Case Study

Columbus Communications unites the with HPE OneView HPE OneView implements 3 remote sites in 3 hours versus weeks

Objective Approach Implement an improved cookie-cutter server Deploy HPE ProLiant Blade Servers, managed infrastructure and management strategy in anytime, anywhere with HPE OneView single support of remote Caribbean Island sites management tool

IT Matters Business Matters • HPE OneView software-defined approach • Large savings: implemented three island gives visibility to all remote racks through sites in 3 hours vs. weeks at great expense one pane of glass • HPE OneView alerts enable high uptime, • HPE OneView eliminates infrastructure resulting in positive customer experience complexity with automation simplicity • Ability to manage systems anytime, • Potential to manage entire converged anywhere increases response and reduces infrastructure through HPE OneView travel expense • HPE ProLiant cookie-cutter approach simplifies installation at remote sites • HPE ProLiant power flexibility enables operation in erratic power environments Case study Industry Page 2 Columbus Telecommunications Communications Service Provider

The core business of Columbus high-load conditions,” explains Sebastian Communications is providing cable Rodriguez, senior systems architect, services, digital video, high-speed internet Columbus Communications. “Then we tried access, digital telephony, and corporate data to crash it by power-spiking it, cutting the services, as well as providing telecom capacity power (as in a hurricane-induced outage), and IP services to large international telecom and running it on differing voltages. HPE has carriers, internet service providers, and other invested a lot in hardware protection and value added service providers. It operates safety under difficult and varying conditions, in 42 countries throughout the greater and the servers passed every power related Caribbean, Andean and Central America test we put them through.” region. Recently, Columbus Communications and Cable & Wireless Communications HPE then sent Rodriguez to the Hewlett merged in order to accelerate growth Packard Enterprise Customer Experience strategies and deliver superior customer Center in Houston in order to learn the HPE service. With this acquisition, the company Converged Infrastructure Roadmap, and faced a two-fold goal: to offer customers receive expert analysis of his business issues. an ever-increasing portfolio of high-quality Through this interaction, Rodriguez learned products and services, and to deploy and that HPE OneView would be the perfect manage stable server installations in remote answer to the complex problem of managing and unreliable power environments. 26 sites spread over 26 Caribbean islands. As soon as he could, Rodriguez was putting HPE Columbus evaluated several major technology OneView to work uniting the Caribbean. providers and narrowed its real-time tests to Hewlett Packard Enterprise solutions and “Columbus Communications is a lean new support, determining that HPE resources company and we can’t afford downtime would best strengthen its market position or imperfect decisions,” he says. “How we against larger competitors. The evaluation are going to manage our centers across team learned that HPE alone had the Caribbean islands is a key decision due to technology and tools to bring a variety of the varying conditions encountered. HPE Caribbean countries under a reliable and OneView lets me, or any of our IT staff, easy-to-manage technology umbrella. manage thousands of parameters from literally anywhere. The layout is so simple that, Luciano Ramos, senior director of technology, although training is available, I haven’t needed Columbus Communications, spearheaded this any to fully exercise it.” ambitious task and successfully unearthed a game-changing solution for Columbus. HPE OneView for all According to Ramos, the immediate goal was to create a cookie-cutter system, which could and all for OneView handle the erratic power spikes and differing Once Rodriguez and the IT staff at Columbus voltage requirements found in a plethora of Communications got their hands on HPE remote environments. In addition, Columbus OneView, they didn’t let go. “We were so Communications needed a way to effectively pleased with the HPE OneView ability to manage these systems across 26 Caribbean manage, not only all our sites through one Islands. Finally, Columbus wanted a solutions pane of glass, but potentially, storage and vendor that could offer the individualized networking as well, that we ordered it for service this remotely scattered environment every system. HPE is the only vendor that demanded. offers a single management tool for an entire infrastructure. The automated alerts “We initially tested the HPE BladeSystem have increased our response to issues c7000 Enclosure for three months to see exponentially, ensuring we can provide if it worked with our home-grown content delivery quality that will continue to build our delivery applications under stressful, reputation.” Case study Industry Page 3 Columbus Telecommunications Communications Service Provider

“Using HPE OneView, it took me only three hours at negligible cost, to im- plement a new server stack for three remote islands. Before HPE, I estimate we would have sent a total of 10 people, including engineers, to each island, with travel expenses, and dedicated a full week to implementing the same three sites—all on a break-neck schedule. Our time and money savings is huge.”

