Network EQ select NetApp for Storage Upgrade

Network EQ today announced the successful implementation of a new NetApp FAS 2000 series Storage Area Network at their primary London site. The selection process for the upgrade, which began in Summer 2008, was started when the company realised that local storage on its blade servers was holding back growth.

The new SAN will start with over 3TB of raw disk capacity and can grow to over 20TB, and will be used with the company’s existing HP Blade Server environment, which runs the Citrix XenServer virtualisation platform. It was selected for NetApp’s advanced functionality such as snapshot capability, replication and ASIS de-duplication, which will eliminate the storage of redundant data even across customer systems whilst maintaining security and performance.

Gavin Thirlwall, Network EQ’s Technical Director, said:

“NetApp’s solution allows us to use Citrix’s XenMotion technology for the first time and eliminate provisioning headaches. Previously we have had to plan growth carefully and waste processor capacity. Over the next twelve months I’m hoping to drive blade CPU utilisation from under 20% to over 60%, dramatically reducing our OPEX and power consumption.”

Later in 2009 the company plans to upgrade network security and its disaster recovery capacity outside of London.

Ben Organ, Network EQ’s Managing Director, said:

"This significant investment in our infrastructure will enhance our service offering, giving us one of the best virtual server platforms in the UK, and allow us to offer more reliable and sophisticated services to our customers. The increased capacity NetApp will provide, coupled with the drive and enthusiasm of the team, will continue to increase revenue throughout 2009 and further accelerate our growth as a company."

About Network EQ

Founded in 2006, Network EQ Ltd. is a privately-owned UK-based hosting provider specialising in powerful and innovative hosting solutions. Providing services on enterprise grade hardware and in London's Docklands, the hub of the UK’s Internet connectivity, Network EQ are dedicated to providing an unbeatable quality of service backed up by personal and professional support.

For more information on Network EQ visit www.networkeq.co.uk.