August 20, 2020

Victoria University works with Data#3, Implements High Performance Pure Storage Solution to Create New Opportunities on Campus

Leading Australian technology services and solutions provider, Data#3, today announced that it has worked with Victoria University in Melbourne to implement a new high performance storage solution, driving an improved digital experience for staff and students.

Ranked in the top 2% of universities worldwide, Victoria University equips students to flourish in a fast-changing world. With education delivery increasingly dependent on cutting-edge digital programs, strong, sustainable technology foundations are critical.

As legacy storage systems began to prove limiting, Victoria University recognised the potential impacts of storage constraints to future digital transformation initiatives.

“Our storage had served us well for over a decade, but it was aging, we had capacity issues; we took the opportunity to review it and to look at new capabilities going forward. We needed something easier to manage and maintain,” said Victoria University Infrastructure Services Manager Manuel Bervanakis.

Following a successful tender response from Data#3 and Pure Storage, the university elected to proceed with Data#3’s recommended all-flash arrays security solution. With the recommended solution known for performance, reliability and agility, the university also sought the ease of management and fast scalability provided through the recommended approach.

“Everyone thinks storage is a given, but we must make sure it is reliable: Pure offers 99.9999 percent reliability, and with Data#3’s help we made sure we had a platform we could have faith in. We know we can trust it,” commented Bervanakis.

Working within the University timetable meant that the solution was installed, tested and certain migrations performed within a four-week window. Despite a challenging delivery window, the project was delivered on time, and data was moved without unplanned outages or student impact. Where outages were impossible to avoid, planned outages were tackled through an agreed-on change process.

Post-delivery, users commented on the increased speed of key applications and the reduction in delays previously experienced. Additionally, the solution resulted in a number of other benefits, including operational costs and space.

Aside from the acceleration of existing applications, this important building block in Victoria University’s digital transformation has paved the way for numerous other projects. The right technology is now in place to facilitate the services and applications that keep the University among the world’s educational leaders; and the IT team has also been freed from the time-consuming processes of managing legacy storage systems.

“Data#3 and Pure were extremely professional. They had the skills required to take on the work – not only commissioning but decommissioning equipment – and they went out of their way to make sure we were satisfied. The Data#3 presales team made sure things were going well, they were on standby if we needed extra help: they were skilled, knowledgeable, and great to deal with,” said Bervanakis.

Data#3 Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Laurence Baynham commented, “Data#3’s work with Victoria University is another great example of technology enabling positive outcomes for
education. Ensuring strong digital foundations is paramount, today more than ever, and the world-class storage solution delivered by Data#3 will help reinforce Victoria University’s student outcomes, and overall pathway to digital transformation.”