With the recent merger of the IT capabilities of Eskom, Transnet and Denel into one entity, Lechabile Information Technology (IT) Services was tasked with the installation of EMC systems at newly founded IT company arivia.kom.
With the meeting of three disparate storage systems, the need for them to be solid and reliable was vital. "To us, the key factors in terms of storage include high availability, redundancy and security. Scalability is also critical, to maintain the expected growth," says Zeph Serepo, managing executive of infrastructure business for arivia.kom.
Lechabile is, according to Serepo, more than a mere "box dropper", but rather a complete solutions provider. "We required a storage vendor that can advise, consult and support, not only on the storage products but also on the company`s key business and technology decisions. Lechabile offered infrastructure and architecture recommendations and we are certain that as our storage needs grow on a monthly basis, we will have both the hardware and software to sustain it."
EMC and Lechabile have a longstanding relationship. "Having recently renewed our VAR (value-added reseller) agreement with EMC, we are confident that we have the skill, expertise and qualifications to successfully complete any given storage solution. However, should a particularly tricky storage problem arise, EMC is able to assist us," says Winston Mosiako, MD of Lechabile IT Services.
When it came to storage consolidation, both arivia.kom and Lechabile agreed that EMC offered the most appropriate solution for this project. Says Mosiako: "Apart from present capacity issues, we also had to ensure future growth potential. Two complete computer centres had to be backed up, one the actual site and the other the mirror site."
Because of their previous experiences with the EMC line, the companies that make up arivia.kom also had confidence in the product. EMC storage products were added to the arivia mainframes, and then three full-time consultants from Lechabile took up office at arivia.kom. "Our consultants are very familiar with the arivia environment as well as with the EMC product line, thus hiccups were sorted out quickly," adds Mosiako.
"It was also vital to ensure capacity expansion and future growth. It is a question of enabling storage capacity at arivia.kom, not adding on," explains Mosiako.
According to Serepo, Lechabile consistently delivered quality product within the desired time frame. "We have been working with Lechabile for a number of years. Not only are they efficient but also very flexible, willing to accommodate any style and environment."
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