Business Challenge

A major travel reservation service provider was experiencing performance problems with its large, computerized reservation system, which processes millions of transactions a day.  Running on hundreds of servers, across a variety of computing platforms, the system used multiple backup and recovery methods, none of which were providing the desired level of data protection or application availability.  The existing environment made disaster recovery with rapid application restart impossible. The company’s IT management was acutely aware of the urgency of implementing a solution that would support continuous availability, provide for standardized data management and data protection, and enable data recovery in the event of a business interruption.

Solution

Employing its Forsythe Forward Progress(sm) Methodology, Forsythe worked with a variety of functional groups within the IT organization to assist the company in evaluating its business and application service requirements.  Forsythe then evaluated its current server and storage assets, identifying which could be reused and which were candidates for replacement.  Forsythe also determined that a reliable, manageable solution would require the enhancement of the company’s current backup and recovery method, and standardization on one tool across all systems.  Specifically, Forsythe helped the company determine that an improved, SAN-attached tape library with current tape and media technology was the appropriate solution. In addition, Forsythe assisted the company in creating a roadmap for its future requirements. 

Applying its high availability principles to the company’s environment, Forsythe led the architectural design of an enterprise storage solution that would deliver the services levels its applications required. The design included a high-availability SAN, enterprise storage sub-systems with local- and remote-replication software, and an enterprise backup and recovery system with enhanced tape and tape-library technology.  Forsythe assisted the company in evaluating a number of industry-leading solutions and acquiring the combination of technology (from multiple manufacturers) that best met its needs.  Forsythe then provided overall project management, and worked with the multiple vendors involved to integrate the new system.

Results

With the new enterprise storage environment in place, the company is better able to manage its mission-critical data.  In addition, its data protection methods are greatly enhanced and its application availability has significantly improved. Its end-users are benefiting from the excellent application performance.  The company has built a strong foundation for executing advanced disaster recovery measures in the near future.