Filofax
Established in 1921, Filofax is a company based in the UK that produces a range of well-known personal organiser wallets. The organisers are traditionally leather bound and have a six-ring loose-leaf binder system. The company also markets a range of personal leather goods and luggage under the “Filofax” brand.
Challenge
Filofax were at the early stages of assessing their end of life physical server estate and looking at specific challenges around storage, performance and capacity. Historically, they had used Direct Attached Storage (DAS) but wanted to explore the better performance and management available from SAN technologies. Filofax had limited storage options and an inadequate backup procedure under their old infrastructure. Server virtualisation was a priority, as they were hoping to consolidate their aging server estate and take advantage of the improved management and Disaster Recovery benefits of the VMware vSphere.
Solution
The Filofax UK solution included:
- VMware vSphere server virtualisation
- Veeam Backup & Replication
- HP P2000 SAN
- HP ProLiant server hardware
Both Microsoft AD and Exchange were upgraded in advance of the main installation, and Veeam software enabled the instant recovery of their systems and VMs. SysGroup provided 24/7 monitoring of the new Filofax infrastructure and systems, alongside remote and onsite IT support for the VMware, HP, and Veeam technologies.
Result
The solutions created for Filofax UK led to direct benefits including:
- Greater resilience for core IT systems
- Consolidation of server hardware
- Reduced support costs
- Improved availability of network services
- A streamlined, manageable, faster backup process
SysGroup’s approach to our virtualisation requirement was exemplary – their technical knowledge and professional advice was key to the successful project delivery. The new VMware vSphere server virtualisation has allowed us to consolidate our physical machines and host a centrally-managed, more resilient server platform.
Adam Lewis Group IT Manager
