Client story Leading Materials Science Company Moves to Multicloud IT Strategy
By Insight Editor / 18 Nov 2020 / Topics: Cloud Data center Migration IT modernization
Facts at a glance
Client industry
Materials science and manufacturing
Challenge
Adopt a new multicloud strategy as part of an overall data center modification initiative
Solution
A multicloud IT strategy workshop with Insight experts
Insight provided:
- Multicloud strategy and design initiative
- Cloud workshops
- Provisioning
- Migration services
Insight services:
- Consulting Services
- SnapStart Assessment
- Cloud Envisioning Workshop
- Residency Services
- Managed Services
Outcomes:
Download the client story
- A clear understanding of the client’s cloud readiness
- A comprehensive and multiphase multicloud strategy
- A strong relationship with a trusted partner to execute the phases of the strategy
The client
A leading innovator in materials science, the client employs approximately 50,000 people and has 10 research and development centers spread across North America, Asia and Europe. The company has been at the forefront of creating life-changing products for nearly 170 years.
The challenge: Adopt a new multicloud strategy as part of an overall data center modification initiative
Historically, the client relied upon a managed services provider to host and manage its global IT environment and provide data center hardware and infrastructure. So, when new leadership took the reins and assessed the relationship from a new perspective, the client decided it was time to take an in-depth look at IT infrastructure and data center management practices. Drawing on its positive relationships with key Insight players, the client engaged Insight to inventory and update its infrastructure.
In particular, the client wanted to update its infrastructure, including 3 major and 165 smaller data centers and more than 3,000 applications.
The solution: A multicloud IT strategy workshop with Insight experts
Insight started the process by conducting a series of seven workshops to help the client envision and create a multicloud strategy. The workshops focused on issues critical to modernization, such as IT security, infrastructure and workload alignment.
The workshops provided an excellent opportunity to assess the client’s cloud readiness, assets, goals and hurdles to modernization — and to demonstrate how Insight could effectively partner with the client to design and implement a multiphase plan to successfully adopt a multicloud approach.
Typically, these workshops bring all the stakeholders together for two or three days of workshops. However, since COVID-19 made meeting in person impossible, Insight was tasked with conducting the workshops remotely. In order to accommodate stakeholder schedules and optimize engagement and input, Insight broke the workshops up into shorter two-hour segments, spread over a two-week timeframe, and conducted the sessions remotely. Additionally, as the pandemic shifted priorities and timelines for many projects and objectives, Insight helped the client focus on the most important components of the multicloud strategy.
Insight also led the client through a SnapStart Assessment to discover all the different applications and infrastructure components of the IT environment and facilitated conversations with AWS® and Azure® to discuss the build-out process for the new multicloud infrastructure.
Throughout the workshop and assessment process, Insight helped the client identify and solve potential IT challenges, including refreshing infrastructure for SharePoint®, providing critical access to IT talent during the adoption of VxRail® through a Residency Services engagement, and F5 troubleshooting to address challenges in the client’s email environment.
The benefits: A strong foundation for ongoing data center modernization and multicloud build-out
The client and Insight have an established, strong partnership that has led to multiple new engagements and plans for ongoing modernization initiatives. Today, the client has completed the Cloud Readiness Phase of its multicloud strategy and will soon move on to the Planning Phase, which includes design and implementation of the strategy. Upon completion of planning, the client will begin execution, including migration, scale optimization, and innovation, with Insight ready to assist and support every step of the way of this multi-year project.
