Virtustream, Inc., the leading enterprise class cloud software and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider, today announced that Shred-it, a world-leading information security company providing document destruction services, has selected Virtustream's Cloud Professional Services to handle its SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) upgrade. Virtustream, which already manages all aspects of Shred-it's SAP technical landscape administration and management, will help update the system to SAP ECC version 6.0, enabling the company to attain new functionalities from the latest code and remain in compliance with other requirements.

"Virtustream demonstrated an unmatched level of SAP expertise while managing our virtual SAP landscapes when they first took over administration of the environment back in July. They essentially became an extension of our IT group, so when it came time to pick a service provider for the system update, the choice was simple," said Phillip Hancock, director of engineering and operations, Shred-it. "Virtustream was able to optimize our SAP environment for improved infrastructure performance and stability. They have helped us create a strong foundation that will also make a future cloud migration simple and seamless, when that is appropriate."

Shred-it is a rapidly growing enterprise with 140 branches across five continents. The company initially selected Virtustream to manage its SAP landscape in July 2012, after various issues with sprawl, performance and instability prompted the IT team to seek out a service provider with expertise in running SAP in a virtual environment. Over the past several months, Virtustream has helped Shred-it reduce operating and support costs while maintaining applications with improved service levels. Now, Shred-it has again selected Virtustream to manage a full SAP system upgrade from ECC 5.0 to ECC 6.0, which will help it integrate further into the SAP framework and add in new performance and compliance benefits. The update will also make it possible for Shred-it to leverage the cloud for testing, which creates a series of new opportunities. Although it currently utilizes a virtual environment housed in its own data centers, this capability will ensure a smooth transition to the cloud if Shred-it chooses to migrate its SAP landscape at a later date, as business needs evolve.

"Our professional services team has extensive experience in dealing with sizeable SAP environments, so when Shred-it approached us again, we were more than prepared to assist them with the ECC update," said Frank Vella, chief operating officer, Virtustream. "Their selection of Virtustream for the project validates our ability to provide efficient and effective managed services that enable enterprises to expand capabilities and respond to fluctuating business needs, all while controlling costs and reducing risk."

Virtustream's professional services group assists customers in achieving increased performance and stability for their virtual or cloud environments. For more information, please visit http://www.virtustream.com/content/other_cloud_solutions.