Aperture VISTA, the leading software for managing the physical infrastructure of datacenters, will be used by Kingfisher IT Services (KITS) to manage a major expansion of its prime datacenter in the UK. The datacenter serves Kingfisher's retail companies including B&Q;, Castorama, Brico Depot, and Screwfix. Under the expansion plans its floor space will be doubled to 6,000 square feet.
Aperture VISTA's workflow has enabled KITS to introduce proper installation procedures and ensure they are followed. VISTA software is integrated with remote power management software which allows KITS to measure the power consumption of cabinets. By interfacing with Sensorian software, Aperture VISTA also empowers KITS to control cabinet access and to unlock them remotely.
Neil Cotmore, lead datacenter infrastructure analyst at KITS, said: "Having tighter control was central to our plans to open the UK datacenter in 2003 and will play an important part in its expansion in March 2008. The process control has improved the quality and consistency of our installs. Before using Aperture VISTA, all our data was in spreadsheets. Aperture VISTA gives us a visual interface which makes it easy to search for and locate our equipment as well as making it much more intuitive.
He adds: "We've seen such an improvement in the UK through using Aperture VISTA that we're now beginning to populate our datacenters in France with it.
Bill Clifford, CEO of Aperture, said: "Before organisations can expand their IT infrastructure, they must ensure they have absolute control over their equipment and the processes that affect it. The business never sleeps, and the data centre can't afford to be caught napping either. Any transition to a new infrastructure must be seamless and error-free. Aperture VISTA has already helped KITS to improve the quality of its installations, and will prove critical as the company embarks on a major expansion.
He adds: "Floor space is just part of the capacity equation today: using Aperture VISTA, KITS will be able to ensure that it has the right mix of equipment, power, cooling and space wherever it is needed.