Case Studies

#1 - Improving Customer Service

Background:

The National Election Commission (NEC) is a government agency that oversees and manages all national and local elections in South Korea. Twentieth-century methods for distributing election and candidate information, tallying votes, and publishing election results seemed antiquated.

NEC explored numerous options to improve voter services and decided that a web-based, computer election system would best address voter needs. Due to the nature of elections, this new system would have to be:

secure
high-performing
reliable
easy to use

SamBoo System Corporation, a well-respected, Korea-based, computer integrator, was contracted to build this web-based election system. After thorough research, SamBoo handpicked each hardware and software component.

DataPlow Solution:

DataPlow software proved to be the clear choice to run this mission critical system. DataPlow software was the only product able to exceed target performance levels while maintaining a secure environment. After several elections, the National Election Commission announced,

"We are very pleased with our new election system. The DataPlow file system has proven to be extremely stable and secure while simultaneously meeting our demanding performance requirements."

#2 - Choosing a SAN File System

Background:

The United States Department of Defense (DOD) operates several of the most advanced computer centers in the world. Due to massive data growth and expanding system requirements, the DOD commissioned a study specifically targeting high-performance, storage area network (SAN) file system technologies. The DataPlow SAN File System (SFS) was tested head-to-head against IBM/Tivoli SANergy, ADIC CentraVision File System (CVFS), and SGI CXFS file system. The initial plan was to have multiple rounds of tests with each round becoming more and more demanding of the file systems. The goal was to differentiate these file systems based upon performance.

Results:

The findings are dramatic and conclusive. After just one round of testing, DataPlow SFS proves to be the clear winner. The following data indicate that DataPlow SFS consistently outperforms IBM/Tivoli SANergy and ADIC CVFS.

	DataPlow SFS (MB/s)	ADIC CVFS (MB/s)	Tivoli SANergy (MB/s)
1 Reader	87.3	56.6	56.9
1 Writer	71.6	38.8	42.7
2 Readers	77.8	57.6	64.0
1 Reader & 1 Writer	80.2	48.7	-
2 Writers	70.9	-	54.6

After the study was completed, SGI opted not to publish CXFS performance numbers. This SAN file system study,

Functionality and Performance Evaluation of File Systems for Storage Area Networks (SAN)

by Martha Bancroft, Nick Bear, Robert Hill, Richard Isicoff, and Hoot Thompson, is published in the proceedings of the Eighth NASA Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies.

#3 - Overcoming Incompatibilities

Background:

An executive of a large, international conglomerate approved the purchase of a state-of-the-art data storage solution. The company ordered hardware from leading vendors and SANergy software from IBM/Tivoli. The executive was assured and believed that all system components were compatible.

After installation, however, the executive discovered that the SANergy software, although compatible with the new hardware, was incapable of running the company’s in-house applications. Desperately seeking software that would fully address his computer problem, the executive approached DataPlow.

DataPlow Solution:

Although DataPlow software is compatible with all applications and standards-based hardware, DataPlow encouraged the company to participate in the DataPlow Software Evaluation Program. This program allowed the company to run DataPlow software in its real-world environment prior to purchase. As part of the evaluation process, DataPlow worked with the company to define and meet its technical requirements by:

reviewing the company’s hardware configuration
matching the proper DataPlow product to the environment
guiding software installation
tuning the system to maximize performance and return-on-investment

After the evaluation, the executive knew the system worked. Why believe when you can know? To participate in the DataPlow Software Evaluation Program, please contact DataPlow by completing the request information form.

#4 - Reducing Time-To-Market

Background:

A major manufacturer needed to reduce time-to-market cycles in order to remain competitive. Analysis revealed that the data storage component of its computer-aided design (CAD) computer system was the primary bottleneck. Company engineers often sat idle waiting for computer jobs to complete; these delays unnecessarily decreased productivity, lengthened development times, and increased expenditures. Return-on-investment calculations indicated that more efficient data storage would justify upgrade costs.

DataPlow Solution:

By installing DataPlow software and the necessary storage devices, the company realized a far more efficient CAD computer system and, in turn,

decreased costs
shortened time-to-market cycles
turned a handicap into a competitive advantage

#5 - Growing Capacity on Demand

Background:

Zenon N.S.P. is the largest email and hosting service provider in Russia. To better serve the ever-increasing needs of a rapidly expanding customer base, Zenon decided to revamp its email system. After evaluating numerous options, Zenon concluded that only a DataPlow managed, storage area network (SAN) solution could simultaneously:

support hundreds of thousands of customers
remain operational 24/7 despite component failures
eliminate the need to overbuy
lay a scalable foundation for cost-effective capacity growth on demand

DataPlow Solution:

By implementing a DataPlow powered system, Zenon was able to deliver exceptional performance and service to its customers. The Zenon customer base continued to expand and eventually outgrew the capacity of the new system. Fortunately, the DataPlow solution facilitated seamless growth and Zenon was able to increase server capacity on demand.

“We were quite happy with the initial system. When it came time to increase capacity, we were able to add a new server without disruption. After the new server was added, our customers immediately received a higher quality of service. Many vendors claim their solutions are robust, cost-effective, powerful, and scalable, but DataPlow actually delivers.”

– Andrew Alexeev, Zenon N.S.P.

"SFS paid for itself in recovered disk space."

- Jeff Scott, Los Alamos National Laboratory

"Your cost-effective and robust file sharing solutions are truly industry leading."

- Chris Dobbins, University Center Rochester

"DataPlow SFS is the best solution for server virtualization."

- Max Trinidad, Claire’s Stores Inc.

"Your products and service are superb!"

- Jim McKelvey, VideoCubed

"As a reseller, customer satisfaction is key. I highly recommend DataPlow."

- Jeff Syversen, TDX Tech

"Our business hinges on sharing data quickly. DataPlow SFS delivers with unprecedented performance."