Every business owner, large and small, knows that time is money. Every business owner also knows that updating and maintaining IT systems can be a drain on time — and money. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Randy Ellington, Huber & Associates
Randy Ellington, a systems engineer with Huber & Associates who has been in the business of IT power solutions for nearly 35 years, says recent technological developments have made it easier than ever for companies to conduct critical system maintenance while operating in business-as-usual mode.
In today’s operating environment, taking IT systems offline for an extended period simply is not an option. This was the case for one of Randy’s clients, a large pharmaceutical manufacturer. To accommodate growth, the client knew they needed to update their power system to a newer, faster model, but they were stumped on how to do so without losing precious operating time — and therefore, money.
Using virtualization technology, Randy and his team were able to design and implement a solution while keeping all core business operations in motion.
Understanding the Business
For Randy and his team, step one in addressing such a task always includes an in-depth discussion with their client. Randy says this discussion is critical. To provide the best solution, his team must understand not only the IT challenges, but also the overall challenges the business faces.
“Instead of coming to the table with a preset idea, we find the best approach is to really listen to our clients — to learn about their business, their circumstances, their environment,” Randy says. “At Huber there are no off-the-shelf solutions. Our systems are customized for each need. A deep understanding of pain points is critical to getting the system right.”
Virtualization Is the Hero
For this client, Team Huber determined that new IBM POWER8 processors (two 9119-MHEs, which were smaller and faster than the client’s current systems) paired with system virtualization would do the trick for the job at hand.
This approach allowed the team to avoid the type of system outages this pharmaceutical manufacturer was dreading. By virtualizing their older Power7 system in place with no outages, then using Live Partition Mobility to move each workload to the new Power8 server hardware in Boston, Randy and his team were able to replace the old system with minimal outages — and the Huber team handled it all seamlessly from their offices in Jefferson City, Mo.
“With this update, our client can operate their business, while serving their customers in a much more efficient manner. Every day, this system helps them work smarter and save money,” Randy says. “It’s a definite win-win for everyone involved.”
To learn more about Huber & Associates customized power solutions, email a Huber engineer or call us at 888-634-5000.
