Softsource

Empowering solutions
The use of flexible systems and HP Converged
Infrastructure allows Softsource to empower its
customers, giving them control over their own
hardware. A portal allows customers to log on
remotely, decide what hardware they need, and
begin using immediately.
The application of this concept is a first for New
Zealand, says HP Enterprise Storage, Servers and
Networking country manager, Trevor Armstrong.
“Hosting’s been around before, but this has provided
businesses with the ability to turn things on and off
remotely, and configure to their specific needs. To
design a server with ‘X’ amount of CPUs and have it
ready in 30 minutes, rather than waiting two or three
weeks for a factory to build it, ship it out to you, and
then for it to be built and tested. This process
happens instantaneously.”
The option to ramp up processing power is
something Softsource expects to be utilised as part
of an organisations’ usual activity, such as the end of
a financial year where activity increases for a month
or so. It is also geared to cope with the most
challenging of circumstances.
The earthquake in Christchurch, which devastated
much of the city’s Central Business District in
February 2011, provided timely, if unfortunate,
evidence of the benefits of remote hosting.
For businesses based in the CBD, the immediate
aftermath meant loss of equipment and staff unable
to travel in to the office. With business owners
unclear as to when insurance would pay out or how
quickly the economy would recover, there was
understandable caution about making long-term
technology decisions. With Softsource’s new system,
customers would be able to access infrastructure
over the internet. They could log on and spec it up,
CPUs, RAM, what sort of operating system, how
many users, and within 30 minutes they would be up
and running.
Freedom through the cloud
Thankfully, this situation is exceptional, but it is
reflected in a broader business trend. Organisations
are now looking to shift more of their everyday
computing to specialised data centres, taking the
pressure off their own infrastructure.
“Staff can be free to concentrate on what they are
best at, while these everyday tasks can be put in the
cloud and we look after that for them,” says
Garcia-Curtis. “It is an enormous opportunity for
New Zealand businesses to gain productivity.”
The cloud also opens up new overseas markets for
Softsource, removing many of the old geographical
barriers.
“We believe this is a global service. Because it’s
cloud we can offer it anywhere, so it’s a model we
want to replicate throughout the world,” says
Garcia-Curtis.
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