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In today’s financial climate the need to implement a cost effective and well thought out disaster recovery plan is pivotal.

This workshop will help you understand how leading-edge disaster recovery / storage solutions  can benefit your IT environment (whether virtualised or traditional).

Agenda

- Unified Storage & Why it is critical to disaster recovery
- VMWare Site Recovery Manager Overview & Demo
- LAGAN Holdings Site Recovery Manager Case-Study
*1st implementation of its kind in Ireland

Who Should Attend

All IT Decision Makers & Operations Managers

HURRY – Places are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis – so register now to ensure your free place.

If you have any questions on the workshop email edwina.nugent@novosco.com   or telephone +44(0)2890 817171

Posted in: Events

Left to right: Simon Hamilton - Technical Director, John Lennon - Sales Director, David Mulligan - Solution Architect

Novosco ranked 43^rd place in Ireland’s top 50 fastest growing technology companies

Belfast & Dublin,  29th October  2008 — Novosco, a leading provider of virtual infrastructure announced today that it has once again been awarded a ranking in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards, Ireland.  Ranked for the ninth consecutive year, Novosco is uniquely also one of only three companies to additionally receive a prestigious Fast 50 ‘Gold Standard Award’.

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards recognise and rank the fastest-growing technology companies in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  Now in its ninth year, the programme allows innovative technology companies to demonstrate and receive recognition for growth strategies and successes.  This year, the Fast 50 ‘Gold Standard Awards’ have also been introduced to recognise companies that have successfully been ranked for seven or more years.

“Novosco is delighted to be ranked for the ninth time in the Deloitte Top 50 Technology Awards and is one of only three companies to achieve a ranking every year of the awards,” said Patrick McAliskey, Managing Director for Novosco.  “Through the use of innovative technology and strong vendor partnerships, Novosco is leading the industry in the concept of ‘infrastructure virtualisation’ and is positioned to transform the IT world for clients throughout the UK & Ireland”.

IT virtualisation is the act of isolating or unbinding one computing resource from others – from the data centre to the desktop.  It essentially lets one computer do the job of multiple computers, by sharing the resources of a single computer across multiple environments.  It offers organisations of all sizes great cost savings and efficiencies in reducing their carbon footprint.  With over 18 year’s virtualisation experience, Novosco has successfully assisted customers in implementing various aspects of virtualisation; from Server virtualisation right through to running virtual applications and desktops. The Awards which took place in the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin are based on percentage turnover over the past 5 years.  Novosco’s ranking is testament to the fact that turnover has grown substantially, with a customer acquisition growth rate of over 110% within both private and public sectors.

With the demand for Virtualisation technology forecasted to grow at a phenomenal rate, Novosco’s position as Ireland’s leading virtualisation expert is set to continue to go from strength to strength.

About Novosco

Novosco is one of Ireland’s leading providers of virtual IT infrastructure and services and is committed to assisting customers in the evaluation of all potential solutions, including the optimisation of current IT systems.  With established hardware/software vendor partnerships including Citrix, EMC, Microsoft and VMware, Novosco offers the highest level of accreditation in Ireland for Virtualisation solutions.  This approach enables Novosco to develop and deliver cost-effective solutions that are an asset to client’s businesses.  Novosco have provided solutions to a range of clients including government establishments and private sector organisations of all sizes.

For more information visit www.novosco.com

For more information on the final Technology Fast 50 ranking list visit www.fast50.ie.

Posted in: Press Releases Tags: awards, business, Novosco

Learn how to reduce your IT costs and increase performance at this free one-day Citrix Virtualisation Solutions Seminar, Dublin.

Are you excited about the power of VDI, but find the economics and performance lacking? Join us at Clontarf Castle to find out how Citrix is changing the way the world looks at end-to-end virtualisation.

Topics Covered

Citrix XenDesktop – Virtualising Windows-based desktops.
XenDesktop is the industry’s first complete Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) system – moving beyond the limitations of existing products to ensure the simple, secure and cost effective delivery of Windows desktops to any office worker.

