40 other application servers, which have all run seamlessly in the last two years. The hypervisor (KVM) allowed us to import old and new servers that are critical to our business. We converted many standalone servers to consolidate our physical footprint, for better management and performance.
- 18 month ROI, need I say more?
- Less time managing server infrastructure allows the IT team to focus on other projects.
- Increased battery backup time means "no" worry and/or stress whenever there is a power storm.
Scale Computing had zero pressure tactic and delivered on every word they said and more. The pricing was on par with the competitors, but I was getting the high end of Scale's solution while with the others I was getting their low end. Without a doubt we made the perfect choice going with Scale Computing.
Using Scale Computing HC3
85 - We run the entire organizations computer and storage needs on the Scale Computing solution. Ranging from massive document management system and a multitude of sql databases. Document searches need to be fast and the Scale Solution addressed this issue and then some. When it comes to the reliability and availability of data and applications, we now have peace of mind knowing we have full redundancy in production and from a business continuity perspective.
2 - A tech person that knows the basic of creating images of operating system, assigning parameters such as CPU count, Memory and Storage. The Scale Computing interface is very easy to understand, and certainly no certification is required to manage and maintain this infrastructure.
Evaluating Scale Computing HC3 and Competitors
Yes - IBM Standalone and Blade Servers tied to SAN storage units via FibreConnect, running VMWare. The maintenance and ultimately the costs combined with the complexity/logistics of upgrading the various components broke the camel's back. When reviewing a straight up replacement vs a hyperconverged solution, the advantage was the latter, from a cost and operational standpoint. Four years down the road, the entire organization is pleased with the decision.
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
- Third-party Reviews
Hyperconvergence was relatively new in the legal industry. The attraction was the simplicity of operation, reduction in footprint and ultimately an ROI of 18 months. The sales experience was very relaxed and provided me with great confidence in the products abilities. Third party reviews were available, and the fact that the sales engineer was a previous scale computing client spoke volumes.
This is one for the history books. That is how I see the decision to introduce Scale Computing to our organization a few months after joining a new organization. A lot was riding on this direction, potentially my job should things go south. That said the solution never let me down, it established a better sense of trust from the executives and the IT Team, who are all now Scale converts. Going back, I wouldn't change a thing, and will gladly deploy Scale Computing in a heartbeat today and the next.
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