Case Study

It is always a fine line between maintaining old hardware and software and investing in new technology. Brick Brewing eliminated unnecessary anxiety and expense by planning the cycle of upgrades.

As computer equipment ages, hardware failures become more common, costing time and money in the form of repairs, downtime, and potentially data loss. As software ages, developers downgrade and eventually eliminate support as newer versions are released. Dropped support is particularly painful when they stop providing security updates and patches.

Short of stopping time itself, there is no way to slow obsolescence. By planning the cycle of upgrades for both hardware and software however; a company can take advantage of new technologies while maintaining a higher level of reliability. Today's more powerful software has the ability to consolidate services that previously required their own equipment.

Data Perceptions recently assisted The Brick Brewing Company Limited (Brick) with just this situation. Microsoft was about to drop support services on two old but key software products for Brick - Windows NT 4.0 and Exchange 5.5. This, combined with aging server equipment that made hardware failures more likely, made data loss and business interruption an unacceptable risk.

Brick involved Data Perceptions in the planning, design and implementation of their network upgrades. After discussing the brewery's business technology vision, Data Perceptions outlined a strategy. Brick would upgrade from Windows NT4 to Windows Server 2003; and from Microsoft Exchange 5.5 to Microsoft Exchange 2003. They would create the new environment on new hardware with multiple redundancies, each covered by manufacturer on-site warranty.

The upgrades meant much more than new hardware and software, however. Brick's ongoing technology vision of moving to a new ERP system and creating tighter integration to existing custom developed applications could be facilitated by services consolidation.  It also meant Brick could take advantage of many of Microsoft's newer innovations and offerings. For example, Microsoft's Active Directory allowed for better integration of the user database with their Exchange e-mail mailboxes. User maintenance becomes more efficient, and services that previously required multiple servers could now be consolidated into one system.

Careful planning, scheduling and testing made the migration from Brick's legacy systems to the new systems very transparent to the end users. Microsoft's migration utilities helped as well, allowing Brick to minimize downtime. For example:

·         After capturing the user database on the new server, an upgrade to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory was performed off line. When it was re-introduced to the existing environment, it was set to mimic the older Windows NT environment so that user desktops and other servers could operate as usual.

·         After testing mailbox migrations, the majority of mailboxes were scheduled to move from Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003 over night.

·         When users logged into their e-mail in the morning, their clients were transparently redirected to the new mail server.

·         Both old and new systems are able to run together for a smooth migration.

There is no question that the newer technologies can deliver more reliable hardware, improved administration and the ability to receive up to date patches and fixes. As such, planning a cycle of technology upgrades can reduce the risk of data loss and business interruption. Upgrades don't have to impact your users' day to day activities.

Neil Murray is a consultant at Data Perceptions Inc. Neil has helped several companies plan strategies to protect their data networks, not only from a technical aspect, but also from a procedural point of view.