— Sebastian Rodriguez, senior systems architect, Columbus Communications

HPE OneView by design sets out to provide HPE is the only vendor that even offers a its users the most powerful and simple single-point-of-management converged management tool available, understanding infrastructure as an option.” that, although what’s under the hood is crucial, the ability to harness the power is Three islands operational equally, if not more, important. The HPE ProLiant Blade Servers, powered by Intel® in three hours Xeon® E5-2600 processors, and c7000 Columbus Communications has implemented BladeSystem Enclosure provide a simple, three sites since choosing HPE, , flexible design to support inconsistent and Curacao and Trinidad & Tobago. The problematic power issues throughout the company is in the process of buying another Caribbean. HPE ProLiant Blade Servers three systems for the British Virgin Islands, are less expensive and use less electrical Anguilla, and Turks & Caicos. Utilizing HPE power than his previous rack server solution, OneView, Rodriguez experienced such a reducing power consumption and cooling smooth implementation of the first three costs, which is especially important for the islands, that he is relaxed and confident about island installations. HPE OneView is the replicating the next three. perfect tool to enable Rodriguez to remotely manage and provision his new ProLiant- “I called HPE, who has our cookie-cutter based solutions wherever he is. configuration ready to go, and HPE sent the system to the three island sites,” he recalls. By culture, Columbus Communications “The local Columbus Communications staff leans toward multi-vendor solutions, but easily set up the server package, and then the HPE Roadmap, especially its Converged the magic happened. Although the systems Infrastructure and HPE OneView rollout, is were in the south Caribbean, I was far away changing some minds in the IT department. in Bogota, Colombia. I connected to each site “The option of extending this efficient through HPE OneView and it took only an one-tool management solution to include hour per site to fully implement. I didn’t have storage and networking has opened us up to setfoot on a plane!” to opportunities for even greater efficiencies. Case study Industry Columbus Telecommunications Communications Service Provider

Customer at a glance Rodriguez clearly likes the time and expenses Building a software- saved, as well as significant increases in defined architecture Application productivity gained by using HPE OneView. HPE OneView manages HPE ProLiant Columbus Communications, by design, Previously, the only way Rodriguez and staff servers scattered throughout Caribbean operates a lean and expert IT staff, who had through one pane of glass could gain the level of visibility needed to often been stretched to their limits by the address and solve a remote server problem, Hardware previous need to travel and trouble-shoot • HPE ProLiant BL460c Server Blades was to get eyes on the server, in person. at remote sites. In addition to HPE OneView, That meant time and travel and a necessarily • HPE BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure the Columbus Communications IT staff also impeded response time. The HPE OneView chose the high-level HPE Proactive Care, due Software software-defined approach eliminates • HPE OneView Management Software to the need for extraordinary support on an complexity and allows IT staff to roll out and island-by-island basis. One of the biggest • Red Hat Enterprise Linux implement new systems and applications challenges the IT team faces is support for, faster, maximizing efficiency through Services not only the more populated islands, but the automation. • HPE Proactive Care more remote ones as well. HPE Proactive Care knows the profile of each implementation “HPE OneView gives me a full view of all of and what is needed to support the ProLiant my remote racks, and I can see if any alarms Server Blades. are presenting and what issues, if any, need attention,” he says. “In the past, I had 30-40 “Our Hewlett Packard Enterprise solution is a windows open for all servers, which was a dramatic improvement over our previous rack really painful process. The only other option servers and management systems,” he admits. was travel. Now the servers are all automated “Using HPE OneView, it took me only three and the visibility through HPE OneView is hours at negligible cost, to implement a new comprehensive.” server stack for three remote islands. Before HPE, I estimate we would have significant Given the chance to summarize his resources and travel expenses involved. We experience with HPE OneView, Rodriguez could require 10 people, including engineers, laughs, and says, “Aside from the business to visit each island and dedicate a full week or benefits we’ve already seen, you can imagine more to implementing the same three sites— how happy I am personally to leverage my all on a break-neck schedule. Our time and effectiveness, ensure secure systems, and to money savings is huge.” sleep like a baby again.”

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