Cisco Cisco UCS B440 M2 High-Performance Blade Server 정보 가이드
provider of IP-based integration services in
the Midwest United States, and participant
in Cisco, NetApp, and VMware partner
programs. Reed explains, “Netech archi-
tected a Cisco, NetApp, and VMware solu-
tion that delivered immediate engineering
value with scalability and configuration
flexibility to enable all phases of our strategic
plan, including implementing virtual desktop
and cloud-based services. The expertise of
the Netech team and their deployment of a
single platform built from unified compute
fabric and storage technologies also allowed
them to achieve a very aggressive delivery
schedule. Speed to implementation was as
critical a factor as scalability.
the Midwest United States, and participant
in Cisco, NetApp, and VMware partner
programs. Reed explains, “Netech archi-
tected a Cisco, NetApp, and VMware solu-
tion that delivered immediate engineering
value with scalability and configuration
flexibility to enable all phases of our strategic
plan, including implementing virtual desktop
and cloud-based services. The expertise of
the Netech team and their deployment of a
single platform built from unified compute
fabric and storage technologies also allowed
them to achieve a very aggressive delivery
schedule. Speed to implementation was as
critical a factor as scalability.
“When the infrastructure went live mid-
November, Netech helped with our initial
physical-to-virtual (P2V) migrations, including
a critical Web server scheduled for testing in
the new environment before it was moved
into production. Perhaps fortuitously, the
failure we thought might happen in December
occurred within just minutes of P2Ving our
first Web system. When the physical server
blue-screened, we were forced to forego
testing and move the full production envi-
ronment onto the new virtual server. It ran
perfectly the first time and has worked
flawlessly ever since.”
November, Netech helped with our initial
physical-to-virtual (P2V) migrations, including
a critical Web server scheduled for testing in
the new environment before it was moved
into production. Perhaps fortuitously, the
failure we thought might happen in December
occurred within just minutes of P2Ving our
first Web system. When the physical server
blue-screened, we were forced to forego
testing and move the full production envi-
ronment onto the new virtual server. It ran
perfectly the first time and has worked
flawlessly ever since.”
Today, a high-availability NetApp FAS3140
provides approximately 14TB of usable
capacity (via FC) to 4 Cisco UCS B200
M2 Blade Servers running some 75 virtual
servers in a VMware vSphere
provides approximately 14TB of usable
capacity (via FC) to 4 Cisco UCS B200
M2 Blade Servers running some 75 virtual
servers in a VMware vSphere
™
4.1 environ-
ment. To manage the infrastructure, Seven
Corners leverages built-in technology from
Cisco, NetApp, and VMware. VMware
vCenter
Corners leverages built-in technology from
Cisco, NetApp, and VMware. VMware
vCenter
™
provides a central framework for
managing resources as virtualized data
center pools. Both NetApp Virtual Storage
Console and Cisco UCS Manager
center pools. Both NetApp Virtual Storage
Console and Cisco UCS Manager
™
integrate
with VMware vCenter to coordinate manage-
ment across infrastructure components.
ment across infrastructure components.
Service, please, and make it snappy
Mike Ellis, technical services manager at
Seven Corners, adds that the new infrastruc-
ture helps development and test teams more
quickly deliver higher-quality services. Ellis
says, “Because we can so quickly provision
new resources—it literally takes 12 seconds
to create a virtual machine in vSphere—and
use technologies like NetApp FlexClone
Mike Ellis, technical services manager at
Seven Corners, adds that the new infrastruc-
ture helps development and test teams more
quickly deliver higher-quality services. Ellis
says, “Because we can so quickly provision
new resources—it literally takes 12 seconds
to create a virtual machine in vSphere—and
use technologies like NetApp FlexClone
®
software to create multiple dev/test environ-
ments, we have more opportunity to fine-
tune applications before we move them into
production. The processing power of the
Cisco servers and the speed of NetApp
storage have also enabled dramatic perfor-
mance improvements in Web services and
reporting processes. Today, for example,
aggregate performance reports that used
to take up to 6 hours to complete now run
in less than 10 minutes.”
ments, we have more opportunity to fine-
tune applications before we move them into
production. The processing power of the
Cisco servers and the speed of NetApp
storage have also enabled dramatic perfor-
mance improvements in Web services and
reporting processes. Today, for example,
aggregate performance reports that used
to take up to 6 hours to complete now run
in less than 10 minutes.”
“In our business, where customers are
clamoring for new services,” continues
Reed, “time to market in many cases deter-
mines which company gets the business—
typically the first to deliver a solid new
product wins 60% of the revenue. The agility
and flexibility we’ve gained from this infra-
structure help us deliver products to the
market faster, more quickly identify and
reduce losses on unproductive programs,
and more rapidly capitalize on successes.
