Business Challenge

Thanks to continued business growth, a large, international manufacturer had outgrown the storage infrastructure supporting the mission-critical ERP system that ran its worldwide manufacturing operations. The manufacturer needed a storage solution that would provide better service to its entire business by supporting high availability computing and higher operational efficiencies. It also needed a solution that would provide a foundation for advanced disaster recovery initiatives, and that would scale well for future growth. The manufacturer had already identified its strategy and high-level specifications, but was concerned that a solution meeting all of its requirements would not be affordable.

Solution

Working jointly with both business and IT decision-makers within the organization, Forsythe applied its Forward Progress Methodology  to help the manufacturer understand, document, and prioritize its key application-service-level-requirements. One element of Forsythe's Forward Progress Methodology is to begin fact-finding with "big picture" questions about business objectives, operations, and expectations. Only when these drivers have been identified for the particular organization does Forsythe focus on the technical requirements they imply.

Like many companies, the manufacturer's business was seasonal. Downtime during slower periods would result in minimal business interruption, while downtime during its peak season could cost the company significant business. Forsythe designed a storage infrastructure that best fit the company's requirements for availability, performance, and scalability, and helped the company select technology that carried out the design at optimal cost. Forsythe also provided project management, implementation, and data migration services, remaining hands-on until the new system was up and running smoothly.

Results

The manufacturer's storage infrastructure is now supporting its enterprise environment at availability and performance levels that not only meet the company's requirements, but also have the flexibility and scalability to support rapid growth. In addition, the new storage design provides the needed foundation for advanced disaster recovery infrastructure. At the same time, it has created improved IT management efficiencies that have enabled the company to avoid incurring the expense of additional staff. Furthermore, according to the company's senior management, the project was among the most successful and non-disruptive of any major IT project the company had ever undertaken.