DATEV aG
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The new-design D(atev) blocks combine Cisco UCS servers and Nexus Switch, an EMC and VMware vSphere storage system, into a Unified Data Center within a single housing. They have reduced server allocation times at DATEV from 40-80 times compared to the previous system. The integrated blocks have also reduced energy costs by 30% and human resource costs by 20% for DATEV.
DATEV aG
- 1. Solution Overview Individual and Fully Carefree Infrastructure for DATEV eG. Unified Computing Platform Makes Server Allocation Around 60 Times Faster Around ten million workers in Germany are familiar with DATEV eG through their monthly payslip. This Nuremberg-based IT service provider and software company always keeps its high-performance data center at the cutting edge of technology. The cooperative has used a comprehensive integration concept to customize the Vblock unified computing platform, provided by the Virtual Computing Environment Company (VCE, founded by Cisco, EMC and VMware), to meet the needs of its existing infrastructure. The new-design D(atev) blocks combine Cisco UCS servers and Nexus Switch, an EMC and VMware vSphere storage system, into a Unified Data Center within a single housing. They expand and update the 19-inch server landscape, dramatically reducing allocation times for ESX servers. The bottom line is that DATEV is also making savings when it comes to operating costs: systems administration and allocation require less attention from personnel, the integrated combination blocks use less electricity and air-conditioning, plus the use of cable materials for networking is also greatly reduced. Nuremberg-based DATEV eG provides tax advisers, accountants and attorneys, as well as their clients, with support in the form of software and IT services. Operating within a cooperative, the company has around 40,000 members looked after by around 6100 employees. The DATEV range of services includes software for accounting, human resources, business consultation, tax calculations and the organization of both companies and chambers. DATEV (derived from the German "Datenverarbeitung," meaning data processing) was founded in 1966 and is one of Europe's largest information service providers and software companies. There are some impressive figures to back up this claim; the financial accounts of around 2.5 million companies, mainly German SMEs, are set up by a tax adviser or the companies themselves using DATEV software. As such, DATEV represents a German standard in IT-assisted accounting. The new-design D(atev) blocks combine Cisco UCS DATEV operates modern data centers at four locations in Nuremberg for members and clients; these data servers and Nexus Switch, an EMC and VMware vSphere centers are consistently kept up-to-date from a technological perspective. When the first integrated storage system, into a Unified Data Center within a single housing. infrastructure blocks emerged on the market in 2010, Heinrich Golüke, Head of IT Infrastructure at DATEV, and his colleagues began to develop an interest in this technology. "What we particularly liked was of course the fact that the required functions, servers, network and storage can be allocated
- 2. Solution Overview as an infrastructure block with greater ease and at a lower cost," says Golüke. "People instinctively try to Background achieve as much as possible with minimum resources. This is why tightening up our allocation process for Headquartered in Nuremberg, DATEV eG offers server services was a major priority for us." software solutions and IT services across Europe for tax advisers, accountants and attorneys, as well as their As part of a market analysis, DATEV studied integrated systems from HP, IBM and Fujitsu Germany clients. The cooperative has around 40,000 members, and develops and markets programs for accounting, alongside the Unified Computing System (UCS) from Cisco. After consultations with manufacturers and human resources, business consultation, tax customers and probing of studies and market information, the solutions were narrowed down to long- calculations and organization. standing supplier of rack servers HP and the Unified Computing System. The aim was to introduce a dual- vendor strategy with a second server provider. "At the time, Cisco scored points as the new player in the Challenge server market, while also being traditionally strong in the field of networking. From an integration DATEV wanted a modern, easy-to-manage, perspective, the VCE alliance with EMC and VMware was also a positive signal in the market." VCE's failsafe, cost-saving Vblock infrastructure solution was also persuasive from an economic point of view. This Unified Data and future-proof infrastructure solution that would Center for virtualization tasks combines the Cisco Unified Computing System, a Cisco Nexus Switch, integrate well within its existing rack server Unified Storage from EMC and the vSphere platform from VMware. environment. Solution DATEV introduced two D(atev) blocks in November 2011. The personalized infrastructure solution is Intensive Preparation for a Tailored Solution based on a Vblock with Cisco components from the Cisco manufacturing consortium (Cisco Nexus and Before the infrastructure blocks were actually implemented, DATEV began working together with Cisco Unified Computing System), VMware (virtualization partner Computacenter in July 2011 to devise an integration schedule. This phase saw the standard framework) and EMC (storage system). configurations of the mini data centers adapted to meet DATEV requirements so that the Vblocks were not designed to their original specifications but as D(atev) blocks. As well as integrating mirrored hard disk Benefits systems into the individual DATEV stacks, the company also modified the new data center modules to meet • Servers made available 40 to 80 times faster individual management requirements. "In order to maintain uniform systems management, we replaced the • Human resource costs reduced by 20% supplied systems configuration software with the BMC BladeLogic server automation tool that we were • Energy cost savings of 30% already using," says Jochen Podschadel, Team Leader for Windows Server Systems. Now that DATEV has • Smaller floor space required in data center its own D blocks, the company has a sophisticated platform enabling quick and easy expansion. "This one- • Easy expansion of a customized infrastructure off integration of failsafe, cross-site systems within our specific processes really was worth the time and solution thanks to established integration concept effort," emphasizes Golüke. • A central point of contact for support and maintenance With Computacenter support, Golüke's team employed a migration concept to determine precisely which ESX server clusters should be moved to the new UCS Cisco blades. Following successful failover tests and the assumption of computing capacities at the relevant alternate site, DATEV began operating two D blocks in November 2011 as an installation in addition to the existing rack server environment. The first step was to use 32 blade servers for internal applications within the D block infrastructure. The data from the alternate data center is mirrored in the primary site opened in 2011. The D block blade servers are all fully equipped with ESX server featuring vSphere version 4. The central farm for the DATEV eG internal communication network is entirely housed within the new infrastructure. It combines all kinds of servers—from file servers offering up to two terabytes of space to application servers and SQL servers—to form an extremely uniform landscape. Windows and Linux serve as the major operating systems. Computacenter was the main contractor and sole point of contact for DATEV throughout the entire life span of the project,>and most importantly during the crucial integration design stage, channeling all queries to the respective manufacturers. "We felt we were in good hands throughout, even during the commissioning phase of the blocks, with our partners as well as our manufacturers," says Harald Dazian, Head of Server Systems at DATEV eG.