Our product teams used to review programs
and make major decisions quarterly. Today,
with aggregate claim reporting and actuarial
at their fingertips, they can do it weekly.
clamoring for new services,” continues
Reed, “time to market in many cases deter-
mines which company gets the business—
typically the first to deliver a solid new
product wins 60% of the revenue. The agility
and flexibility we’ve gained from this infra-
structure help us deliver products to the
market faster, more quickly identify and
reduce losses on unproductive programs,
and more rapidly capitalize on successes.
Our product teams used to review programs
and make major decisions quarterly. Today,
with aggregate claim reporting and actuarial
at their fingertips, they can do it weekly.
“We’re also leveraging the same infrastruc-
ture to pilot a 40-seat VMware View virtual
desktop environment. Our expectation is to
deploy by early next year some 175 desk-
tops for corporate staff and engineers at
our follow-the-sun testing partner. Rather
than setting up physical systems on site
at our corporate data center, we’ll be able
ture to pilot a 40-seat VMware View virtual
desktop environment. Our expectation is to
deploy by early next year some 175 desk-
tops for corporate staff and engineers at
our follow-the-sun testing partner. Rather
than setting up physical systems on site
at our corporate data center, we’ll be able
BUSINESS BENEFITS
Keeping the world clock:
24-hour availability
Clients traveling the globe expect 24/7/365
access to Seven Corners services, whether
for emergency assistance or simply to enroll
in new insurance plans, verify coverage, or
find a local provider. At any given time, there
are 70 to 120 Seven Corners Assist service
professionals, claims analysts, enrollment
agents, and other staff accessing IT services.
More than half of the company’s external
business comes in through its e-commerce
Web presence of some 45 Web sites and
more than 200 branded domains.
24-hour availability
Clients traveling the globe expect 24/7/365
access to Seven Corners services, whether
for emergency assistance or simply to enroll
in new insurance plans, verify coverage, or
find a local provider. At any given time, there
are 70 to 120 Seven Corners Assist service
professionals, claims analysts, enrollment
agents, and other staff accessing IT services.
More than half of the company’s external
business comes in through its e-commerce
Web presence of some 45 Web sites and
more than 200 branded domains.
“To support these members, staff, and
business processes, we require nonstop
technology availability—and that’s what
we’re delivering with the Cisco, NetApp,
and VMware solution,” emphasizes Reed.
“Since deploying the new shared IT infra-
structure, we have experienced no down-
time. By successfully reducing daily outages
from an average of 12 across our core
physical servers to 0, we’re saving at least
$750,000 in annual downtime costs.
business processes, we require nonstop
technology availability—and that’s what
we’re delivering with the Cisco, NetApp,
and VMware solution,” emphasizes Reed.
“Since deploying the new shared IT infra-
structure, we have experienced no down-
time. By successfully reducing daily outages
from an average of 12 across our core
physical servers to 0, we’re saving at least
$750,000 in annual downtime costs.
“In the past, an outage on our major policy
servicing and fulfillment application would
have cost the business at least $80,000
every day the system was down, and build-
ing a replacement server could have taken
as much as six weeks. Today, that applica-
tion and the databases behind it run reliably
24/7 to protect business services, transac-
tion data, and the productivity of both
customer service staff and IT database
administrators. The joint Cisco, NetApp,
and VMware reference architecture delivers
full-environment resilience with highly reliable
components, data protection, high-availability
features, and recovery technologies. As a
result, we’re able to deliver to the business
nearly zero-chance-of-failure IT services.”
servicing and fulfillment application would
have cost the business at least $80,000
every day the system was down, and build-
ing a replacement server could have taken
as much as six weeks. Today, that applica-
tion and the databases behind it run reliably
24/7 to protect business services, transac-
tion data, and the productivity of both
customer service staff and IT database
administrators. The joint Cisco, NetApp,
and VMware reference architecture delivers
full-environment resilience with highly reliable
components, data protection, high-availability
features, and recovery technologies. As a
result, we’re able to deliver to the business
nearly zero-chance-of-failure IT services.”
“In our business, where customers are clamoring for new
services, time to market determines which company gets
the business—typically the first to deliver wins 60% of the
revenue. The agility and flexibility we’ve gained from this
infrastructure help us deliver products faster, quickly identify
and reduce losses on unproductive programs, and rapidly
capitalize on successes.”
George L. Reed II
Chief Information Officer, Seven Corners, Inc.
Chief Information Officer, Seven Corners, Inc.