TSI Project Spotlight: CCM Servers and SAN
As a Managed Services Provider, we receive all kinds of calls from our clients. Whether it’s to troubleshoot a broken printer, or pull together a fail-safe, foolproof Disaster Recovery plan, our Engineers are trained and ready for anything. And while we’ve got a variety of service contracts to suit our clients’ needs, there are times when the infrastructure that a client has in place can end up costing them more money to maintain than it would to just completely replace.
One of our clients – CCM – found themselves in this exact situation late last year. They were working with antiquated equipment that was creating an unproductive and inefficient work environment, and TSI did not want to Band-Aid the problem. Instead we recommended solving it once and for all. We truly strive to be an extension of a company’s existing IT department, or a full-service provider for all of their IT needs.
The Background
Prior to initiating their contract in 2014, TSI conducted a Technology Assessment for CCM, which resulted in a 23-page document that thoroughly outlined their existing infrastructure and some concerning factors we found in regard to the existing systems. One of the concerns we found was that CCM’s infrastructure consisted of mismatched and at all different points in their lifecycle. The average life cycle of server hardware is typically three to five years, but there were some pieces of equipment that were well over eight years old. This creates a logistical and financial nightmare when it comes to aligning machinery and software configurations, and keeping up with maintenance.
At the time CCM was in the process of working with another vendor on a final project prior to transitioning their service fully to TSI. As the project progressed, it became clear that some of the concerns we found in our assessment would prove to be a hindrance in the completion of the project. It also became clear, due to the calls we were receiving from CCM at our Help Desk that were frequently marked “urgent” or “mission critical” that something needed to be done sooner, rather than later. At this time we proposed a project to stabilize and revitalize their infrastructure.
The Solution
After a thorough investigation of the infrastructure, the issues the client had been regularly seeking help for, and the client’s ultimate business goals – including the fact that they were planning to aggressively grow their business and double in size within the next few years – we proposed to undertake a complete overhaul of their infrastructure. Rather than simply swapping out old equipment with comparable new equipment, the TSI team proposed a fault tolerant configuration, with two servers and one SAN running VMWare VSphere. This configuration provides the client with the peace of mind of knowing that they’re running redundant and reliable hardware and technology, and the knowledge that it’s scalable – as their company continues to grow, the configuration can be expanded upon with relative ease.
The most challenging aspect of the project wasn’t diagnosing the problem or devising the solution – it was undertaking such a large project within a relatively short time frame, and ensuring that during this time the client didn’t experience any significant downtime or productivity interruptions. CCM gave us one month to complete the project, from start to finish, and we did just that! The entire team worked together – from the Account Managers to the Engineers, to provisioning the equipment and software, to having everything installed, up, and running.
For 25 years, Technical Support International (TSI) – a Managed Service Provider (MSP) has been providing our clients with world-class IT support. We’re based just outside of Boston, MA and have been proudly working with clients all over New England. To find out how to make the TSI team a part of your team give us a call at(508) 543-6979 or email info@tsisupport.com.
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