Citrix XenApp – Delivering Windows-based applications.
This application delivery system automatically selects the best delivery method for the user, the application, and the location.

Citrix XenServer – Virtualising Windows-based servers.
The XenServer product line is an enterprise-class server solution for virtualising servers in the data centre as a flexible aggregated pool of computing and storage resources. XenServer combines comprehensive server virtualisation capabilities with unparalleled scalability, performance and ease-of-use.

Who Should Attend

All IT Decision Makers

When

From 09.30 to 16.30 on 16th October 2008

Where

Clontarf Castle, Dublin

Places are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis – so register now, by clicking the following link, to ensure your free place. We look forward to seeing you there!

Posted in: Events Tags: Citrix, virtualisation

People, processes and technology are the hot topics on the CSO agenda for the next three years.

“Business continuity is further up the corporate agenda than it has ever been and is no longer being viewed as a necessary burden but as an opportunity to increase productivity, retain customers and gain revenue.” said Martin Hingley, EMEA chief research officer, IDC.

The IT system is the business system and the data contained within constitutes an organisation’s capital. An IT interruption means business interruption, and data leakage equals value leakage. CSOs must now understand, therefore, that they are business-oriented professionals, not just security engineers.

IDC’s Business Continuity and Security conference will examine the hottest topics, including:

• Protecting your mission critical operations
• Cost-effective protection of critical business data
• Managed security services

Visit Novosco at IDC’s Business Continuity and Security Conference to learn how virtualisation technology offers one of those rare opportunities to improve business efficiency, simplify business continuity, and tighten security.

Posted in: Events Tags: business continuity, IDC

With the acquisition of XenSource, Citrix now offers the industry’s broadest end-to-end Virtualisation portfolio extending across servers, applications and desktops. DataCore, the leading independent software vendor specialises in storage virtualisation, storage management and storage networking.

The session will provide practical advice, product information and a live demonstration of virtualisation from applications and desktops, through to servers and storage the only demo of its type in Ireland.

The demonstration and briefing will benefit all those responsible for managing and securing business critical IT environments. Novosco and DataSolutions will provide a practical demonstration on how to incorporate end-to-end virtualisation into IT environments, while addressing the main priorities of IT managers today cost control and consolidation.

Technologies including Citrix XenDesktop, Citrix XenServer, Citrix XenApp, Citrix Provisioning Server, Marathon everRun VM and DataCore SANmelody will be demonstrated.

When

Friday, 5th September 2008 from 10:00am to 12:30pm

Where

DataSolutions
Training Centre
Unit B3
Nangor Road Business Park Nangor Road
Dublin 12

Posted in: Events Tags: Citrix, virtualisation

The Malton Hotel, formerly the Great Southern Hotel Killarney, has chosen Novosco to host and manage its IT infrastructure for the next three years. The project was delivered within one month and provides The Malton with a level of resilience and flexibility normally only available to large corporations.

The solution leverages several types of virtualisation to allow all of The Malton’s applications to run securely and in a well performing manner from a dedicated data centre.

The most unique aspect of the deal however, is that everything was paid for as a service. “It may surprise some people that the capital expenditure figure for this project was zero.  Not only is this attractive from a cashflow point of view, but this approach brings additional benefits, such as the fact that The Malton now has a consistent and predictable cost for IT for at least the next three years. This brings the business some comfort in uncertain times,” explains Eddie O’Rourke, Sales Director with Novosco.

“We liked this approach because it meant that everything was paid for out of operating expenditure. The idea of investing in lots of hardware which depreciates very quickly was not appealing to us. Most importantly, we have been extremely happy with the performance and support of the system since it went live,” adds Conor Hennigan, General Manager of The Malton.

