IMDEX ensures data availability and supports 24/7 global operations with Commvault

Ensuring data availability across global operations

IMDEX is a leading global mining tech company, enabling successful and cost-effective operations from exploration to production. The ASX listed company develops cloud-connected sensors and drilling optimisation products to improve the process of identifying and extracting mineral resources for drilling contractors and resource companies globally.

IMDEX’s unique end-to-end solutions for the mining value chain integrate its leading AMC and REFLEX brands. Together they enable clients to drill faster and smarter, obtain accurate subsurface data and receive critical information in real-time.

With clients around the globe, IMDEX needed instant accessibility to data around the clock. IMDEX adopted a multi-cloud approach by running Microsoft Azure and Amazon Services on Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms. However, the growing data in cloud environments led to substantial increase in work volume and overhead.

Working with Cirrus Networks, IMDEX built a private cloud platform with Commvault Complete Backup and Recovery, Cisco FlashStack, VMware and Pure Storage. Its goal is to provide a robust, cost-effective and highly available platform to manage data from multiple sources, including Office 365, Windows servers, SharePoint, virtual machines and Linux operating system.

“There was a perception in the marketplace that if data is in the cloud, it’s always available. That’s not the case at all, and you need to rethink what’s required for data protection,” said Brad Harvey, Global IT Operations Manager, IMDEX Limited. “With the seamless integration between Commvault Complete Backup and Recovery and Azure Cloud, IMDEX can now recover Office 365 data in hours instead of days.

“We now have the flexibility to move workloads from cloud service providers—including Rackspace, Azure, and Amazon—to the private cloud at any time. Commvault does exactly what it says on the box, giving us confidence that our data is safe and available between regions.”

Saving significant costs with a private cloud approach

Through acquisitions in different regions, IMDEX inherited various bespoke backup solutions like Bacula. With data spread across multiple repositories and systems, discovery exercises became challenging.

“You don’t want the situation where you’ve done ten acquisitions and you need ten people to manage those legacy solutions. There were no economies of scale,” said Harvey. “By using the private cloud platform built on solutions from Commvault, Cisco, VMware and Pure Storage, we have not only improved the quality of our data protection but we also expect to save approximately A$500,000 operating costs over five years.”

Because it backs up everything in a hypervisor rather than a server, IMDEX now has access to every piece of data in its virtual machines, minimizing reliability issues. The simplified backup operations also helped to raise morale among IT staff members and enabled them to focus on adding value to the business.

Greater capability in data readiness and supporting growth

The company is considering adopting Commvault Activate™ to provide granular visibility of data across multiple sources and even greater governance control.

“We have grown through acquisitions, so it’s great that we finally have a system in place that allows us to start realizing the value of data to the business,” said Harvey. “I am confident that Commvault can accommodate whatever changes occur in the industry and will empower us with greater data readiness.”