IT challenges
KIREMA Cloud Technology provides customers with a complete work environment in the cloud for a fixed amount per month. It uses the cloud to deliver most of the elements customers expect from on-premises infrastructure. In addition to cloud desktop, services include cloud server and cloud backup. Based in The Netherlands, KIREMA’s customers include lawyers, real estate, construction companies and contractors. The company has two data centres and focuses on businesses with between 50 and 200 employees.
Speed is of the essence for KIREMA in providing cloud-based desktops to customers and the company’s ambition is to deliver the fastest desktops in the market. The company relied on a combination of two technology offerings previous to the implementation of Tintri’s solution to meet the storage requirements for its services, but it was starting to encounter several issues. Two separate storage solutions required significant management time. In addition, while KIREMA was happy with the speed of one product, it wasn’t happy with the solution’s overall performance.
KIREMA’s owner Rainier Kwakkenbos began looking for an alternative. Kwakkenbos came across Tintri at an exhibition in the Netherlands. “From the first time I saw Tintri,” he said, “I was very happy with it.”
In less than two weeks, Tintri was running a proof of concept (POC) for KIREMA. “The communication with Tintri was great from the start and the POC went very well and made us very happy.”
Solution
KIREMA opted for a Tintri T885 Hybrid flash storage and software solution. “We looked at the T850 but when I thought about our plans for expansion in the future, I decided it made more sense to choose the T885 because we could do more with it and we could have it for longer,” Kwakkenbos revealed. “I knew that in one or two years we would need another box because we’re still onboarding new clients and growing.”
The implementation was very fast. The machine was up and running within half an hour of being unboxed. “Everything is on the box, our complete infrastructure, all the remote desktop services from clients and all our applications and services, everything is in one place,” Kwakkenbos said. “We don’t need any other storage systems anymore, we’ve removed everything.”
When asked to summarise KIREMA’s experience with Tintri, Kwakkenbos replied: “I have more than 13 years of experience in all kinds of storage environments – I wasn’t really happy with anything but then we met Tintri and I’m very happy. I’m trying to sell Tintri to other people because I’m so happy with it.”
Results
Performance and speed
The main requirement KIREMA was looking for with its new storage environment was speed and performance. “We wanted to have the fastest desktops in our market for our customers,” Kwakkenbos said. “It’s lightning fast with Tintri.” From a performance point of view, it’s also very easy for KIREMA to see which virtual machine is using the most IOs and take the appropriate action to ensure it provides optimal performance to customers.
Better management
Storage management has been significantly reduced compared to the previous two-tier environment. “We don’t have to manage the box, it’s always working,” Kwakkenbos stated. “Previously, when we had two tiers of storage, there was a lot of work for us to manage it. Now, once a week I’m looking at the console and wondering ‘why am I looking at it because it’s working fine?’. In any case, there’s no need to check if it’s OK because if something happens, I will get a notification if there’s an issue.”
Faster snapshots
“We’re very happy with the snapshot system. It’s very easy when we have a machine and want to do something with it, we can remove the machine and put it back again directly from storage. If we have malware or viruses, we can just go back to a snapshot and everything is working again. With the old system, snapshots weren’t working very well.”
Virtual machine creation
Tintri has also made it much easier to create virtual machines. “When we create virtual machines, it’s very light and fast because we can use a plug-in, so it’s a time-saving device for us.”
Has the system provided you with an increased visibility and understanding of your operations?
Tintri has definitely improved our visibility by allowing us to operate and see at the virtual machine level. This has significantly reduced management time and has provided us with enhanced insight into our operations. We can now see when issues arise and easily pinpoint any latency and bottleneck concerns.
Previously, we operated with two tiers of storage and there was a lot for us to manage. However, Tintri has completely streamlined this and we can see everything from one single console. Tintri controls each of our applications and we can set policies automating our management tasks. We are also notified if any issues do arise, so we no longer have to spend time managing the IT infrastructure.
Did the system require any additional staff training?
With Tintri there is no need for training, it is simple and easy to use. They have an excellent support team on hand in case any troubles do arise. However, it’s not like other solutions on the market, no special expertise or certification is required.
In less than two weeks Tintri was running a proof of concept (PoC) and the communication we had was great from the start. In addition, implementation was very quick and the system was up and running within half an hour of being unboxed.
Is the solution scalable with your company?
Tintri allows us to start with the IT infrastructure we need today, but with the peace of mind that we can scale up in the future. We can grow up to 40 petabytes and the Tintri solution can still offer the capacity and performance we need. The technology is designed in a way that makes scaling easy and effective, we can simply add an additional array each time we need to grow.
Tintri also provides real time storage analytics which allows us to forecast how much growth we can expect in the future. With predictive analytics and peace of mind, Tintri is perfectly suited to match our needs now and in the future. We don’t have to worry about finding a new IT provider once we hit capacity.
Has the system been welcomed by your enterprise employees?
Right from the PoC the team has been amazed by how well the Tintri solution performs. The communication is great and as soon as we saw Tintri we knew it would be a perfect fit. With reduced management time, our employees have been spending time on other value creating activities. We no longer have to manage the IT environment and we can focus on other enjoyable projects helping to enhance our customer services. Tintri has freed up a lot of time, which was previously spent on mundane management tasks.
I have more than 13 years of experience with all kinds of storage environments – I wasn’t really happy with anything but then we met Tintri and this changed. I’m trying to sell Tintri to other people because I’m so happy with it.
