Company
USi
Location
Annapolis, Maryland
Type of business
Technology
Web site www.usi.com
Applications
DSR® 2035 KVM over IP switches,
DSView® 3 management software,
Cyclades® CS console server
TM
USinternetworking (USi), an AT&T company, is the most experienced Application
Service Provider (ASP), delivering managed hosting, application management,
SaaS enablement and eBusiness development and hosting to more than 150 enterprise-level customers in over 30 countries. The company operates five data centers, in the US and Europe, which function as the cornerstone of USi’s ASP business.
The data center team at USi has faced the challenge of scaling its data center operations to support a fast-growing global business. The company needed technology solutions that would simplify and streamline server management for improved customer satisfaction and reduced operating costs. “We’ve grown up with Avocent, from early analog switches to the latest digital KVM switches and
Web-based DSView 3 management software,” says Jeff McKnight, manager of data center operations, USi.
USi has partnered with Avocent over the years due to the two companies shared goal of delivering centralized server support—for digital and serial management and power management—through one interface.
USi relies on Avocent to manage “multiple thousands of devices” across the globe, which are accessed through just 10 on-site monitors. “We’ve reduced operational costs through productivity gains. The technology allows us to work more efficiently,” says McKnight. As USi has adopted Avocent KVM over IP digital switches and Web-based DSView 3 centralized management software, the company has significantly reduced cabling, created more rack space, eliminated dozens of monitors and streamlined global server support overall.
As USi’s data center operations have grown rapidly from two U.S.-based data centers in 2000, to five global data centers today, the company has enjoyed a budding relationship with Avocent.
The data center team at USi has faced the challenge of scaling its data center operations to support a fast-growing global business. The company needed technology solutions that would simplify and streamline device management for improved customer satisfaction and reduced operating costs. One of USi’s primary IT objectives was to develop an infrastructure that would enable centralized and remote device management from any location and to any location through one interface.

TM
“We wanted to provide console server access to any device in any data center in the world, for anyone with appropriate permissions—24 by 7,” says Jeff McKnight, manager of data center operations, USi. If IT couldn’t keep up with the business and develop a scalable, efficient infrastructure to support growth, USi risked losing customers and its market-leading position in the industry.
USi has partnered with Avocent over the years due to the two companies shared goal of delivering centralized server support—for digital and serial management and power management – through one interface.
“We’ve grown up with Avocent, from early analog switches to the latest digital KVM switches and Web-based DSView 3 management software,” says McKnight. “We believe we’re staying on the cutting edge of infrastructure management and continuing to improve our business due to Avocent’s leadership position in the field.”
Over the years, USi has provided feedback to Avocent on business needs and requirements. “We’ve developed a strong relationship with Avocent over the years, and they have listened to our feedback.
Avocent has excellent technology, and nobody has a more costeffective solution,” says McKnight.
USi relies on Avocent to manage “multiple thousands of devices” across the globe, which are accessed through just 10 on-site monitors. As USi has adopted KVM over IP digital switches and
Web-based DSView 3 management software, the company has significantly reduced cabling, created more rack space, improved workflow, eliminated dozens of monitors and streamlined global server support overall.
“We’ve reduced operational costs through productivity gains. The technology allows us to work more efficiently,” says McKnight. “We have a lean data center staff that is growing at a smaller rate than the company.”
The data center management team is also providing better support.
The global teams can quickly and easily respond to any server issue or problem, regardless of administrator or server location. “With the Cyclades console server, I can power a device in Europe from my office here in Annapolis, or even from home. We can do everything through an Internet connection using DSView 3 software.”
McKnight also appreciates the security features. “DSView 3 software gives us a history of who has worked on a particular server, at what times, and a ‘forensics’ trail if something bad happens and we need to go back and find out where we went wrong,” he says.
“We can set up permissions and access levels to make sure that people only have access to servers that are relevant to their job responsibilities. This provides an extra measure of data security that is important to our customers.”
The two companies’ shared commitment to innovation has been the cornerstone of a successful, long-term relationship. “As an application services company, IT innovation is the very backbone of our business. Our data center operations must be efficient, secure, scalable and responsive, as well as employ leading technology solutions in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Avocent has been a key ingredient in our success,” says McKnight.
“As companies become global, you have to be able to quickly and easily manage servers from anywhere in the world,” he concludes.
“Avocent allows us to do that.”
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