X-IO helps with holSystems’ storage performance challenges

holSystems, a leading provider of hands-on labs, demos, and classroom training, continues to excel in the cloud after announcing that it is using X-IO’s Intelligent Storage Element (ISE) solutions to underpin its IT platform.

As a provider of hundreds of cloud-based events and global training sessions every year, getting the best performance and reliability from its IT systems are key to holSystems’ success. After picking an X-IO ISE storage system, which is purpose built for server and desktop virtualisation, cloud computing and other multi-tenant workloads, holSystems has resolved its I/O performance challenges.

holSystems’ delivers high-performance hands-on labs, instructor-led labs, demos, and seminars directly from the cloud. The company’s growth globally meant its infrastructure was becoming a victim of its own success. To support its evolving business needs, the company decided to move selected parts of its services to a cloud model from its originally on-premise hardware model, with the goal of delivering exceptional performance to its customers. However, it wasn’t long before this mixed environment experienced I/O bottlenecks and a decrease in performance.

In need of a storage update, holSystems turned to The Mirazon Group, provider of technology solutions and consulting services. Mirazon recommended and helped deploy an X-IO ISE 200 Series performance storage array. The system provides an ideal balance of price, performance, capacity and reliability. It also eliminates the previous storage painpoints holSystems faced.

Corey Hynes, CEO, holSystems said: “The ISE system was a piece of cake to bring online. We deployed the solution in half a dozen clicks, with immediate results; the platform is well designed, offers high-performance, is very affordable, and can handle all the high profile event-facing workloads we manage, such as Microsoft TechEd and Microsoft BUILD.

“We have just completed our third hosting capacity increase this year adding 2.5TB of RAM and LAN switching fabrics, and a series of new high performance firewall devices. The advance in our infrastructure supported by X-IO has increased our offering and ultimately our competitive edge.”

Blair Parkhill, VP of Marketing, X-IO said: “We love working with leading-edge providers that are pushing the envelope of cloud services. At TechEd North America 2013 holSystems provided over 19,000 lab environments, with an average of 4.5 virtual machines per environment, all over a 5-day period. It’s about reliability, predictability, and cost, and to know that Mirazon and holSystems look to X-IO technologies for highly visible, highly concurrent and highly productive infrastructures, well… that says it all.”