NetBox on VMware

Netbox Blue provides complete resilience in virtual environment

One of Australia’s largest healthcare suppliers, SSS Australia, is using the Netbox in a virtual environment to remove any single point of failure from the network. The Netbox provides complete email and internet security and management, with the premium PipePlus® feature providing load balancing between links and the ability to seamlessly failover if a disruption to the internet service occurs.

The Netbox, which was installed as a virtual instance, is not reliant on any one piece of the infrastructure, giving it the ability to move between servers if a failure occurs. This delivers total network reliability and complete peace of mind to SSS Australia managers. The Netbox was part of a massive new technology upgrade designed and installed by IT suppliers and consultants, Centra Networks, to improve business flow at SSS Australia and give the company a commanding differentiation over their competitors.

“Complete internet reliability is essential in our business,” SSS Australia General Manager, Colin Smith says. “The cost of not being able to operate our business for an hour is measured in thousands of dollars. The Netbox gives me complete confidence in the connectivity of our network and our business.”

Unpredictable demand requires completely reliable infrastructure

SSS Australia ships healthcare supplies to customers of the medical and associated professions in every state of the country. The company relies on its network in every stage of the supply chain. An increasing number of orders come in on-line. Staff members then use the internet to access up-to-date product information from its 300 vendors, to access information on freight companies and to make shipping arrangements. SSS Australia commences processing of orders immediately after they are received to ensure prompt delivery to customers.

“Providing healthcare supplies is very demanding,” Mr Smith says. “Customers are unable to predict what their requirements are on a daily basis. The ability to respond quickly and not have any obstructions to that response is very important.” The consequences of an obstruction are immeasurable.

“The cost of not being able to operate our business for an hour is measured in thousands of dollars. The Netbox gives me complete confidence in the connectivity of our network and our business.” Colin Smith, SSS Australia General Manager

With an increasing reliance on its server environment for orders, information resources and shipping, SSS Australia sought to replace its physical servers with fail-safe infrastructure. Centra Networks identified VMware as a more stable environment that would reduce the risk of any downtime as a result of server failure. But the system still had a single point of failure – the internet link.

SSS Australia was making a massive investment in their virtual environment, We couldn’t have an internet pipe potentially bringing down the whole network. That single point of failure had to be addressed,” Centra Networks Director Matthew Militano says.

“Implementing the Netbox as a VMware virtual instance makes it highly available. It was the best means of making the internet highly available and the underlying hardware totally resilient, closing that single point of failure in a very cost-effective and easy-to-manage way.”

Centra Networks looked at other options for making the infrastructure highly available, but they came at a higher price and required specialist technicians to manage them. “Other options were a compromise in terms of the technology, the cost and the manageability. The Netbox was a compelling proposition that saved SSS Australia
around $20,000,” Mr Militano says.

The key to the effectiveness of the Netbox is that it can operate as a virtual instance, eliminating the need for a customized solution and a team of specialists to manage it. The other key is that the Netbox is not fixed to a single server. It is just one application running across a server farm, seamlessly moving from one to another as needed.

The solution takes full advantage of the VMware VMotion toolset which enables live migration to move virtual machines from one physical server to another with zero downtime and no end-user impact. This means that if a hard drive or network card fails there is no impact on the Netbox solution availability. If an internet link goes down, the Netbox PipePlus® feature balances the load and fails over to another link without any disruption to the network and any disruption to business.

“To get the maximum return on their investment, SSS Australia needed a solution that was 100 percent reliable and the Netbox has given them that,” Mr Militano says. “The Netbox technology is an absolute winner. With the Netbox, the sophisticated technology is all under the covers so it’s easy to manage and there’s a team of people in the background supporting the solution and updating it.”

“Other options were a compromise in terms of the technology, the cost and the manageability. The Netbox was a compelling proposition that saved SSS Australia around $20,000” Matthew Militano, Centra Networks Managing Director

Total control means complete peace of mind

While the Netbox PipePlus® feature provides SSS Australia with complete confidence in its connectivity, other features provide peace of mind against email and internet threats. The Netbox provides full protection against viruses, malware and spam. Internet reporting features also give SSS Australia managers the ability to enforce company policy on internet use.

“That gives me confidence that staff in the office and located remotely aren’t wasting time on non-business related activity.” With confidence in their network, SSS Australia can use web technology to provide the best possible service to customers. This is another stepping stone in their ambition to becoming Australia’s number one healthcare supplier.