A VMware upgrade and storage refresh built to scale: The GEL Group
The GEL Group, an analytical laboratory and engineering firm, needed to modernize an aging VMware environment and storage that could not keep up with growth. The Bluetowne team, now part of Katalyst, upgraded both and positioned GEL to scale.
About The GEL Group
The GEL Group (GEL) is a leading analytical laboratory, engineering, and consulting company. Since 1981, GEL has provided a unique breadth of analytical testing, environmental consulting, civil engineering, and geophysical engineering services that meet high standards of quality and accuracy for a broad and enduring client base.
The Challenge
GEL's biggest challenge was the diversity and age of the systems it managed, along with the pace of change in its industry. Support expirations and feature enhancements within VMware meant GEL needed to upgrade to stay current and realize the full potential of its infrastructure. GEL was also hitting scalability limits with storage, where the existing RAID configuration and capacity were not positioned for future growth. The firm wanted a trusted technology advisor from the start to ensure the result was a reliable infrastructure that would scale as the business continued to grow.
The Solution
Two project implementations addressed GEL's challenges. The first upgraded the existing VMware infrastructure from version 3.5 to 5.1, building a new vCenter and upgrading three hosts while using iSCSI connectivity to shared SAN storage. The second replaced the existing SAN with a new EMC VNX5200 array and migrated all existing data to the new environment, staying consistent with the iSCSI infrastructure.
The Results
The VMware upgrade let GEL take advantage of renewed vendor support and the enhanced features in version 5.1, including single sign-on, thin provisioning, centralized license management in vCenter, iSCSI binding, and storage vMotion from the GUI. When GEL completed the storage refresh the following year, it gained a best-in-market SAN along with major performance improvements and the ability to scale the EMC VNX5200 to meet future demand.
Key Takeaways
- Current and supported. A VMware upgrade that restored vendor support and unlocked modern features.
- Storage that scales. A new EMC VNX5200 SAN with room to grow.
- Performance gains. Faster, more reliable infrastructure across the board.
- Advisor from the start. A trusted partner guiding the roadmap, not just the install.
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