Thanks to Commvault HyperScale Software, we can now support hybrid environments — on-premise[s] and the cloud — significantly reducing the complexity of our data protection environment. The solution also allows us to use data more effectively and supports our data management strategy. This is important as the business transforms to meet the needs of operating in the digital age.

— Lisa Arthur, Infrastructure Manager | 2degrees Mobile Limited

Slashes storage requirements and TCO by 50 percent

Previously, 2degrees used Commvault® software with scale-up hardware to protect its critical customer information, such as mobile billing and usage data. However, it was time consuming and complex to manage the data with the aging hardware and increasingly difficult to scale to meet the business’ needs. The legacy storage system no longer had the capacity to meet 2degrees’ requirements and needed to be replaced to cope with the volume of data.

2degrees was considering adding more standalone storage until a Commvault technology consultant recommended Commvault HyperScale Software to reduce IT complexity. With 2degrees’ media agents coming to the end of their life cycle, the telecommunications provider decided to deploy Commvault HyperScale Software.

Lisa Arthur, Infrastructure Manager, 2degrees, said the most surprising benefit of all was the reduction in storage required. “A big focus for us was storage — we were running out. We effectively cut our storage requirements in half with the efficiencies gained through the use of Commvault HyperScale Software,” said Arthur. “Another compelling benefit was the 50 percent reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO) over five years with the HyperScale solution compared to the traditional Commvault architecture.”

Holistic solution lowers administration overheads

While already using Commvault’s data protection solutions, 2degrees recognized the need for a more holistic approach to its data management strategy. By adopting Commvault HyperScale Software with Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) high-density Apollo storage, 2degrees has lowered administration overheads and optimized the existing hardware to reduce costs.

“We had the flexibility to pair Commvault’s software with the infrastructure of our choice, hence minimizing our IT administrator’s maintenance workload,” said Arthur. “For instance, instead of patching the operating system and application on seven servers, we only have to patch Commvault on six devices. This has halved the time spent on patching alone.”

2degress has also benefited from Commvault Command Center, a centralized, easy-to-use management and reporting dashboard, and the support team for troubleshooting.

Single data management platform reduces complexity

“Thanks to Commvault HyperScale™ Software, we can now support hybrid environments—on-premise[s] and the cloud—significantly reducing the complexity of our data protection environment. The solution also allows us to use data more effectively and supports our data management strategy. This is important as the business transforms to meet the needs of operating in the digital age,” said Arthur.

2degrees is a fast-paced business with evolving and growing data requirements. By seamlessly integrating Commvault with its VMware environment and Office 365, the telecommunication provider not only consolidated seven servers into the Commvault HyperScale solution but also gained access to new features that allow for more agility. Furthermore, Commvault Hyperscale Software allows for easy data orchestration, meaning 2degrees could back up its data to Microsoft Exchange one day and the following week convert that data to be used in a Google environment on the fly. With the business moving so fast, Arthur said that 2degrees has the potential to do this was a selling point.

Future-proofed for scale and innovation

“The telecommunications space is extremely competitive. There will always be plenty more we can do and plenty of opportunities to grow,” said Arthur. “It’s the job of IT to be constantly on the lookout for ways we can do things better and faster. The Commvault solution has removed complexity in our IT environment, lowered total cost of ownership, cut the amount of storage required and time spent on administration and, put simply, made our lives easier.”