International Manufacturer Finds Flexibility and Reliability in Server Upgrade

Business Needs

An international leader in metallic driers and producer of heat stabilizers hired PC Professional to assist in a server upgrade as well as implement remote monitoring services. With very little technical expertise in-house, the client reached out to our IT consulting team. The client needed to replace their failing Microsoft Exchange 2003 server with a rack-mountable HP server. Their existing server was down to less than a few gigabytes of memory which caused daily issues with email.

Along with their server upgrade, the client requested remote monitoring for their network to ensure continuous uptime along with reporting and automatic alerts for any issues that may arise.

Solution

Our IT consultants met with the client to identify their specific criteria and designed the best solution to fit their needs. The main issue was that the client’s old server was running out of disk space, which in turn caused several alerts. These continuous alerts created panic among the client’s team and they feared they would lose email functionality all together. Because Blackberry mobile devices along with email are an integral part of their business, the client needed a solution that was reliable and hassle-free.

After a solution was designed and approved, our tech team led the way in retiring the client’s old server, which was wiped clean with a new operating system loaded. The old server now controls data backup.

With a new server purchased, the client wanted confirmation that their server was up and running at all times.  Our remote monitoring program was an easy fit for this need. In addition, with remote monitoring, the client can now monitor disk space and know exactly how much memory is being used.

Benefits

With most clients, we see the need to either expand the life of their hardware or use hardware until end-of-life. In this case, our client used up their disk space until there was none. Once the server migration was completed, the client immediately experienced the benefits of an updated processor and more hard drive space with a new HP server. Additionally, the client purchased Microsoft 2008 R2 and Microsoft Exchange 2010, which now gives them the most up to date operating system for their server and the new features in Exchange 2010. They are able to access email from anywhere as well as protect and control their environment much more efficiently than before.  Per the advice of our IT consultants, the old server is now being used for data backups, hence extending its investment life span.