Case study: Server Failure
Location: Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong
Company size: 30-50 users
Company sector: Medical equipment supplier
Executive Summary:
Suffering a server failure due to a power outage, our client suffered registry corruption of their server resulting in no access to their CRM, data and email.
Being on our managed support contract ensured that we were aware of both the issue, created a crisis management plan and had a backup plan in place.
Resolution:
- Migrated users to Office 365 email removing all future on-premise mail issues and enabling 99.99% uptime for email services
- Provision of new hardware platform giving a stable and robust environment for future growth
- Provide new virtualised server solution enabling a faster restore plan
- Update of CRM software
Introduction:
Our client, a medical equipment supplier with 30-50 users, relied heavily on their on-premise server to access their CRM, data, and email. When a power outage caused their server to fail and resulted in registry corruption, they were unable to access their critical applications and data. As their managed IT services provider, we quickly responded to their call for help and created a crisis management plan to mitigate the impact of the server failure.
Problem and Challenges:
The problem our client faced was a common one among SMEs with on-premise servers. When a hardware failure or power outage occurs, it can result in lost productivity, lost revenue, and damage to the company’s reputation.
This posed several challenges, difficulties, and complexities for our team to resolve:
Time Sensitivity:
The server failure caused a complete halt in our client’s business operations, resulting in lost productivity, lost revenue, and damage to the company’s reputation. Our team had to act quickly to restore access to their critical applications and data.
Limited Resources
: As an SME, our client had limited resources and personnel to deal with the server failure. They relied on our expertise and support to resolve the issue quickly and effectively.
Hardware Failure:
The power outage caused a hardware failure in the server, resulting in registry corruption and data loss. Our team had to diagnose and resolve the hardware issues before restoring access to the applications and data.
Data Recovery:
The registry corruption and data loss made it challenging to recover the client’s data and applications. We had to use specialized tools and techniques to recover as much data as possible, while ensuring that the data was not further compromised.
Future-proofing:
We had to consider the client’s future growth and expansion needs while resolving the server failure. Our solution had to be scalable, reliable, and flexible, ensuring that it could handle the client’s future needs.
Our goal was to restore our client’s access to their critical applications and data as quickly as possible, while also providing a more reliable and robust IT infrastructure for their future growth.
Solution:
Brief Intro:
Our solution involved the use of the latest cloud and virtualization technologies. We migrated our client’s email system to Office 365, a cloud-based email service that provides 99.99% uptime and removes the risk of on-premise mail issues in the future. We also provided the client with a new Dell PowerEdge server with the latest hardware, including an Intel Xeon processor and solid-state drives, for a stable and robust environment.
Migrating Email to Office 365:
To provide a more reliable email service and remove the risk of on-premise mail issues, we migrated our client’s email system to Office 365, a cloud-based email service. We chose Office 365 because it provides a high level of uptime, security, and accessibility for our client’s email system. With Office 365, our client now has a more reliable email service that can be accessed from anywhere, ensuring that they can stay connected with their customers and employees.
Providing a New Dell PowerEdge Server:
To provide a stable and robust environment for our client’s future growth, we provided a new Dell PowerEdge server with the latest hardware. We chose the Dell PowerEdge server because it is a proven server platform that is reliable, scalable, and easy to manage. The latest Intel Xeon processor and solid-state drives provided high-performance computing and fast data access. The server is also energy-efficient, which helps reduce our client’s power consumption and operational costs.
Setting Up a New Virtualized Server Solution using VMware vSphere:
To ensure a faster restore plan and fault-tolerant features, we set up a new virtualized server solution using VMware vSphere. We chose VMware vSphere because it is a proven virtualization technology that provides a high level of availability, scalability, and flexibility for our client’s applications and data. The virtualized server solution enabled us to quickly restore our client’s data and applications in case of any future issues. The fault-tolerant features of the virtualized server solution ensured that the client’s applications and data were always available, even in case of hardware failures.
Updating the CRM Software:
To ensure that our client’s business operations are secure and up-to-date, we updated their CRM software to the latest version. We chose to update the CRM software because it is an essential application for our client’s business operations, and it needed the latest features and security updates. The updated CRM software provided the latest features, including better reporting and analytics, which helped our client make better business decisions.
The results of our solution were successful, and our client was able to quickly recover from the server failure. By migrating to Office 365, the client now has a more reliable email system, which ensures that they can access their email anytime, anywhere. The new hardware platform and virtualized server solution have provided the client with a stable and robust environment for their future growth, reducing the risk of any future server failures. The fault-tolerant features of the virtualized server ensure that the client’s applications and data are always available, providing a high level of availability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our use of the latest cloud and virtualization technologies allowed us to provide a reliable and robust solution for our client’s server failure. As an professional IT services provider, we were able to respond quickly to the crisis, restore access to critical applications and data, and provide a more reliable and future-proof IT infrastructure. We are committed to providing the best IT support to our clients.
