BMC Software Case Study
Challenge:
Global leader in business service management software requires 100% uptime service level to support mission-critical business application reliability and decrease downtime. When BMC Software was considering where it should house its mission critical business applications the company used an extensive criteria matrix to identify a data center provider that had a low risk profile and would be able to mitigate outages. BMC knew that in order to provide the level of reliability it needed the cost involved would be prohibitive. From hardware upgrades to construction and maintenance to dedicated, specialized staff, the capital expenditures and ongoing operating costs are significant. And in today's economic environment with budgets coming under increased scrutiny, the decision to move to a collocation hosting service is gaining in popularity.
"We could have designed, built and operated our own data center, but when we analyzed the numbers, we decided to go with i/o Data Centers" says BMC Senior Director John Richey. "They were notches above what BMC could build in the timeframe that was required."
Initially, there was some apprehension to go with a service provider. While BMC was comfortable with remotely monitoring and managing its data center operations, the idea of handing the keys over to an outsider met with some hesitation. "Since we began working with i/o Data Centers, the team has been responsive and has made us feel like the data center is right next door", says Richey. "Any apprehension about hosting our critical systems in a data center not owned by BMC has gone away."
Why i/o Data Centers:
i/o Data Centers is recognized as the leader in enterprise colocation and data center solutions. The company designs, builds and operates data centers for some of the world's largest corporations, Web properties and governments. i/o Data Centers engineers its data centers to deliver to a 100% Uptime Service Level. By employing state-of the-art technology and consistently applying best practices throughout the data center, i/o Data Centers provides the reliability required to keep mission critical business applications up and running and always on.
In addition to delivering a 100% uptime service level, i/o Data Centers has pioneered the green data center. By utilizing systems like thermal energy storage, ultrasonic humidification, variable frequency drives, and LED lighting, i/o Data Centers reduces the amount of energy its data centers consume. Utilizing energy efficient systems cuts operating costs and enhances the overall reliability of the data center.
Like i/o Data Centers, BMC is focused on green IT. The company recognizes the impact of energy efficiency on cost and reliability. "It was this alignment of focus that made our decision to work with i/o Data Centers that much easier" says Richey.
Solution:
BMC currently occupies a custom configured colocation environment at i/o Data Centers which serves as the company's primary data center. Given the growing demands on IT, companies need a provider that has access to the power, space, bandwidth and expertise to keep up with demand, not just today but for years ahead. "i/o Data Centers provides us with the flexibility we need to grow our business", says Richey.
i/o Data Centers recently opened a 538,000 square foot data center in Phoenix Arizona that has access to 123 MVA of core power and over a dozen tier1 telecommunications providers including AT&T, AboveNet, Level3 and Qwest. With more than 10 years of experience, the management team at i/o Data Centers has worked with some of the world's enterprises, governments and service providers. "We strive to provide our customers with the most reliable, efficient, flexible and innovative data center solutions in the industry" says Anthony Wanger, President of i/o Data Centers. "We're confident in our ability to address the needs of one of the world's leading software companies and pleased that BMC made the decision to colocate its business critical applications with i/o Data Centers."
Results:
Quantifying the value IT brings to the table is difficult because in most organizations the only time IT has visibility is when something goes down or doesn't work. BMC prides itself on its ability to align IT with business through the partnerships the company develops. This alignment is critical to demonstrating value. "By working with i/o Data Centers we are able to ensure that we are able to attribute more time towards quantifying business alignment and value rather than worrying about Data Center components", notes Richey.
BMC measures the impact of downtime in financial terms. According to Richey, "If our systems are unavailable for even a few minutes each year, that can have a significant impact on our productivity, which ultimately translates into a loss in revenue." Needless to say, downtime for BMC is unacceptable. i/o Data Centers' delivers to a 100% Uptime Service Level. This level of reliability is critical to a business like BMC. "By having 100% Uptime reliability for our mission critical business applications we not only improve productivity, but we also drive consistency across the organization and that has financial benefits."
About BMC:
ABOUT BMC SOFTWARE Business thrives when IT runs smarter, faster and stronger. That's why the most demanding IT organizations in the world rely on BMC Software across both distributed and mainframe environments. Recognized as the leader in Business Service Management, BMC provides a comprehensive and unified platform that helps IT organizations cut cost, reduce risk and drive business profit. For the four fiscal quarters ended September 30, 2009, BMC revenue was approximately $1.88 billion.
