Server Virtualisation
Server Virtualisation enables customers to maximise the utilisation of their hardware and protect their business in the event of a failure, protecting them from day-to-day technical problems as well as if disaster strikes. Ease of management also contributes to the massive cost savings that can be made. Cost savings come from reduced power requirements, less space, less cooling and less hardware.
Server Virtualisation can benefit all organisations. Obviously larger organisations see larger cost savings, but the business continuity benefits are relevant and affordable to small businesses too.
Desktop Virtualisation
The main reasons behind organisations considering Desktop Virtualisation are ease of management, increased security, cost savings and a better service to users. Thin client terminals can be used instead of PCs. These last much longer, cost less and consume only a tenth of the power of a desktop PC. All applications and data are managed centrally, providing unprecedented data security and manageability.
Coupled with Server Virtualisation, this provides high availability of resources as systems are protected in the event of a failure. It also allows for much better security and ease of system maintenance.
The first step to take is Castle’s vDesktop Readiness Assessment. This assesses your IT infrastructure and desktop usage over a period of time (usually a month) to enable us to make specific recommendations regarding the optimum configuration of system and products.
Storage Virtualisation
Organisations like to get the most from the storage facilities they have; and ensure maximum efficiencies with regard to the purchase of new storage devices and media. Storage Virtualisation is the pooling of physical storage from multiple network storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device that is managed from a central console. Without this, the management of multiple storage devices can be tedious and time-consuming.
Storage Virtualisation helps the storage administrator perform tasks over multiple storage devices, such as of backup, archiving, and recovery; more easily and in less time. This is done by disguising the actual complexity of the Storage Area Network (SAN); you can identify and migrate hot spots within your infrastructure to the best performing storage, to meet the demands of your business.
Castle Cloud Computing
There are various shades of cloud computing, ranging from public cloud services used by social media applications, such as Facebook, where you you don’t know where your information is stored; through to private cloud computing provided by Castle. This enables customers to access their hosted infrastructure from Castle’s world-class data centre facilities, managed by Castle, providing high performance computing, business continuity, mobile access and unprecedented scalability. Castle can provide private cloud hosted data services and help customers to set up their own private clouds.
DataGuard Replication Services
The DataGuard service can operate in two ways. It replicates your entire server environment, enabling us to provide a high quality Disaster Recovery Invocation service; and it also works alongside our Finance Application solutions, where it delivers an added layer of security through testing and validating data on a regular basis, to allow it to be recovered swiftly in the event of a disaster.
Managed Services
Castle’s IT Managed Services are both innovative and proactive. The Castle Watchdog system combines constant monitoring of the operating parameters of your servers and hardware with environmental monitoring of your server room; providing constant measurement of the operating parameters of your servers and hardware. The Watchdog suite of proactive tools automatically alerts our 24/7 support service if anything is not as it should be, so that we can get it resolved before it becomes a problem.
Combined with regular service reviews, we take the time to understand your infrastructure and your strategic IT objectives, we aim to become a trusted partner to your organisation, not just a service provider; and our approach is to have an emphasis on prevention rather than just cure; addressing problems before they occur.
