Windows® Azure Virtual Machines India’s Largest Stem Cell Bank Adds Flexibility with Cloud-based Solution
The Client
Our client is India’s first and largest stem cell bank. With state-of-the-art laboratories at Chennai and Gurgaon, a network spread over 200 service centers in the country, and footprints in GCC countries the company is the most accredited stem cell bank with certifications from national and international organizations for standards.
With the vision to become the world’s leading stem cell solutions provider with the biggest repository of lifesaving stem cell assets, they have come a long way since their founding days.
The Challenge
AX and related software solutions are a critical part of the stem cell-system workflow for many organizations, For our client it is the backbone for their IT.
Previously, they relied on multiple IT centers and collaborated with different vendors to support their software solutions. However, this approach led to major challenges.
For example, some activities required more computer and storage capacity at certain hours of the day. At peak capacity, approximately 12 hours per day could be spent processing. And during the remaining hours per day, as well as weekends, they were processing significantly off-peak, but still had to manage, maintain, and pay for the underlying unused computer environment during those times.
Essentially, they lacked the ability to efficiently support the ebb and flow associated with various workloads. Another requirement from the client was the agility to develop, deploy, and test new applications faster.
With existing ways of operating adequate support for their developers was not where it needed to be, and the time and cost of getting this huge infrastructure up, tested, and running was prohibitive.
This is when they realized they needed to take a different approach – and after spending time strategizing, their IT team decided that moving to the cloud was the best way to address its challenges.
Technology Frustrations
- 12 hours per day spent processing
- Paying for unused computer environments
- Difficult to develop, deploy, and test new applications
Solutions
The client identified Windows Azure Virtual Machines as a potential way to solve their challenges. It would enable instant access and provide virtual servers for installing and configuring AX based on custom needs and design.
As their applications run on clusters of Windows Azure Virtual Machines, they also use a variety of other Azure services to orchestrate automation, business continuity, and DevTest. Additionally, they make use of quite a few Azure PaaS Services which help the organization operate and scale its IT infrastructure without needing to acquire and provision servers months in advance.
Results
Windows Azure Virtual Machines made it possible to quickly create the development and testing environment essential to the client’s successful deployment of AX. The expected multi-month window to set up the development and testing environment for a system of this size was reduced to weeks, a huge savings not only in time but costs as well. With AX running across its Windows Azure Virtual Machines enabled network, they saw immediate benefits and ROI in four key areas:
Resources
There were no longer any resource limits. All environments can be scaled down or even removed completely and recreated, when needed.
Cost
With Azure’s “pay as you go” structure, resources can be switched on and off as needed to save money. Moreover, when additional capacity is needed for scale and load testing over short periods of time, these units can be brought in with only the actual usage time billable.
Speed
Because of virtualization and automation, physical servers and the time to acquire and provision them were no longer necessary. A whole server, including the installation and configuration of all software components on the server can be scripted. A complete AX application can be fully automated and ready in just a few hours, not weeks.
Portability
Under Azure, a virtual machine is exactly the same as a virtual machine on Windows Server. It can be freely moved between on[1]premise physical servers, servers, servers at a company’s hosting providers, Windows Azure, and back again as needed.
For additional information and advice, book a free conversation with our experts.
Client
India’s largest stem cell bank
Sector
Life Sciences
Technology
Windows Azure
…Previously they
relied on multiple
IT centers and
collaborated with
different vendors
to support their
software solutions.”