Cristie Data, a data storage, backup and virtualisation solutions provider and part of the Iomart Group, has completed the implementation of a data storage solution at Alliance Homes.
Alliance Homes asked Cristie Data to recommend a replacement for its previous storage area network (SAN) and a Nimble Storage CS300 array was chosen to support Alliance Homes’ heavily virtualised environment. The hybrid solution has also allowed the housing provider to try SSD (solid-state drive) storage without the expense of a pure SSD SAN. The cache hit-rate from SSD is currently running around a minimum of 97 per cent, a marked improvement for Alliance Homes.
Philip Hill, IT systems analyst, Alliance Homes, said, “I am really pleased with the SAN. The Nimble storage array is brilliant and takes up less space in the racks. If it came down to it and I had to buy another, I would certainly favour Nimble; it just sits there in the rack, doing its thing and getting on with it.
“More than anything, I liked Cristie Data. I found them to be easy-going and not at all pushy. I thought that these are people I could really work with, and when you’re making an investment that will last 3-5 years, you have to be confident in that relationship.”
