Eden Project implements virtualisation
Eden Project implements virtualisation
The Eden Project, one of the UK's major conservation projects, has implemented a virtualisation system on its servers.
A consulting firm that specialises in virtualisation and storage has helped the Cornwall-based research hub to refresh its ageing servers through the use of the developing technology.
The Eden Project required the firm - S3 Consulting - to develop a low-cost storage solution for the high volumes of data that the research teams generate. In addition to this, there was a need for the IT system to be environmentally friendly due to the nature of the work undertaken at the attraction.
Jon Curry, director of HR and ICT at Eden, explained the situation to Channel Web: “We had 25 physical servers, some of which had been in place since the early days of the project, that were rapidly approaching end of life.
“We decided to look into adopting a virtualised platform to avoid the cost of replacing the individual physical servers, and because we were rapidly running out of space in our server room.”
Virtualisation provided the answer and all but five of the servers were moved across to the VMware stack. Those that remained were not switched because they run specialist applications, Mr Curry noted.
As a result of the switch, the organisation's cooling costs and power expenditure has reportedly fallen by around 60 per cent, helping it to earn back some of the initial outlay on the virtualised infrastructure.
Despite the unusual organisation at the head of the project, S3 Consulting's chief executive, Chris Bullock, told the news source that the project brief was actually very similar to those of the majority of small and medium-sized businesses.
The one difference he did make note of was the fact that the environmental focus - which is more of a side effect for most organisations - was their main aim.
Businesses looking to virtualise services should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.
