Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’

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

A couple of days late, but I wanted to wait a while just in case it was an April Fool.  Citrix have just announced a new “per server” pricing model for XenServer – not per socket or per core, just per physical server.

This is interesting for a couple of reasons: It will increase the size of servers being purchased – a 4U powerhouse can do much more than a blade, in terms of capacity.  So what becomes the expensive part, the license or the rackspace? The other reason, is that it puts it on a par with Microsoft Windows and Hyper-V, since the pricing model is the same.  I’m sure VMware will have an answer to this, otherwise the competition might start to get some traction.  Either way, competition like this is always good for the customer and will only ensure that virtualisation get’s further entrenched into IT infrastructures and datacentres that bit quicker.  And when the pricing differences become negligible, it will be all down to capabilities, that’s when we’ll really start to see some innovation…hopefully!

Posted in: Technology Tags: Citrix, Microsoft, VMware, Xen

It has started. All over the internet there’s a battle going, to command mindshare in relation to the virtualisation space. Microsoft and Citrix are making a full frontal attack on VMware’s dominance. Broadly speaking, the rhetoric goes some thing like this:

The vendor story

Microsoft – “We have a complete end to end management solution for all your assets both physical and virtual. Why invest in a point solution such as VMware when we can provide all of the important features at a fraction of the cost ? Our hypervisor is more efficient and smaller,  is architecturally superior and has the features that most customers need. The hypervisor is a commodity and the important elements in a virtualisation solution are really the management toolset.”

Citrix – “We have the most cost effective hypervisor on the market offering all of the really relevant advanced features that are missing from Microsoft, but provided by VMware, for an expensive premium.  Our technology set provides an integrated solution around virtualising, not just servers, but desktops and applications too. Our core product has strong pedigree in supporting non MS O/S and our partnership with MS guarantees the best all round fit no matter what server O/S you wish to virtualise.”

VMware – “We own this space, with a ten year track record and the most advanced product set that is available on the market today. Our hypervisor is the most cost effective because advanced features such as: VMotion, DRS, Host mgt and memory over-commit, provide a consolidation ratio which our competitors can only dream about. In fact, some of them haven’t shipped a product yet. We manage your complete virtual infrastructure from a single interface without the complexity of multiple consoles and technologies. Our reliability is legendary and our track record in solid dependable code release is enviable across the industry.”

Who has the answers?

• So as a customer what do you do?
• Who do you believe?
• Which vendor has the answers for your environment or your unique set of circumstances?

<Shameless Plug>
Of course, all of the vendors have valid points and they are all in a way correct. It really is a minefield trying to figure out the right infrastructure technology to use and manage your environment. What you need is a trusted advisor, an organisation with a unique field of vision across all the main infrastructure technology vendors who stands independently and can offer you the right advise based on your requirements without prejudice.

Often, the correct solution does not sit with a single vendor.  If I look at some of our recent projects, there is a common thread based on best fit, not vendor fit. We recently commenced a project to virtualise the server infrastructure of a local building society with branches throughout the country. The customer had diverse requirements in terms of desktop management, application deployment and a desire to improve their disaster recovery capability and at the same time reduce server footprint. In the end we deployed Citrix XenApp, Microsoft System Centre Ops Mgr, Softgrid and VMware ESX based on these requirements.
</Shameless Plug>

Make sure you choose wisely

Make sure when looking for a technology partner they have  a broad view of virtualisation and a track record in multi-vendor deployment. Rarely, if ever, does one size fit all.

Posted in: Technology Tags: Citrix, Microsoft, virtualisation, VMware, Xen