The project is different from traditional hosted solutions due to the fact that the customer did not bring any hardware to the data centre. O’Rourke explains how this was possible: “By making the upfront investment in what is effectively ‘virtual IT real estate’, a bit like an ‘application hotel’, we can charge out virtual ‘plots’ as one single fee without the customer having to make that capital investment.  This virtual plot happens to live inside a dedicated data centre, making both the physical systems and the surrounding environment completely resilient.

“The additional value that Novosco brings to this scenario is our unique understanding of application delivery. In other words, we are the Irish leaders in delivering diverse applications to diverse locations. The days of private companies having to worry about such things are hopefully coming to an end,” O’Rouke concludes.

The Malton Hotel is a stunning Victorian hotel and much-loved Irish landmark. Known for its distinctive architecture, effortless service and genuine hospitality, The Malton has been a favourite hotel in Killarney for over a century and a half. Tucked away on six acres of landscaped gardens, fountains and pathways for rambling, The Malton is unique in combining wide-open space with the convenience of Killarney town.

Posted in: News Tags: datacentre, hosting, virtualisation

Over 300 CIB users across the country realise the benefit of email migration project.

Citizens Information Board (CIB) has chosen Novosco to centralise email operations and facilitate migration for over 300 users in offices across the country using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

Novosco’s solution allows CIB to have an online central view of all CIB and Citizens Information Centres (CIC) email countrywide for the first time, facilitating central backup of all data and greater collaboration possibilities for all users in offices across Ireland.

A web-based system was implemented by Novosco to make the solution accessible to all the CIB’s offices and the national network of CICs. CIB currently has 15 offices throughout the country, including the Head Office in Dublin, five regional offices and nine branch offices. The Board provides the Citizens Information website (www.citizensinformation.ie) and supports the voluntary network of Citizens Information Services (106 Citizens Information Centres nationwide) and the Citizens Information Phone Service (Lo-Call 1890777121).

“The new solution means that email downtime is substantially minimised” says Eddie O’Rourke, sales director with Novosco. “It has also introduced additional functionality such as central calendaring and collaboration.”

The CIB (formerly known as Comhairle) has a broad range of functions, which are set out in the Comhairle Act, 2000. A function of the CIB is to support the provision of information, advice and advocacy services to ensure that individuals have access to accurate, comprehensive and clear information relating to social services and are referred to the relevant services.

“Email is an every day part of The Citizens Information Board and CIC life, supporting communication and data management, responding to customer queries and disseminating information,” says Sinead Forde, ICT Manager at CIB. “We chose Novosco for this strategic project because of their skills in Microsoft Exchange together with their relevant experience with networks of a similar size and shape.”

Exchange Server 2007 was chosen as the technology platform, as it provided the most flexibility in terms of the diverse client requirements as well as the reliability to ensure that access was provided 24×7.

The new application acts as a contact database for CICs, CIB, its suppliers and contacts, also allowing email capability – including send/receive, calendar and task capability-, groups management and group calendars; data management; email archive, backup and restore capability, and also instant messaging and collaboration tools.

The second major factor in making this solution an exceptional experience was continuous replication (CCR) only available with Exchange Server 2007. The CIB wished to move to a more robust e-mail platform, providing cost-effective, centrally managed e-mail and messaging facilities with low administrative overheads, based on proven technologies.

“Changes in the nature of CIB’s email and collaboration requirements were not being met by the existing system,” adds O’Rourke. “The new system is extensible and scalable which means it doesn’t just meet CIB’s current needs but it will also be able to support additional activities and functions that CIB may undertake in the future.”

Posted in: Press Releases Tags: Microsoft, Novosco

More evidence of virtualisation gaining traction in Irish business circles in Enterprise Ireland’s eBusiness Live circular…

The idea of IT virtualisation is fast gaining popularity, but it can be a hard concept to pin down. Different providers, vendors and resellers can define the term in their own way, depending on the product each offers. Essentially, however, IT virtualisation is a way of combining and pooling hardware resources to more efficiently deliver software programs or storage space.

