Streamlining IT with Managed Services

Case Study: 24 Month Retrospective

Introduction

Arizona-based APSM Systems has built a reputation for manufacturing high-quality products for more than forty years. APSM Systems is active in multiple markets including medical, alternative energy, transportation, and telecommunication.

Seeking a long term strategy for its IT needs, APSM Systems began discussing managed services with Net Fusion in 2008.

Goals

Several key things were needed from a managed services provider.

Predictable, Justifiable Costs

Fluctuating costs are difficult for a business to manage. Therefore, Net Fusion laid out a device-by-device monthly cost for APSM Systems and a list of services so they could understand exactly what they were paying for, and what services were covered. We showed them what processes would be used to respond to trouble tickets and routine maintenance.

24x7 Support

APSM Systems conducts business worldwide. Downtime in a highly automated manufacturing environment is costly and must be addressed as quickly as possible. Net Fusion created a monitoring plan for each device on the network so that issues could be quickly identified and addressed.

Full Coverage for Servers and Network Devices

It was important to APSM Systems that Net Fusion could handle any incident relating to their core server infrastructure to avoid costly internal hires.

Support for Multiple Locations

A managed services provider must be able to handle distributed networks. Net Fusion proposed the use of remote management tools as the most cost-effective solution, minimizing on-site visits and saving money. To ensure comprehensive coverage, we also proposed onsite support for issues that cannot be handled remotely.

Growth and Modernization Path for IT

APSM Systems wanted to recognize the savings and stability of managed services immediately, but also to know that infrastructure was following a strategic path. Net Fusion committed to finding ways of reducing hardware and recurring costs.

Following the Growth Path

After engaging with Net Fusion, APSM Systems allowed a transition period to occur that allowed us to become thoroughly acquainted with their workflows, network, and applications. This allowed us to identify areas to improve. We began crafting a plan around server consolidation to mitigate a high server count and machines that were about to fall out of warranty. APSM was an ideal candidate for virtualization. It's important to note that as a managed services customer, these consultations were provided to APSM Systems as a value add and did not increase their monthly bill.

Net Fusion and APSM Systems carefully discussed the initial hardware and services dollars that would be required to virtualize the environment. Together, we built a cost justification and a migration plan and decided to move forward.

VMware ESXi was chosen to provide cost-effective virtualization, combined with a cluster of modestly priced new servers. Using this setup, physical server count was reduced by 60%. As part of our commitment to helping customers do more with less, we evaluated our monthly charges. A clean, virtualized environment presents fewer problems and can be managed more efficiently. As a result, Net Fusion was able to reduce APSM Systems' monthly cost by over 30%.

Conclusion

APSM Systems has been a satisfied Net Fusion managed services customer for two years. They have accomplished their goals of a reduced, flattened IT spend, 24x7 support for multiple locations, and more efficient internal infrastructure.

Visit APSM Systems online: www.apsmsystems.com