NEW 3PAR CUSTOMERS CUT COSTS BY MORE THAN 90%!

Substantial savings reported

With 3PAR Utility Storage, you can cut your total cost of data in half by freeing up human resources, purchasing far less capacity and eliminating devices and layers from your SAN infrastructure. The United States Census Bureau and FreshDirect™ have joined a rapidly growing group of satisfied Utility Storage customers enjoying significant cost savings.

U.S. Census Bureau
Scaling storage counts
The Census Bureau has been able to scale 300% over its previous environment while simultaneously reducing administration by 95%. The Bureau required a new utility computing infrastructure that would scale easily and more effectively enable data sharing. Its new infrastructure utilizes multiple Linux-based servers that are scaled centrally and modularly to match the deployment of new remote facilities. For storage, the Census Bureau chose a 3PAR InServ S400 Storage Server that has steadily and non-disruptively scaled to 35 terabytes, all within a standard 19” cabinet.

With 3PAR, the Census Bureau has also avoided costly traditional infrastructure purchases. The built-in volume management capabilities of the InServ Storage Server have saved the Bureau nearly $100,000 in host volume management software. By leveraging the abundant native host connectivity of the InServ Storage Server, the Bureau also postponed the purchase of additional switching infrastructure. Lastly, 3PAR’s support for open high-availability solutions enabled the Bureau to eliminate proprietary and expensive multi-pathing alternatives.

"Our users were stifled by an inflexible environment. We have extensive experience with numerous vendors and solutions, but nothing delivered the simplicity, scalability and flexibility we've gotten from the 3PAR system."

—Darrin Stolba, Project Lead, Census Bureau's Research Data Center Upgrade

For more information
Press release
Customer profile
Byte & Switch: 3PAR Takes a Census

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FreshDirect
No more sour grapes
With 3PAR, FreshDirect has cut its web transaction times by 85%—even as peak usage has tripled—enabling the egrocer to provide fresh produce, meats and baked goods to its customers within a pre-selected two-hour time window using a fleet of 100 trucks.

As any grocer, nutritionist or savvy consumer knows, the freshest meats, seafood, vegetables and fruits are not only the tastiest, but also the best for you. That's why FreshDirect, the largest online provider of fresh foods in New York City, knew that it had to take a fresh approach in addressing its brittle and aging web architecture. Issues with storage, in particular, were causing unacceptably slow web transactions during peak hours.

Upgrades and changes to its IT infrastructure were either difficult to implement or caused excessive downtime. To remedy this situation and prepare for future growth, FreshDirect set out to create a high-performance and highly scalable infrastructure that could be managed non-disruptively 24 x 7. FreshDirect investigated many options and selected 3PAR over other vendors for performance, scalability, simplicity and ability to support always-on operations. The Queens-based grocer purchased two 3PAR InServ S400 Storage Servers, each with six terabytes of capacity, as the foundation for a true utility computing environment. One InServ Storage Server is dedicated to a mission critical web-based ordering system while a second handles its corporate and production applications, including Microsoft® Exchange and file services.

As a demonstration of its consolidation value, the second InServ Storage Server was easily upgraded with an additional 6 terabytes to accommodate SAP test and development and a “sortation / pick and pack” application. This upgrade was non-disruptive and took less than an hour to complete. FreshDirect can now scale out storage seamlessly and cost-effectively.

"Changes like this used to require a professional services engagement and took up to a week to complete. With 3PAR, we can adapt much more rapidly and cost effectively. Our IT is now poised to enable the expansion of our business. 3PAR has helped us retain orders and enhance our customers' experience by creating a faster, more available environment."

—Myles Trachtenberg, Chief Technology Officer, FreshDirect

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