Next Generation Data Centre
Developing a network strategy
THE Challenge...
Our Client is a start-up Data Centre Service Provider to the large corporate and financial sector. CACI were engaged to produce a new network strategy and design to cater for current and future technologies in server and storage environments.
The main objectives of this project were as follows:
- Produce a strategy for the Data Centre(s) to follow best practice in the industry;
- Focus on cost-effective but scalable infrastructure that grows to meet business demand;
- Ensure maximum security in the network and operational environments while ensuring ease of management and flexibility to the clients;
- Design, implement and test the network and ensure operational readiness;
- Select and manage a partner for the deployment and implementation of a standards based network and systems management solution for the Data Centre.
The solution...
As the Data Centre was to be utilised as a “co-location” facility, the technical solution had to map onto the business requirements of segmentation and scalability in order to cater for multiple customers with unknown and potentially expanding space requirements. Due to this, the key areas of research were around the provision of networking equipment for high density Blade Frame server technology capable of delivering both physical and virtualised server resource. Additionally due to major power constraints and a desire to deliver a “green” solution, research and development into the most efficient use of power was undertaken.
Data Centre resilience was also crucial and the Design Team engaged with several Telecommunications providers to establish the most secure and cost effective bandwidth solution. The resulting design utilised standard Cisco equipment, which was architected in such a way as to deliver the major requirements of flexibility and scalability.
CACI designed the overall network for the Data Centre to include:
- Hardware bill of materials all based on the latest Cisco technologies including: Cisco Neuxs 7000 switches; Cisco ASA, IPS and NAC security technologies; Cisco ASR routers for Internet and WAN hand-off;
- Design documentation that prescribed the methodology by which segmentation and scalability could best be achieved using the network components designated;
- Logical and physical Low Level Design (LLD);
- Implementation and Test plans to validate the design and ensure operational readiness.
The results and benefits
- We delivered an overall networking strategy for the client that catered for their business expansion plans and which could be utilised in all future Data Centre developments;
- Strategy and design delivered in time for client purchasing decisions;
- CACI designers were engaged to assist in effectively promoting the technical approach of the new environment to potential customers;
- Cost effective, future-proofed architecture, which scales flexibly with the client demands and minimises initial capital expenditure;
- Price-point modelling of the Telco bandwidth delivery options ensured the most cost effective method of scalability was achieved.