“Virtualisation separates applications from a physical reliance on hardware,” according to Eddie O’Rourke, sales director of virtualised systems provider Novosco. “It allows the running of IT systems on less hardware, reducing energy costs and carbon footprint, and enabling a lot more flexibility and dynamism in terms of how we run systems.”

O’Rourke says technology advances mean the concept of virtualisation is now open to all sizes of business. “It has made the transition from being experimental to the mainstream. Players such as VMware, Citrix, Microsoft and EMC have come out with their own mainstream virtualisation offerings. It has become a platform where people feel comfortable.”

There are two distinct ways in which companies can virtualise their systems. They can purchase virtualised solutions and implement them within their own IT department, or they can ask a partner to take over control of their newly virtualised systems, which are then hosted and maintained off-site.

“If the customer decides to virtualise their on-site infrastructure, there is a capital acquisition cost at the beginning which is clawed back over a number of years,” says O’Rourke. “Alternatively, the provider makes that investment on their behalf, and converts the customer’s physical infrastructure into a virtual one. Then you can buy everything as a service: hardware, software and services.”

Virtualisation can also open up mobility opportunities to staff who may move from site to site or access applications or storage from the road or from home. “At the front end the user can be anywhere and get access to any system at any time,” says O’Rourke.

Before leaping into virtualisation, however, businesses should be aware that the concept is still relatively new and evolving, and it may not work for every business in every situation.

Still, O’Rourke maintains that as the technology progresses, more and more SMEs will choose to virtualise part and then all of their IT function. “Smaller businesses can virtualise one or two applications so that they are available from anywhere on the internet, for example,” he says. “Once they feel comfortable they would introduce more systems into the virtualised environment.”

The future of virtualisation is in eliminating the difference, for the user or smaller business owner, between hardware machines and software applications, according to O’Rourke. “You can now virtualise someone’s entire server room and offer each element back as a service to the business.”

Posted in: News Tags: Novosco

Dublin, Ireland, dateline…SIAC, one of Ireland’s major construction groups, has chosen Novosco to design, implement and support its new virtualised and mission-critical infrastructure catering for the industry’s ever-changing IT requirements.

This dynamic computing environment, implemented by Novosco, will provide SIAC with a flexible and resilient backed infrastructure and will allow the construction leader to enjoy the benefits of a virtualised environment, including ease of management, increased server utilisation, increased availability and recoverability, as well as simple and effective disaster recovery.

“From the outside, the construction industry looks very traditional, however it is in fact large scale engineering at its most agile,” says Eamonn Buckley, group IS & T manager for SIAC Construction Ltd.

“Construction sites are in effect once-off factories with portacabins sometimes housing up to 50 staff with desktops. SIAC, one of Ireland’s largest construction companies, has over 500 IT users at locations ranging from a site office in Inishmean to a steel plant in Brighton.”

The solution enhances resilience and availability at SIAC’s primary site by utilising an ESX HA and DRS cluster which is back ended with a fiber-attached EMC storage array. This platform protects against single component failure and server failure and in addition provides for the most optimal use of server resources at the primary site.

Using the features of VMware VI3, live servers can be moved from one piece of server hardware to another to facilitate maintenance as well as to make maximum use of server resources.

Eddie O’Rourke, Sales Director with Novosco, was quick to point out the benefits of the project, “SIAC have managed to reduce the physical server footprint of their production infrastructure from 30 down to 3.  This has a dramatic and positive impact on the total cost of ownership of their IT infrastructure as a whole.”

“The entire swap out of SIAC’s enterprise Windows servers was achieved within six months, including Exchange and Active Directory upgrades, with a business impact of less than two hours.  In addition, by using live migration technology, production servers never need to go offline, so routine maintenance can be carried out during normal working hours.  This was a strategic project, meaning that the majority of SIAC’s server infrastructure now runs on VMware, including mission critical systems such as ERP and email messaging.  We hope to see the solution pay for itself within nine months”

All servers are now resilient using VMware’s High availability features. VizionCore delivered the back-up solution and the two-hourly replication solution to the DR site.  DR testing of key functionality such as Exchange is easily achieved by bringing up the replicated Exchange server on the DR site within a non-live virtual switch.  VMware VirtualCenter also delivered the added benefit of an excellent remote management tool for SIAC servers.

