In anticipation of large data growth due to acquisitions and expansion, one company deployed a network storage server, which it now leverages for real-time replication, high availability and scalable backup.
Background
WaterFurnace International is an Indiana-based manufacturer of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly geothermal comfort systems, indoor air quality products, and pool heaters. The company serves both residential and commercial customers, with thousands of installations around the world. WaterFurnace International has long been the leader in the North American ground source heat pump industry and now serves a growing international customer base in countries including Australia, Brazil, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Spain.
The problem
WaterFurnace International expected to grow rapidly through both organic expansion and acquisitions in the short term and beyond. WaterFurnace had 300 users on a Microsoft Windows environment and hosted business systems, including Microsoft Exchange Server and an ERP system. As a lean manufacturing company, WaterFurnace historically had a direct-attached storage (DAS) environment and would run disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) backups nightly with two dedicated backup servers. There was no remote disaster recovery (DR) system in place.
In anticipation of massive data growth, the company set out to virtualize its environment and implement a DR and backup system that could scale to accommodate what it estimated would eventually be 10 to 20 terabytes of data. The primary task was to find a storage virtualization solution that could protect the data, decrease IT problems and downtime, and support the creation of a strategic disaster recovery plan. Objectives for the project included leveraging virtualization throughout the IT environment, replicating data offsite for DR, eliminating unplanned downtime, and ensuring scalability.
Solution
As a publicly traded company, WaterFurnace International had to consider the stringent audit process and the liability of unplanned and lengthy downtime. The company undertook the virtualization project to eliminate that threat. At the suggestion of technology service provider MapleTronics, WaterFurnace implemented VMware technology and explored storage virtualization solutions, ultimately choosing FalconStor® Network Storage Server (NSS) over solutions from competitors such as NetApp and Dell.
Several factors went into that decision. Price was important, but the features of the technology were paramount, as was the ability to integrate with VMware and the company’s HP servers. With an eye on growth, WaterFurnace International didn’t want to lock into one vendor, and the vendor-agnostic nature of FalconStor NSS was compelling. FalconStor NSS provides an open storage virtualization architecture that integrates seamlessly with WaterFurnace’s environment to complement VMware technology.
WaterFurnace International now leverages FalconStor NSS for real-time replication, with a third FalconStor appliance installed for backup and high availability (HA) for data housed on approximately 40 servers. The company has traded in its nightly tape backups for a solution that decreases the strain on the seven-member IT staff without the requirements for upgrades of existing technology investments. WaterFurnace International can still use its legacy storage under the new system, and FalconStor NSS can present it to the servers in a seamless fashion.
Because FalconStor NSS is an integrated solution, implementation was simple and WaterFurnace experienced minimal disruption to business operations duringdeployment. The company also gained the real-time replication and HA capabilities it originally sought. With the technology to store data with confidence and peace-of-mind, WaterFurnace International is in a better position to further expand its virtual environment and its worldwide customer base.