NetApp Upgrades Bluestone Group to Mission-Critical Data Management Platform, taking Zero Downtime and Simplifying Storage Process
AUSTRALIA, Sydney - 6 June, 2007
Network Appliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP), a leader in advanced
network storage solutions, has helped Bluestone Group, one of
Australasia's fastest-growing specialist lenders, to upgrade from a
mid-range data storage cluster to an enterprise-level,
mission-critical data-management platform which provides continuous
data protection. During the upgrade, Bluestone experienced
virtually no network downtime, made possible by the fact NetApp
solutions are all based on the same architecture.
Other business benefits Bluestone gained as a result of the upgrade
include:
- All applications, including database and email can now be run
across one storage platform, simplifying management and reducing
total hardware footprint.
- All data is protected and can be restored immediately if
required, reducing time commitment and improving service
levels.
- All tape-based processes have been eliminated with disk-based
cross-system backup and recovery, helping improve compliance
systems and reducing cost.
Prior to 2007, Bluestone Group, an existing NetApp customer, was
managing and storing data, based on a NetApp FAS270 system, a
midrange, entry-level Fibre Channel SAN (http://www.netapp.com/solutions/fcsan.html)
solution. Due to fast business growth and several key applications
being developed and moved in-house, Bluestone needed to upgrade to
an enterprise data-management solution that offered constant data
protection. As a result, NetApp worked with Bluestone to install a
FAS3040 solution, a high-performance, scalable storage system
suitable for SAN and NAS requirements, offering 24/7
availability.
Pierre de Villecourt, Chief Information Officer for Bluestone
Group, said, "Bluestone is growing rapidly. As a result, our data
has grown at a rate of over 200 percent over the past year. Because
the majority of our information is confidential, including personal
data on our customers, it is critical that this information is
extremely well protected, from a privacy, legal and compliance
perspective. As such, we needed a solution that assured our
employees, brokers and agents instant access to our data, while
also providing a watertight data storage facility. The NetApp
solution gives us all of these benefits, which have resulted in a
simpler storage environment that is easier to manage and costs us
less in the long term."
One of the key reasons Bluestone needed to upgrade its data storage
capabilities was the fact that the IT team was about to implement
an internally developed enterprise-wide software application called
"BOSS" to manage the company's mission-critical lending
application.
When NetApp was approached to provide a high-availability solution,
the Bluestone team was already testing BOSS on its mid-range FAS270
system.
De Villecourt said, "Our business was at the point where we needed
to upgrade our data management system, even before we started
testing BOSS. Adding BOSS to our system caused a very heavy data
load, because we had no other choice but to run it in conjunction
with our existing applications. This meant that upgrading to the
FAS3040 needed to be seamless, with no interruption to our
business. Based on our previous relationship with NetApp, we had a
high level of trust and confidence that the team could deliver on
this key requirement - something NetApp did with great
success."
Peter O'Connor, Managing Director of NetApp in Australia and New
Zealand, said, "Bluestone, with their focus as a specialist loan
provider, is the perfect example of a customer who has made the
most of one of the key benefits of NetApp data management
solutions. Because our architecture is the same across our entire
product range, customers can focus on and grow their business
without having to worry about implementing an entirely new storage
platform. This means that businesses can continue to operate - as
Bluestone experienced - with virtually no downtime during the
upgrade process, providing numerous business benefits."
The solution
Bluestone has one FAS3040 solution at its primary site and a second
unit at its disaster recovery site, as well as various data
management applications, including:
- SnapManager for Exchange
- SnapManager for SQL
- SnapVault
- Operations Manager
- Protection Manager
- SnapDrive
- SnapMirror
About Bluestone
The Bluestone Group has been operating since 2000 and have provided
home loans to thousands of customers throughout Australasia worth
over $2 billion. As part of the Money Magazine's 2007 'Best of
Best' Awards (http://www.bluestone.com.au/page.aspx?id=372)
Bluestone Group has been awarded SILVER for the "Best Reverse
Mortgage (Non-bank)' and BRONZE for the "Cheapest Loan with Credit
Impairment". The Bluestone Group operates under the names Bluestone
Mortgages in Australia and New Zealand and Bluestone Equity Release
in Australia.
About Network Appliance
Network Appliance is a world leader in unified storage solutions
for today's data-intensive enterprise. Since its inception in 1992,
Network Appliance has delivered technology, product, and partner
firsts that simplify data management. Information about Network
Appliance™ solutions and services is available at www-au.netapp.com.
Press
Contacts:
Mark Heers
Director Marketing and Alliance
Network Appliance
Tel: +61 2 9979 5623
mheers@netapp.com
Rachel York
Max Australia
Tel: +61 2 9954 3492
Rachel.york@maxaustralia.com.au