Global image libraries stay online with BlueSquare Data

 

·         Parallel network built by BlueSquare Data enables Third Light to perform staged server migration resulting in zero downtime (versus potential 12 hours’ downtime) and 100 per cent continued commitment to customer service level agreements (SLAs)

 

·         Personal managed service from BlueSquare Data enables Third Light to more than double its server capacity to support a period of controlled growth over two years

 

·         BlueSquare Data’s flexible and creative approach gives Third Light the ability to future-proof and up-scale its data centre needs

Background

A software and internet services company based in Cambridgeshire, Third Light specialises in the development and hosting of specialist software to facilitate online image and video archiving, digital asset management and collaboration. Third Light’s Image Management System (IMS) is designed for centralised web access and can either be run internally by clients on in-house hardware or accessed as software as a service (SaaS), hosted by Third Light on behalf of the client.

Using Third Light’s IMS means clients running media libraries can centrally update, search, retrieve and track images, videos and documents online, and use the system to share images with staff, customers and suppliers.

 Screenshot from Third Light’s IMS*

"Third Light hosts hundreds of image libraries for businesses around the world. With many terabytes of content online and 24/7 uptime commitments to our clients, our business is founded on absolute reliability in the data centre,” explains Michael Wells, managing director, Third Light.

Challenge

In 2007, Third Light moved its servers into BlueSquare Data’s Maidenhead data centre in order to take advantage of the site’s tier III hosting facilities. BlueSquare Data provided space, power and cooling for the equipment whilst Third Light took care of its own maintenance requirements. Network connectivity was provided by a separate ISP, also hosted by BlueSquare Data within the Maidenhead site.

Very quickly it was clear that Third Light could benefit from the exceptionally high level of personal service and attention to detail offered by BlueSquare Data. Third Light wanted to expand its capacity to include additional racks within the data centre, and BlueSquare Data was delighted to offer connectivity via its privately owned network, BlueConnex.

“Most network suppliers try to squeeze your requirements into the limits of their service provision, which doesn’t really give you much room to grow,” says Wells. “BlueSquare proactively volunteered ideas and initiatives that would help us develop our hosting suite in a controlled and manageable way.”

By May 2009, Third Light was hosting its primary application cluster with around 400 customers via its web servers, with databases and storage area networking (SAN) in place behind. Then the ISP providing network connectivity to Third Light for its original network in the data centre announced its intention to move to another data centre. In order to maintain network connectivity from the same provider, Third Light would need to cancel its contract with BlueSquare Data and move its entire server base to a different site.

“Shifting two tonnes of highly sensitive computer equipment is not an easy undertaking. It would take at least six months to complete the move safely and successfully - all to keep an old IP block allocation - so we needed to find an alternative,” explains Michael Wells. “Fortunately, thanks to the supportive relationship we had already cultivated with the team at BlueSquare Data, we knew exactly where to turn for the expertise to resolve the situation.”

Solution

As the incumbent hosting provider already offering connectivity for one rack of equipment via its own network, BlueSquare Data had all the resources at its disposal to ensure that Third Light could retain connectivity for its network in Maidenhead and not have to endure the upheaval of moving to another site.

BlueSquare Data’s commercial director Robin Ellis was pleased to answer the call for assistance from Michael Wells and rapidly set the wheels in motion to facilitate the necessary changes. One of the first steps was to deploy the BlueSquare Data network team to assist with issuing the new IP addresses, which involved guiding Third Light through the necessary RIPE (Réseaux IP Européens) justification forms. The new contract for further rack space and network connectivity with BlueSquare Data was also quickly drawn up.

Ellis and his team then commissioned the new connectivity, power and space, taking care to allocate nearby racks to avoid any unnecessary movement of equipment. BlueSquare Data laid and tagged the necessary cables to facilitate the cross-connect between the old and new networks. Third Light was then able to go through the process of changing the IP addresses of existing clients and managing the staged migration of traffic without incurring any downtime.

“We pride ourselves in the ability to react quickly to customers’ needs and always take a proactive approach to solving their data management problems,” says Ellis. “It made sense to us to build on our existing relationship with Third Light to ensure we could continue to service their business effectively and help them to grow.”

Benefits

“The entire switch over process took approximately 12 days to complete,” explains Ellis. “Not necessarily a huge achievement in itself, but compared to the prospective risks involved with the physical movement of the servers and network connections and the likely duration of such a move, I’m pleased to say we saved Third Light a considerable amount of time and associated hassle by helping it to keep the entire operation at Maidenhead.”

Rather than undergoing a physical move that could have required at least 12 hours of server downtime, a risky and expensive equipment transportation project and highly compromised SLAs, Third Light experienced zero downtime and was able to maintain consistent levels of high quality service for its customers.

“A move to another data centre would have been time-consuming, fraught with risk and costly for our business,” explains Michael Wells. “I was unwilling to accept this change and knew that BlueSquare would be ready to help, based on my previous experiences.”

“BlueSquare Data's staff have been conscientious and helpful at every stage, backing up their promises of uninterrupted service, and exceeding our expectations by getting involved and offering suggestions to help with our continuous expansion,” continues Wells. “We are now interested in consolidating our other hosting operations in the UK, to simplify our high-availability architecture using BlueSquare Data’s other data centres.”

Future plans

Third Light has been looking at the possibility of implementing disaster recovery between BlueSquare Data’s Maidenhead site and its tier IV facility at Milton Keynes, using the group’s own private network.

“We would welcome the opportunity to provide Third Light with disaster recovery services in addition to the space, power, cooling and network connectivity we already supply to it. It means we would be able to increase the resilience and stability of the company’s web-based services to an even higher level,” says Ellis.

“It gives Michael Wells some reassurance to plan for the future. As the incumbent provider we certainly aren’t ‘going anywhere’, so to speak, so he can place an exceptionally high degree of trust in us to still be around and providing him with a consistent level of service further down the line.”

-ENDS-

 *Further high resolution screenshot images are available upon request

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