BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Reduce IT overheads while safeguarding the
availability of core applications
IT SOLUTION
Transform datacentre infrastructure by deploying
virtualised and centralised systems
BENEFITS
Financial savings of more than £300,000; Server estate
cut by two-thirds; Backup time reduced by half;
Improved application uptime
Parity is a business and IT technology services company. It delivers technical, resource and training solutions to public and private sector organisations across the UK, including the Cabinet Office, 02, Shell, AXA, Unilever, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health.
Like most companies, IT – and in particular email – have become critical to the day-to-day operations of Parity. Although the availability of these systems is paramount, Parity must be able to balance IT performance with cost.
David Conkleton, managing director for Parity Business Solutions, comments: “Profitability and business growth are currently key priorities for the business. Although IT requires ongoing investment, we felt there was potential to make our operation more cost-effective by changing both our outsourcing model and underlying infrastructure.”
Parity was also keen to improve the availability of its data and core applications and increase operational efficiency by taking advantage of new datacentre technologies. As Conkleton explains: We wanted to be able to constantly drive cost efficiencies and improve our service levels to support business growth.”
The opportunity to achieve these goals came when Parity signed up to a new five–year managed services contract with Computacenter. Fundamental to the agreement was the transformation of Parity’s datacentre environment.
Andy Griffin, head of IT, at Parity, comments: “Consolidation, virtualisation, standardisation and centralisation were all core themes of the transformation.”
The predicted cost savings of this change programme were written into the managed services contract, so Parity could reduce business risk and ensure a good return on investment.
Computacenter first had to migrate Parity’s applications from the old datacentre to the new environment, which it hosts on its clients’ behalf.
The complexity of this relocation was exacerbated by very tight timescales. As Mark Ford, a solutions architect for Computacenter, explains: “We had to move the entire datacentre over the course of a single weekend. Maintaining business continuity throughout the transition was essential, as we were only permitted a maximum of 10 minutes downtime on Parity’s web site.”
Following the successful migration in December 2005, Computacenter set about designing the new datacentre infrastructure. By using VMware virtualisation software, Parity was able to reduce the number of new servers it required and dramatically improve utilisation rates. The transformation also involved rolling out a centralised storage and backup solution.
These efficiency gains are good news for Parity and its users, as it means the company’s IT is more available and resilient. As Conkleton testifies: “We now have a more flexible, robust and scalable infrastructure.”
The introduction of a rationalised and virtualised server infrastructure played a key role in achieving these financial benefits. “We used to buy a new server every time we needed to roll-out a new application,” comments Griffin. “Now we have the capacity to run 20 virtual servers on each physical device, which means we have been able to decrease our estate by two-thirds.” This has enabled Computacenter to underwrite cost savings to Parity of more than £300,000 over the course of the contract.
The new datacentre infrastructure, which is monitored 24x7 by Computacenter, has also enhanced business agility and development. “We can now dedicate more IT staff to activities that drive the business forward,” comments Griffin. “The flexible and scalable architecture of the datacentre means that we can quickly adapt our systems to meet the needs of the business, which increases our competitive edge.”
For more information on Computacenter’s transformation services, go to: www.computacenter.com/services/technology-solutions
