VergeIO, a leader in ultraconverged infrastructure (UCI), announced that InterBel Telephone, a trusted telecommunications provider
in northwest Montana, has successfully modernized its IT infrastructure
with VergeIO’s groundbreaking platform. This transformative upgrade
streamlined operations and came in significantly under budget, saving
nearly 45% compared to revised projections.
Faced with aging infrastructure and skyrocketing software licensing
fees, InterBel sought a flexible, cost-effective solution to replace its
Cisco UCS and NetApp environment. With hardware reaching end-of-life
and escalating costs from traditional virtualization platforms such as
VMware, the telecom provider needed a modern solution to ensure
reliable, efficient customer service.
Tom Rasmussen, Manager of Information Technology at InterBel Telephone,
explained, “The Broadcom acquisition of VMware hit us hard, with
licensing costs jumping by 30%. It was a punch in the gut. VergeIO stood
out with its simplicity, flexibility, and ability to run on the
hardware we already trusted.”
The project was built on Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 servers, leveraging
VergeIO’s VergeOS platform-a powerful ultraconverged infrastructure
solution-for an all-flash production environment. Another node was
configured using VergeIO’s ioGuardian feature for disaster recovery,
providing a robust backup and failover solution that can mix SSD and
hard disk drives seamlessly. This configuration maximized performance
while ensuring scalability and cost-efficiency for the future.
Rasmussen highlighted the straightforward implementation process:
“VergeIO was like reading an open book. It took under two hours to
deploy in our lab, and adding nodes was seamless. Compared to the
complexity of Cisco UCS and NetApp, VergeIO made the process remarkably
simple.”
The VergeIO deployment delivered immediate benefits, including:
-
Cost Savings: Instead of exceeding their budget by 30% with
VMware, InterBel completed the project using VergeIO at just 28% of
their original budget – achieving an impressive 45% savings compared to
VMware. - Performance Improvements: An all-flash environment enhanced speed and reliability beyond what the legacy systems could offer.
- Streamlined Management: A single-pane-of-glass interface simplified operations for InterBel’s one-person IT team.
- Scalability: VergeOS allowed the addition of compute-only nodes and flexible storage options for future growth.
Yan Ness, CEO of VergeIO, commented, “We are thrilled to support
InterBel in achieving their infrastructure goals. Our ultraconverged
platform is designed to simplify IT operations and deliver exceptional
value, enabling organizations like InterBel to focus on delivering
superior services to their customers.”
Today, InterBel is poised for continued growth and operational
excellence. VergeIO’s UCI ensures that their IT environment remains
scalable, cost-effective, and ready to meet the evolving demands of
their telecom services.
