Overview
Since 1967, Pentron Corporation (“Pentron”) and its affiliates have been developing, manufacturing and marketing dental products. Employing more than 120 people, Pentron’s corporate headquarters and its 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility are located in Wallingford, Conn.
Challenge
Immediately following the IT challenges that most businesses faced at the turn of the century, Pentron researched options for business continuity solutions for potential system failures.
“We conducted tests and found that our current plan was not acceptable,” explained Robin Bavin, assistant VP of IT for Pentron. “It was not only expensive, but did not fit our organization’s needs.”
Receiving up to 600 calls each day during its peak season and averaging 6,000 orders each month, the availability of Pentron’s order system is crucial for the success of its business.
“We had tried another availability solution, but abandoned the overwhelming project in 2001,” said Bavin. “We needed a solution that would cover our normal business operations and get our critical components up and running quickly if our systems fail.”
Bavin added, “We had worked with Data Storage Corp.’s executive vice president on many other IT projects and turned to him for advice. He had a thorough understanding of our dual IBM and Windows operating environment and was able to help us design and implement an efficient and cost-effective business continuity plan.”
Solution
Pentron first set up a VoIP system to enable its sales representatives to take orders from home, in the event that the weather prevented them from traveling to the office.
With more than 100 desktop computers and 10 servers running in a combined IBM and Windows environment, equipment failures are inevitable.
Pentron needed to take the necessary precautions to remain operational and prevent productivity losses. Pentron could not afford the risk of having its JD Edwards’ ordering and shipping solution go down. It needed to ensure the availability of all of its critical servers, including its email and file servers, as well as the company’s website. DSC/HA was the answer.
“We were originally contemplating using a hot site back in 2001, but were not ready to make the financial commitment,” explained Bavin. “Now, for the same price as the hot site in 2001, we are able to use DSC/HA to ensure the availability of all of our critical components with a two hour or less guarantee.”
For a monthly subscription fee, Data Storage Corp. creates and maintains a mirror of Pentron’s IBM and Windows data, systems and applications providing a switchable “mirror” of its systems during planned or unplanned downtime. Within two hours, DSC/HA becomes Pentron’s production system until its own systems are operational again.
Return on Investment
“Data Storage Corp. did the research to determine what solutions would best fit our particular needs,” said Bavin. “The team at Data Storage Corp. had the knowledge to implement the solution in a smooth and timely fashion and has always been very responsive. They are dedicated to their clients and willing to take the necessary actions to ensure our business continuity.”
“The DSC/HA solution is less expensive than the other available options,” explained Bavin. “Our information is now protected and we have noticed an increase in productivity during system failures. With DSC/HA, we believe that we are getting the most bang for our buck.”
