 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Case study Company name: Otto Harrassowitz GmbH & Co. KG
| Last updated: 11 Oct 2006 |
A renowned bookseller and library services firm equips a new headquarters complex with a data center that offers its Web-based clientele 99 percent availability. |
Business need In building its new facility in Wiesbaden, Germany, Harrassowitz needed to upgrade and consolidate IT systems from three different locations. The data center's design had to be coordinated with the general contractor from the ground up. |
Key challenges Harrassowitz's business transactions were becoming increasingly Web-based. This trend required that the company's Web site provide uninterrupted 24/7 e-commerce access, or the firm might risk significant financial losses and diminished customer confidence. |
Solution IBM Integrated Technology Services Harrassowitz teamed with IBM Global Services – Integrated Technology Services, particularly for its expertise in design and creation of high-availability environments. IBM site services staff worked closely with the client to analyze its IT needs and define a data center construction strategy that could be deployed quickly. With an approved design in place, the IBM team met with the general contractor of the new building complex to plan and execute the technical installation. Once construction was complete, the IBM Global Services team coordinated the migration and consolidation of the client's multiple IT environments at the new location, ran assessment tests and handed over a fully functioning operation to Harrassowitz. |
Results A main data center and two unattended backup locations are situated in different buildings of the headquarters complex, mitigating downtime risk. Several advanced features encourage increased availability: raised floors for easier access to wiring; redundant heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and a power distribution system; highly sensitive smoke-detection systems; and smoke-protection and alarm units. Installing redundant key hardware units in parallel or standby mode boosts the new IBM-designed computer environment's availability to 99 percent, up from its previous 95 percent rating. The entire state-of-the-art installation takes up only 50 percent of the former space occupied, leaving ample room for future expansion. |
Customer information | Otto Harrassowitz GmbH & Co. KG | | Founded in 1872, bookseller and subscription agent since 1872, Otto Harrassowitz GmbH & Co. KG markets predominantly to specialty retailers and educational institutions. The Wiesbaden-based firm provides a wide range of products — including scholarly books, periodicals, e-journals and music scores — to academic and research libraries. Known the world over as a library source for materials in German, English and several other languages, Harrassowitz is active in continental Europe, the United Kingdom and North America. |
|
 |
| Related reports & papers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
