Server architecture and legacy systems

A high-volume bulk-mail printer needed to upgrade their server infrastructure. Their business runs on a specialized planning and accounting package that limited their choices: the software wasn’t supported on newer operating systems, and reinstalling it on new hardware was risky. Meanwhile the existing server was aging, and a hardware failure would have stopped production.

navitend architected and deployed a virtualized server platform, then performed a “physical to virtual” conversion of the legacy server. The conversion moved the existing server, along with its planning and accounting package and data, onto the new platform intact, so nothing had to be reinstalled. We scheduled the cutover around the client’s production calendar and tested the application with their staff before going live. Backups now protect the entire virtual server, not just its files.

The legacy application runs on modern, reliable hardware, and the risk of an aging server has been retired. Virtualization has enabled continual operations for this client. We can even perform simple “upgrades” from time to time, such as more memory or more storage, by making configuration changes to their virtual environment instead of buying and installing new equipment.