Standing still is not an option

Initial situation

The IT department of RONAL AG defines the IT strategy for the entire, internationally active RONAL GROUP. RONAL IT clearly sees itself as a business enabler in the service of the RONAL business organization. IT services according to clear specifications and standardized according to ITIL "best practices" guarantee the smooth functioning of the IT infrastructure, software solutions and support throughout the Group. An indispensable core application in the highly efficient production process is the ERP system "Infor Xpert", which runs on IBM Power Servers (IBM i operating system). The availability of this core system is of the utmost importance, because if the ERP solution stands still, the RONAL GROUP's wheels literally stop turning.

The challenge: IBM Power know-how, 7×24

Until recently, the RONAL GROUP had its own IBM Power servers at almost all production sites in line with the motto "IT on the Spot". However, the necessary IBM i know-how was not available at all locations. The Swiss IT team regularly had to call on IT colleagues from other countries for help - an unsatisfactory situation in the long run, not very efficient and far too slow in an emergency. Not to mention the lack of round-the-clock support. RONAL AG's IT in Switzerland simply could not afford this.

The solution

When the IBM Power machine in Härkingen was due for hardware renewal in 2014, RONAL AG used this foreseeable intervention to look for a better solution for system operation. The planned system replication via MIMIX to a backup location required a second machine, which RONAL AG did not have in Switzerland. Mirroring to an existing power server at RONAL GmbH in Germany was out of the question because the Swiss system also runs HR and accounting applications with sensitive personal and financial data. RONAL AG did not want to send this sensitive data abroad. So where would they get two IBM Power systems in Switzerland?

The solution was to move to the Swiss data centers of an IBM Power specialist. RONAL took a closer look at the offers, concepts and references of two providers. After a thorough evaluation, RONAL decided to work with ITpoint. The transition from the physical IBM Power infrastructure on site to a flawless, high-performance and guaranteed 24/7 managed service took place in three steps:

• In 2014, the aforementioned renewal of the physical IBM Power System at the RONAL GROUP headquarters in Härkingen. Replication to the ITpoint data center in Lupfig, to the ORIA shared cloud environment with Enterpise Standard. ITpoint takes over the support for the IBM Power System of RONAL AG on site in Härkingen as well as in the ITpoint data center.
• In 2016, the physical relocation of the IBM Power machine from Härkingen to ITpoint's primary data center in Bern. Connection to the MPLS connection network of RONAL AG for the redundant, high-performance connections to the individual locations. Replication still to the ITpoint Shared Cloud Environment (SCE) at the secondary site in Lupfig. ITpoint now assumes full IBM Power operational responsibility for the plants in Switzerland, Portugal and France.
• 2018 Dissolution of the physical IBM Power infrastructure of RONAL AG and migration of the still required IBM Power platform (basis of the ERP system) to the ITpoint shared cloud environment in the Bern data center. The locations (Bern and Lupfig) will therefore remain the same. However, RONAL AG in Switzerland has now freed itself from the ballast of its own Power Server.

The RONAL GROUP now obtains the required IBM Power services conveniently as guaranteed managed services from the data center of the leading Swiss Power specialist ITpoint.

Advantages

Outsourcing IT tasks often meets with resistance from the IT team. Not so at RONAL AG, on the contrary: Andreas Dusold, Head of IT Support, was happy about the relief provided by ITpoint.

• Shortest system maintenance times: Thanks to ITpoint's professional maintenance preparation and high level of IBM Power expertise, the RONAL GROUP production plants' few, very tight time slots are sufficient. For example, exactly one day is available to move the Spanish plant to the shared cloud environment. This is only possible with a competent team that can also compensate for staff absences if necessary.
• No risk of downtime for the ERP system with production planning and control: system mirroring in two geo-redundant Swiss data centers with redundant connections to the locations in Switzerland, Portugal, France and Spain guarantees high availability.
• Fast and competent help in the event of a fault: 7×24 Platinum Support with access to ITpoint's large pool of IT specialists for all IT infrastructure and operating issues.
• Inexpensive services instead of costly purchases: IBM Power machines are not cheap to buy. At the ITpoint data center, the RONAL GROUP can use the latest generation of IBM Power Servers in a professional enterprise environment without having to buy them.

The cooperation with ITpoint and the high quality of the services also convinced the management of the RONAL GROUP. "There has been a real shift in thinking at the RONAL GROUP," says Andreas Dusold. Other RONAL GROUP locations are now also no longer always replacing older IBM Power machines with new hardware, but are instead purchasing the operating platform as a managed service. Other applications and operating systems are following the successful example of the ERP system.