Fujitsu Technology Solutions delivered servers and DWH for upgrade of IT infrastructure Ulmart

Problem and premises of the project

Need of complex upgrade and the subsequent development of a server framework turned out to be consequence of active growth of the company. In 2011 Ulmart opened six retail stores, opening of twenty more was planned for 2012.

Fujitsu Technology Solutions delivered servers and storage systems for upgrade of IT infrastructure Ulmart

At the beginning of 2011 the available park of the equipment was very diverse: within the first stage of the project the IT department Ulmart was faced by a task to reduce it to the uniform standard and the uniform supplier further to minimize costs for opening of new shops. At implementation of a standard server framework, process of installation of the equipment significantly would become simpler due to use of the approved templates.

Work format Ulmart assumes an instant response to requests of clients: because of active expansion of retail chain stores correspondence volume, both external, and internal, considerably increased. For support of stable work of a mail system the reliable and high-speed solution was required.

The company also needed high-quality warranty and post-warranty maintenance in the 24х7 mode. Ulmart is the company with very high level of automation, and any breakdown or a stop of servers would lead to "paralysis" of all business processes.

System Selection

Ulmart to potential suppliers existence in a product line of all range of the equipment, necessary for project implementation, including servers, DWH and components of network infrastructure became the main requirement.

Thus, system integrators which offered the equipment of different suppliers, for example, the server hardware of production of one company, and storage systems - another were excluded from tender at once. It automatically increased project cost at least by 20%.

Presence at supplier company of own warranty service center in Russia with the round-the-clock technical support service was the compulsory provision also.

One of the key moments was configuration and energy consumption of the equipment. The serious scale of the IT park Ulmart required considerable expenses on the electric power. During upgrade of IT infrastructure the customer expected to receive not only more productive, but also more energy efficient solutions.

"We looked for the supplier who could provide the level of technical support necessary for us. The equipment price was an important factor also, - Pavel Chekel, the Acting Chief information officer of Ulmart company noted. – Fujitsu suited us by all criteria. This company has the highest level of examination as for the choice of specific models of the equipment for needs of the potential customer. As a result we made a conscious choice, assured that did not impose us anything superfluous".

Solution

The project on development of the IT system Ulmart was implemented in two stages. In 2011 specialists of Fujitsu carried out complex updating of a server framework. A basis of a new system became a blade servers of PRIMERGY BX900 which are a full-fledged dynamic server framework in one body for data processing centers of the enterprises. Advantages of PRIMERGY BX900 - high density (to the 18th a blade servers in chassis 10U) and the dynamic efficiency of a power supply and cooling in a combination with the highest opportunities of visualization.

For updating of the park of DWH storage systems of a line of Fujitsu ETERNUS DX - the universal disk platforms for data storage with high degree of scalability expected the intensive growth of amount of data and ensuring the highest performance were selected.

During the first stage of the project of upgrade of the IT equipment the servers servicing the website Ulmart.ru - the main marketplace of which 75% of sales of Ulmart network are the share were replaced.

Specialists of Fujitsu Technology Solutions performed all complex of balancing and commissioning. After input of the equipment in operation the Ulmart company signed two service contracts with Fujitsu Technology Solutions:

• service of the central infrastructure in Moscow is SLA, 3-5 years, 24*7, 24 hours of recovery
• service of regional infrastructure in shops of Ulmart network in seven cities of Russia is SLA, 3 years, 5*9, NBD (Next business day) of recovery

In each shop of network – as the standard solution – installed two PRIMERGY RX200 servers.

In 2012 the second stage of the project started. IT specialists Ulmart decided to strengthen IT infrastructure of the central office and retail chain stores at the expense of monovendor solutions: the remained equipment of other producers was replaced with modern products of Fujitsu.

The standard solution for shops was expanded: the PRIMERGY RX 200 servers installed at the first stage of the project in each outlet complemented twelve with the disk PRIMERGY RX 350 S7 servers and blocks of uninterrupted power UPS 5000. Under the terms of the updated contract Fujitsu became the only supplier of services on the server hardware that considerably simplifies and reduces the price of service of Ulmart shops.

One of the main objectives of the updated IT infrastructure Ulmart is support of volume databases. To provide the necessary level of reliability the storage system of Fujitsu ETERNUS DX440 S2 installed in 2011, it was in addition completed with high-speed SSD disks, and a cluster from two four-processor Fujitsu PRIMERGY RX600 servers. The development plan for IT infrastructure Ulmart also provides a possibility of replication of data between the main and additional storage systems of ETERNUS DX440 S2 that will provide high fault tolerance of a system and data availability. Special attention at the second stage of the project was paid by upgrades of a corporate mail system. Uninterrupted support of Exchange was guaranteed by the solution based on storage systems of ETERNUS DX440 and servers of Fujitsu of a line of PRIMERGY RX. In parallel with process of complex upgrade of the server hardware, in Ulmart the Fujitsu company won the tender and made supply of equipment for the ERP system based on SAP products.

Project Results

The updated server framework allowed to increase reliability of functioning of the IT system of Ulmart company significantly.

The achieved results:

• the IT standard of the equipment for each new shop of retail chain stores is developed and is used,
• uninterrupted support of the mail Exchange system is implemented,
• total absence of stops of systems because of the equipment,
• sharp reduction of quantity of stops of the systems connected with software
• significant decrease in number of requests for maintenance,
• lack of need of additional setup of the equipment in connection with slow or unstable operation of applications,
• cost reduction on the electric power,
• economy of means due to reduction of the area of placement of the equipment in outsourcing DPC for 40%

"We are sure that in the conditions of the active growth of the company in 2012-2013, we will not spend considerable funds for support of the equipment, - Pavel Chekel emphasized. - We managed to agree about the uniform price for maintenance on all territory of the country. Setting of the equipment servicing shops on service accounting is also quite simple procedure in terms of document flow. It gives essential advantages in terms of budgeting. The company precisely knows how many it will cost opening of shop in each city".

"The project with retail chain stores Ulmart is very interesting that the Fujitsu company could offer the client practically all range of the made equipment - a storage system, rack-and blade servers - and services: installation, setup, service and repair of the equipment, - Dmitry Abramov, the head on work with retail chain stores of Fujitsu in Russia and the CIS noted. - Similar complex approach and input of standards of IT solutions and also creation of standard organizational and service procedures when opening shops of network, allowed our client to concentrate on business development".