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Success story
The reliability of a managed and hyperconverged infrastructure: the case of FERCAM
In all project phases, the relationship with Dell Technologies, of which deda tech is a Titanium Partner, has been instrumental.
For more than seventy years, FERCAM has been among Europe’s leading logistics operators.
Values such as determination, reliability, respect and enthusiasm are the principles that have guided the company in its expansion and internationalization process.
FERCAM’s vision is to create excellent logistics solutions and experiences, not only for its customers, but also for the environment.
Countries in which it operates
21
Contributors
2.200
Turnover 2022
€ 1 MLD
Evolution
Activation of first ManS services for AS400 and for SAP.
New backup architecture based on Veeam and Dell DataDomain tape library.
Increased reliability on x86, Power and Storage systems due to continued growth of FERCAM and related IT loads.
Hyperconverged architecture design (Dell VxRAIL) and replication on two geographically distinct sites.
SCENARIO
Transform your infrastructure, which is no longer able to guarantee security and soundness for your business.FERCAM’s history began in Bolzano, Italy, in 1949, as a small family business dedicated to rail carriage.
The first modes of transportation adopted were road and rail, which had their success with the acquisition of the company from the trucking company Eduard Baumgartner in 1963.
In 1981, FERCAM opened its first foreign subsidiary in Germany, in Munich.
Since then, exponential growth of the business has occurred through the opening of a series of subsidiaries throughout Europe, the Mediterranean basin, and Asia.
The advent of Information Technology and the company’s now international presence made it necessary to equip itself with cutting-edge technological solutions: first, in 1994, thanks to the online connection of the network it managed to reduce barcode Tracking & Tracing.
In this context began the relationship between deda tech, Dedagroup’s Managed Cloud & Security Services Provider, and FERCAM , which over the years became more and more intense, with the aim of defining and updating the best technological solutions able to best follow the evolution of the market.
The continuous comparison and the common goal of growth have allowed deda tech to turn out to be the ideal partner to support FERCAM year after year in its expansion, actively reacting to the different needs that a constantly moving business like FERCAM’s requires.
Hence the need for FERCAM to transform its infrastructure, no longer capable of guaranteeing security and solidity for its business, by focusing on saving both “downtime” and time.
The starting scenario saw the client with a classic infrastructure (computing + storage), with servers installed within a single datacenter located in Bolzano, making FERCAM vulnerable and exposed to potential damaging events that reduce business reliability.
In reviewing the infrastructure, FERCAM decided to embrace the concept of hyperconvergence in stretched cluster mode by going to redundant infrastructure on two different and geographically distant sites.
In this way, even in the event that one of the sites was compromised, the company’s data would remain safe while ensuring business continuity.
In order to achieve this, FERCAM has previously equipped itself with high-performance connectivity that can guarantee minimal latency times.
Throughout the project phases, the relationship with Dell Technologies, of which deda tech is a Titanium Partner, was decisive and allowed us to work in close collaboration with the client in order to fully understand its business needs to guarantee the expected results.
The client also chose to rely on deda tech, Dedagroup’s Managed Cloud & Security Services Provider, for the management of the new infrastructure signed Dell Technologies, activating a ManS for Infrastructure service able to guarantee a higher level of protection and efficiency to protect its investment.
Proposal and solution
Dell VxRAIL the deda tech ManS for Infrastructure service that allows it to devolve management responsibility.
Fundamental to this was theprerequisite analysis and compilation phase , carried out jointly between Dell Technologies, deda tech and FERCAM, which enabled a Dell Technologies configurator to simulate the implementation of the infrastructure by defining the components and activities required for installation. Perceiving results before achieving them conveyed confidence to the client in the implementation of the solution and demonstrated the competence of the team that followed them through all phases of the project. The customer’s choice turned to ahyperconverged architecture (HPI) in stretched cluster mode designed to support a large part of FERCAM’s business and to be installed on two separate sites, one in Trento and one in Bolzano, guaranteeing in case of need the continuity of the services entrusted to it. The Dell VxRAIL architecture proposed by deda tech to the client does not include external Storage because it is already present on the various nodes, virtualized by VSAN software, the cornerstone of Dell Technologies’ hyperconverged solution. Specifically, for FERCAM, the solution consists of 4 nodes distributed on two datacenters and replicated in synchronous mode, sharing loads to avoid information loss in case of failures. The infrastructure approach adopted allows the company to continue its operations even after the loss of one datacenter and the simultaneous loss of one of the four secondary nodes. Thus, the client achieves high resilience not only within the same site but also geographically. The customer finally chose for the management of its Dell VxRAIL infrastructure the deda tech service
ManS for Infrastructure, which allows it to devolve the responsibility for management in a
24×7 support entrusted to certified, competent and experienced personnel. Once the deda tech infrastructure was deployed, Dedagroup’s Managed Cloud & Security Services Provider successfully followed the customer in migrating from the previous infrastructure to the new one, all hot on the heels of FERCAM’s business disruption. Two were the winning elements:
- The synergy between Dell Technologies partners and deda tech that enabled them to understand the customer’s needs.
- The quality of the Dell VxRail solution capable of ensuring enterprise data protection.
Solution developed in close collaboration with Dell Technologies and Intel
For almost 15 years I had a dream in the drawer: to build for the Company I work for, a Highly Reliable Datacenter solution, on two sites at least 50km apart, that would ensure equal contribution in terms of workload but most importantly business continuity even in case of a serious adverse event.
Our Business so fast, responsive with an extreme focus on the customer and the quality of services delivered, requires performant, scalable and highly available information systems.
Dell VxRail technology combined with deda tech’s strong vertical expertise helped make my dream come true!
Chief Technology Officer - FERCAM
Achievements
High-performance connectivity with extremely low latency times.For the logistics and transportation sector, time is a key variable that should not be overlooked and invested in to achieve ever higher levels of efficiency while remaining competitive in the market.
The premise is to secure high-performance connectivity with extremely low latency times.
Next, it is equally important to rely on an infrastructure that can safeguard the company from adverse events that could cause damage to business continuity itself.
Choosing a relevant and reliable vendor like Dell Technologies, with specialized staff and vertical expertise, has enabled FERCAM to invest time, resources and budget in one of the most cutting-edge solutions on the market. Similarly, entrusting deda tech with infrastructure management by choosing the “Mans for Infrastructure” service has enabled the company to focus its resources on activities that are strictly strategic to its business.
Now FERCAM has achieved its goals:
- Innovate the previous infrastructure, replacing it with a more efficient one;
- Hire certified and constantly updated personnel to monitor the infrastructure;
- Ensure business continuity in case of unforeseen and adverse events;
- Contain and plan costs while meeting the set budget.
The expertise and professionalism demonstrated during the project allowed deda tech to consolidate both the decades-long trust that characterizes the relationship with FERCAM and the Titanium-certified partnership with Dell Technologies. Investing in technology and innovation is an ongoing process for FERCAM, which is already working with deda tech to continue developing its infrastructure, making it increasingly secure.
In fact, the next goal is to secure business operations not only with the loss of one data center and one node, but also with the loss of one data center and two nodes on the secondary.
