MAYNARD, MA--(Marketwire - October 13, 2010) - Assuring that citizens get pure water to their taps without fail is obviously a critical municipal service, and one that Pinellas County (Fla.) Utilities chose to introduce its first use of virtualization software. The utility's experience with Stratus® ftServer® systems to assure uptime of critical water/wastewater operations gave it the confidence to consolidate multiple supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) applications and run them virtually on a single server.
"We've used Stratus servers in our three primary control centers for ten years and we've never had downtime caused by a hardware outage, so I had every confidence in implementing VMware on ftServer systems," said Ken Osborne, SCADA supervisor for PCU. "Now that we have the VMware vSphere 4 platform in place, I can foresee a time when the entire SCADA system will run entirely on virtual machines and ftServer systems. That will simplify operations and cut costs even more, and give us tremendous flexibility managing our systems and bringing new applications online."
The rock-solid reliability of Stratus servers allowed PCU to confidently deploy its Wonderware Galaxy Repository SQL database, terminal server and I/O device integration server on virtual machines on a single ftServer system. Using the Internet, mobile devices, thin clients and workstations, these applications give PCU field technicians and utility management anytime-anywhere access to and control over approximately 20,000 data objects (pumps, valves, gauges, flow meters, etc.) in the utility's SCADA infrastructure.
While clustering technology can provide failure recovery, the ftServer systems' fault-tolerant architecture actually prevents failure, downtime and data loss from occurring. Using lock-step processor technology, combined with failsafe software and advanced service technology, the ftServer family is battle-tested to deliver the industry's best uptime protection. All editions of VMware vSphere 4 run unmodified on Intel processor-based ftServer systems, which integrate seamlessly into the data center to support critical applications.
"Having Stratus engineers monitoring and protecting my servers 24/7 costs less and is better than hiring a full-time technician," said Osborne. "The server always runs and we never lose a thing. If a problem does arise, applications are completely unaffected and Stratus has the issue resolved before I even know anything happened. That's peace of mind."
About Stratus Technologies
Stratus delivers uptime for the applications its customers depend on most for their success. With its ultra-reliable servers, software and services, Stratus products help to save lives and to protect the business and reputations of companies, institutions, and governments the world over. To learn more about worry-free computing, visit www.stratus.com.
© 2010 Stratus Technologies Bermuda Ltd. All rights reserved.
Stratus is a registered trademark of Stratus Technologies Bermuda Ltd. The Stratus Technologies logo is a trademark of Stratus Technologies Bermuda Ltd. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Contact Information:
Contacts:
Ed Marshall
Beaupre & Co. Public Relations
603-559-5816
emarshall@beaupre.com
www.beaupre.com
Ken Donoghue
Stratus Technologies
978-461-7269
ken.donoghue@stratus.com
www.stratus.com