- 3. Solution Overview Server Readiness at the Touch of a Button The new technology from Cisco and the outstanding integration capability offered by the D block components are already demonstrating the recognized benefits of a service-oriented Unified Data Center. This is especially true for allocation times. "In the past, we had to first obtain the ESX servers, then integrate them within networks and storage systems, test them and finally allocate them. Nowadays, we set up IT resources centrally in the D block, meaning we can allocate ESX servers 40 to 80 times faster than before," explains Dazian. This fast readiness is also a bonus when it comes to availability of the infrastructure. DATEV operates modern data centers at four locations in Nuremberg for members and clients; these data The block solution is helping DATEV eG to keep operating costs under control, saving around centers are always kept up-to-date from a technological 30% <savings> on energy costs (electricity and air conditioning) for the integrated stacks. The D blocks are perspective. also extremely densely packed, which saves precious space in the new data center, so that these 1000 square meters are sufficient room for massive growth in IT in the years to come. The intensive preparation to ensure straightforward integration of the D blocks into the DATEV environment and an easy way to allocate ESX servers has also paid off in another way; the D blocks have caused human resource costs within servers, network and storage to fall by around 20% compared with conventional server architecture. "These savings make it possible for us to manage server growth without the need for new configurations," explains Golüke. No less significant is the reduction of hardware investments, such as the amount of cabling and switchboards required per server, thanks to the networking paths integrated into the blocks. DATEV's high expectations were also met in terms of service: "When you have a multi-faceted infrastructure such as the D block solution, it is vital to have a central point of contact—or 'one throat to choke'—for support and maintenance. DATEV eG is completely satisfied with Computacenter's role as problem-solver and coordinator for networking, storage and servers," reports Golüke. D Blocks Continue to Grow Downtime is an alien concept in the DATEV data center. At present, the IT team is equipping each D-block with 16 new servers. Thanks to the already described, well-grounded plans for integration, the effort Point of contact for customers: required for this expansion is virtually non-existent. In the first production level for the block architecture, DATEV eG DATEV initially sought to gather experience with its complex and diverse range of internal applications. In Heinrich Golüke the meantime, Golüke and his team are already testing the economic and technological feasibility of a brand 90329 Nuremberg new application scenario; the idea is to apply an external service called DATEVasp (Application Service Germany Providing) and its corresponding hardware for members and clients to the integrated infrastructure blocks. Tel.: +49 (0) 911- 319-0 Email: heinrich.golueke@datev.de http://www.datev.de Cisco Systems GmbH Cisco Systems GmbH Cisco Systems GmbH Cisco Systems GmbH Cisco Systems GmbH Cisco Systems GmbH City Cisco Systems GmbH Am Kurfürstendamm 22 Neuer Wall 77 Hansaallee 249 Friedrich-Ebert-Allee Ludwig-Erhard-Straße 3 Plaza Rotebühlplatz 21-25 Söldnermoos 17 10719 Berlin Germany 20354 Hamburg 40549 Düsseldorf 67-69 53113 Bonn Germany 65760 Eschborn 70178 Stuttgart 85399 Hallbergmoos Germany Germany Germany Germany Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 800-1870318 www.cisco.de Cisco Systems Austria GmbH Büro Salzburg Bürocenter am Cisco Systems Switzerland GmbH Cisco Systems Switzerland GmbH Im Cisco Systems Switzerland GmbH Millenium Tower, 30. & 31. 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The use of the word "partner" does not imply a partnership agreement between Cisco and another company. ( 0208R ) The rights to the images in this document belong to DATEV eG and may be re-used along with citation of the source. September 3