Sep 25, 2006

E.Novation Protects Customer Data with LeftHand SAN

Boulder, Colo.

Thirty-eight terabyte SAN utilizes LeftHand SAN/iQ’s unique synchronous replication for ultra-high data protection

E.Novation Group B.V., developer and supplier of managed services, contact centers and CRM solutions based in the Netherlands, announced today that it has implemented a 38TB LeftHand SAN to complement its highly available application service provider environment, to provide their technology via the ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) principle. LeftHand’s Campus SAN capability, based on synchronous replication technology, allows E.Novation to totally guarantee 24x7 access to data, even in the event of a data center outage.

 

Ranging from customers in transportation to healthcare to financial institutions, E.Novation provides its clients with a variety of applications including Oracle running on Linux, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange and proprietary applications. The applications and their data reside in two fully redundant, independent data centers with separate UPS systems to ensure business continuance. Augmenting the fully redundant quality of the data centers, E.Novation required a data storage solution that offered synchronous replication between data centers. The LeftHand SAN not only fit the requirements, but SAN/iQ’s Campus SAN feature came standard with the license of LeftHand’s SAN/iQ software.

 

“We’re very pleased with the ultra-high fault tolerance and performance offered within the LeftHand SAN solution,” said Arthur Nederlof, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of E.Novation. “In the past, if we had an outage, it would take about 15 minutes to point the servers to the secondary data storage which had been asynchronously copied earlier in the day. With SAN/iQ’s Campus SAN feature, we have two identical copies of all data, available in real time to our customers. In the event of a breakdown, customers are protected and will not feel any effects.”

 

Further enhancing E.Novation’s redundant IT environment, SAN/iQ offered the SaaS provider the ability to boot from SAN without lag time between data. Because the data is spread across storage modules in two data centers in a Campus SAN configuration, all data is synchronously replicated, including the operating system data required to boot from SAN. All virus updates, changes to the OS, and patches are automatically copied to both data centers at the same time, allowing E.Novation to easily meet strict service level agreements (SLAs) with its clients.

 

“E.Novation is a technology-driven company and needed a storage solution that could grow and adapt as the company expanded,” said Jacco Gunsing, account manager storage of Acal, LeftHand’s channel partner that helped E.Novation through the SAN selection process. “As a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider, E.Novation had a strong requirement for high availability and scalability. The LeftHand SAN and its unique SAN/iQ software met their needs right out of the box. Snapshot, Campus SAN, SAN/iQ Network RAID were all included in the initial purchase, giving E.Novation the tools they needed to meet SLAs and guarantee high availability.”

 

About E.Novation Group B.V.

E.Novation is one of the few family-run companies in the IT sector. The company was founded by the brothers Fred and Arthur Nederlof. The board was subsequently joined by family members Jean and Ad Nederlof. E.Novation develops and supplies managed services, contact centers and CRM solutions and the related technology and consultancy. The organization also specializes in the development, hosting, integration and processing of electronic messaging and the related products and services, including those based on the ASP model.

 

E.Novation employs more than 250 staff and is active in the following sectors in Europe: healthcare, transport, logistics, financial services, hotels and sport. The company works for more than 50 leading companies, including Achmea, Heineken, KNVB, RAET, SNS Fundcoach, ECT, Akzo Nobel, Robeco, ABN AMRO, KPN and more than 100 large [government] organizations. More information on E.Novation is available at http://www.enovation.nl.

 

About LeftHand Networks

LeftHand Networks pioneered IP-based storage area networks (SAN) in 2001. SANs built using LeftHand’s SAN/iQ® software are uniquely able to distribute and protect data across a cluster of industry-standard storage servers. The company’s patented architecture increases data availability, allows users to start small and grow the SAN seamlessly, and simplifies management. The LeftHand SAN is ideal for primary storage and server consolidation, centralized backup, and disaster recovery. For more information, contact LeftHand at info@lefthandnetworks.com.

 

About Acal

Acal is a leading value-added distributor providing specialist design-in, sales and marketing services for international suppliers in the fields of Electronic Components, IT Products and IT Parts Services. Founded in 1986 Acal has, through a combination of acquisition and organic growth, developed into a major player in each of these product groupings.

 

Acal employs approximately 1000 people, offering particularly strong sales and marketing expertise. It is through these skills that Acal can focus on the demand creation and high standards of technical support which differentiate it from other distributors. The business provides opportunities for growth, a high return on capital employed and a positive cash-flow. Acal plans to continue investing cash-flow in organic growth and complementary business opportunities.

 

Organized into three Divisions based around the above activities, Acal has 17 principal trading companies of which 10 are in Continental Europe and 7 in the United Kingdom. In addition Acal has a presence in the Far East, including China, through its associated companies. Each operating company has considerable operating autonomy, enabling it to respond to the needs of its local markets in a timely and flexible manner. More information about Acal can be found on: http://www.Acal.co.uk.

 

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Jeroen Nagtegaal
E.Novation Group B.V.
jeroen.nagtegaal@enovation.nl

+31 (0)10 288 1680

 

Gabe Boeckman

LeGrand Hart

gboeckman@legrandhart.com

+011 303-298-8470

 

Tracey Floming

LeftHand Networks

tracey.floming@lefthandnetworks.com