Customer
Landratsamt Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Industry:
city administration

Number of employees
Around 300 employees

solution
Nonvolatile Memory Express flash memory technology for fast data access with HyperMetro failover functionality

benefits

• Faster and more efficient use of applications
• Lower costs thanks to reduced maintenance and administration
• Future-proof thanks to cost-effective modular upgrades
• Security thanks to 99.9999 percent reliability

To the website of the District Office of Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Building permits, business registrations, vehicle registrations, hunting license renewals—the data records in a district office are diverse. And they require a lot of storage capacity. Regular upgrades and the highest possible level of security are therefore a must. This is also the case at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district office. Microstaxx is there as a reliable partner.

initial situation

A powerful and efficient IT system is essential for day-to-day work, but German authorities do not rely solely on internal expertise. That is why the Garmisch-Partenkirchen District Office (GAP) brought Microstaxx on board to update its outdated data storage systems and upgraded to significantly improved, state-of-the-art technology in 2016. The IT department quickly benefited from the new system, its speed, reduced costs, and high reliability. The system was in use for five years without the need for upgrades or retrofits. This convinced those responsible in the IT department at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen District Office. Due to technological change, the system with capacities on an HDD and an SSD hard drive was no longer state of the art after five years, and a follow-up solution was needed. The district administration’s requirement: it should reflect the current state of the art and be future-proof.

solution

“We see the trust that the district administration has placed in us by re-commissioning us as a compliment, but also as an incentive to once again provide the best possible technology,” says Henning Dorsch, Strategic Enterprise Manager at Microstaxx. After extensive consultation, the decision was made to upgrade to two new NVME flash storage systems for fast data access with HyperMetro failover functionality – a reliable solution for small and medium-sized businesses. While the previous capacities were stored on a rotating hard drive and an SSD hard drive, the new system is based entirely on NVME flash memory technology. NVME (Nonvolatile Memory Express) is a storage access and transport system that offers the shortest response times for enterprise-wide workloads. As a result, the NVME solution ensures increased speed and minimal power consumption.

As with the previous solution, the HyperMetro function has proven its worth. This enables the creation of a redundant system that mirrors the data. This guarantees smooth operation—even if one of the two systems fails. The biggest advantage is the high reliability of cluster operation with a rate of 99.9999 percent. “The employees at the district office really appreciate this system because they don’t experience any service interruptions and can concentrate fully on their day-to-day business,” explains Dorsch.

In addition to consulting, Microstaxx supported the GAP district administration office with the complete implementation of the new system, which was carried out quickly within a few weeks as usual, and regular service calls. Another plus was the personal support: the GAP district administration office was able to convince itself of the security and quality of the Microstaxx solution during several personal appointments on site in Munich.

Conclusion and outlook

The new data storage system has now been in use for two years and has proven its worth: users can access the data they need more than twice as fast and report that there have been no system failures during the entire period. There have also been significant cost savings: operating costs have been reduced considerably. The changeover has therefore paid off not only in terms of performance and security, but also in terms of costs.

As part of the restructuring, Microstaxx also advised the GPA district administration on IT security and adapted and expanded the existing solution. The focus here is on the IT provider’s full-service concept, which also includes the long-term operation of the operating systems. The next joint project is already on the agenda, as Henning Dorsch explains: “We are currently planning a storage expansion with an additional volume of 50 percent for the two installed storage systems.” This will allow employees to continue to concentrate on the really important tasks and day-to-day business.