Safety First
Jacobsen prides itself on completing projects and creating relationships that are Built for Life, achieved through technical excellence and close partnership with its clients. Secure and reliable data storage is deeply important to those firmly ingrained Jacobsen priorities. Their 3PAR array was reliable, but hardware or software failures could devastate the company's IT infrastructure once it hit its end-of-support deadline. Having worked closely with Jacobsen on multiple projects, VLCM's sales reps and engineers were intimately familiar with their IT needs. So, before the 3PAR support went offline, they could notify Jacobsen's IT department and get a solution built early enough to minimize the risk of lost data.
"We were there to discuss what they had, what they were looking for, their goals, and where they wanted to be," said Kevin Tanner, VLCM Sales Representative, "Once we knew that, we got them hands-on experience with the solution."
Choosing the Right Solution
With the list of criteria for the new solution (it had to be simpler, better performing, and more easily scalable than the 3PAR), VLCM and Jacobsen began searching. They quickly found an opportunity with HPE's new Alletra array, an all-flash storage platform that was brand new at the time. Jacobsen was able to get the solution at a steep early-stage discount, and with a brand-new product, they wouldn't have to worry about end-of-life issues for several years. To test-drive the solution, VLCM flew out the Jacobsen team to HPE Discover, the best place to stay ahead of the trends and technologies that will fast-forward your data-first modernization. Jacobsen was impressed with Alletra's interface and liked that it allowed them to keep much of their backend and guaranteed better performance. Before long, Jacobsen chose the HPE Alletra 6010 to succeed their 3PAR storage.
HPE Alletra 6010
Designing the Solution
After selecting the HPE Alletra 6010 array, VLCM supported Jacobsen to make sure the installation went smoothly.
"We just went in, set it up, racked and ran the cable for the array, got it running, connected it to their previous network and existing cluster, and walked them through what they would need to do from there," said Jeramie West, VLCM Solutions Architect, "It was that easy."
The results were remarkable: Jacobsen Construction could get its data moved in time. The new all-flash array saved them time and lessened the operational complexity compared with the previous solution.
"Our team had an outstanding experience with VLCM, whose people carefully listened to our top priorities and presented responsive solutions that met precisely what we were looking for, said Scott Samowitz, Jacobsen Construction's VP of Information Technology. "From ideation to installation, we had the peace of mind that we were in good hands. It was clear from the start that VLCM shares Jacobsen's commitment to creating an enduring product and establishing lasting relationships."
As a Platinum-level HPE partner, VLCM has fulfilled the necessary engineering requirements to help best our customers succeed in storage, server, and networking projects. To learn more about VLCM's infrastructure expertise, contact us at www.vlcm.com/contact.
