BACKGROUND
Working from premises in Cheadle, Cheshire, throughout the 1970s and 80s, APS Group built a successful business as a high-quality printer, with a reputation for exceptional customer service. By the mid-90s, the business had grown rapidly and the strategic decision to move into print management led to the relocation to purpose-built premises in Cheadle Heath in 1998. APS Group is a leader in print management, which is a sector that is constantly developing new technologies and services to retain existing customers and attract new ones. It firmly believes that the companies which are most likely to succeed are the ones which have the ability to capitalise on new developments and share them with their partners.
SOLUTION
In line with the growing needs of its business, APS Group made the decision to invest in an infrastructure which would allow it to more easily failover to a second location. As a platform for a future virtual environment APS Group required a storage solution which would support the VMware environment, and a significant increase in stored data volumes with the introduction of a new digital asset management system. This workflow management tool for graphics stores every image produced and allows central management.
Three Dell EqualLogic arrays were deployed in primary storage areas, providing tiered storage, for high volume archives. A separate Storage Network was created using Cisco switches. A replication unit was also provisioned for use on a separate site providing suitable Disaster Recovery.
RESULT
APS Group now has a solution which provides a platform for its growing storage requirements. The solution will continue to support the company as it moves towards a virtual environment, giving resilience and a secure storage platform.
“The solution installed by SICL was designed to fulfill our requirements and growing storage needs. It was installed within timescales set by APS Group to coincide with the introduction of our new digital asset management system.”.
Christopher Wood
IT Infrastructure Manager