Introduction
GPXS produce solutions for managing Blackberry handheld devices. These solutions allow global corporations to rollout software to and manage the use of large fleets of blackberries. Their clients include many Fortune 500 companies.
Problem: Lack of Capacity
GPXS have a requirement to test their solutions in IT environments which are similar to their large clients in order to ensure high levels of quality in their products. However, to replicate the IT infrastructure of some of the worlds largest financial institutions using conventional methods would have involved substantial cost and large quantities of hardware.
Challenge: Doing More with Less
The challenge of this project was to deliver a solution within a limited budget, provide an infrastructure that employees with existing skills could manage and which would be expandable and flexible into the future. This appeared extremely difficult to achieve with the resources available but with the use of the latest virtualisation technology the seemingly impossible requirements were satisfied and exceeded.
Solution: Virtualised Infrastructure
Actionpoint provided a Virtualised Infrastructure powered by VMWare to meet the needs of GPXS. This involved using a small number of high specced Dell PowerEdge servers.
On these physical servers Actionpoint were able to build a number of separate virtual corporate environments, each of which consisted of a considerable number of virtual servers. Using these virtual servers we were able to build a series of Active Directory forests which included large numbers of SQL, Exchange and BES servers.
Each environment had snapshots taken and procedures implemented to allow them to be reset to clean configurations after each testing run. This allowed GPXS to test their solutions consistently in environments which mirrored their Fortune 500 clients at a suitable level of cost .
During the course of the project a number of key requirements were altered to ensure that the virtual environments would be as flexible as possible in the years to come. Despite these alterations the project was still delivered in budget.
Technologies Used
Dell PowerEdge Systems, Cisco networking hardware, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Exchange 2003, Exchange 2007, SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005, Blackberry Enterprise Server, VMWare Server, ESX 3.5, VMWare Virtual Infrastructure.
“Action Point have completed a very complex project with stringent requirements and tight budget constraints. What most impressed me about Action Point is their ability to overcome difficult unforeseeable issues and still deliver the project in a very cost effective manner. I would recommend them highly to any business looking for IT support, IT services or hardware.”
Kieran O’Farrell, Managing Director, GPXS R&D Ltd.
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