At the DR site, where the emphasis is on recovery in the event of a disaster, a single ESX host with another EMC CX SAN is implemented. This DR implementation was designed to provide enough storage to house Virtual machine images and allow SIAC to take advantage of replication facilities while also providing SIAC with an environment that can be used to test and develop for future services. As virtual machines were encapsulated into a small number of files, backup and recovery was simplified.

For the purposes of Disaster Recovery, copies of the virtual machine files are required at an offsite location. esxReplicator allows the replication of live virtual machines from one ESX Host to another without the need to maintain a live virtual machine on the destination saving on licensing costs and providing a simple, effective and controllable DR model.

About SIAC

Founded in 1913, SIAC is one of Ireland’s largest contractors and have built a strong reputation and growing business in Ireland and the UK.

Posted in: Press Releases Tags: Novosco

Virtualisation to curb carbon emissions from Irish IT Industry

Dublin, Ireland, dateline… Energy consumption is currently the number one cost for datacentres and virtualisation could be the key to make Irish IT Industry more energy efficient, according to David McAuley, Energy Management expert with Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI).

McAuley spoke at Novosco’s Virtualisation Briefing hosted by The Conrad Hotel, in Dublin, on Thursday 13th February. SEI is a non-profit organization created to help reduce energy and carbon footprint in Ireland.

“Our main goal is to promote sustainable energy through three key elements. The first one and most important is energy efficiency; secondly, integration and innovation, and also renewables and sustainable energy,” he explained.

The event addressed the key benefits of Virtualisation 2.0 and focused on how virtualisation can help companies achieve greater levels of availability and resilience, reduce the cost of managing and maintaining desktop infrastructure by 40% and roll out new applications, but also reduce the power consumption and carbon footprint of IT.

“From an energy point of view, virtualisation has huge potential to have an impact in the industry, since IT is growing so fast. It is a fantastic solution to prevent the increase of energy consumption because it reduces the core energy requirements. By doing this, the impacts of support system inefficiencies are kept to a minimum. This is a key principle in energy management,” he adds.

SEI offers services for businesses interested in receiving advice about energy efficiency. “It is all about optimizing the amount of energy you need. Many datacentres at the moment don’t need as much energy as they use. From this point of view, virtualization is a fantastic technology. If we can have the same system generating less heat, needing less cooling and doing the same job or even doubling the amount or work, this is a great step towards energy efficiency and it has great potential to have huge impact in the carbon emissions coming from the IT industry.”

Exact statistics on energy usage in the IT industry in Ireland are not available yet, according to McAuley. “We have only started looking at the IT industry in particular recently but data from elsewhere tells us that energy costs can be 60% of the data centre operating cost. In the US, almost 2% of the total use of electricity in the country comes from the IT industry and it has doubled since 2001/02, due to the fast increasing number of applications available. This is a very large amount of energy.”

SEI estimates it is easy for businesses to reduce 20% of their energy costs (and therefore their carbon emissions) applying some basic principles of good usage. With technologies like virtualisation, efficiency (value added for energy used) could be improved by 50%.

“I would be cautious on how much energy datacentres can save. Virtualisation is a phenomenal solution but, in the case of IT businesses, we also need to take into account factors like the age of the technology and the existing infrastructure, but it could reach 50%, if we could double the amount of work using with the same energy,” he adds.

“For a datacentre, energy is the number one cost but companies need to know how much it is costing them, in order to set targets and know where they are going energy-wise.”

For more information:

Jillian Godsil, Practice PR & Events, +353 (0) 53 94 29676

Posted in: Press Releases Tags: datacentre, energy, Novosco, virtualisation