BET cuts costs in half by migrating to Dell, Windows servers

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: DENI CONNOR ON SERVERS
10/13/05
Today's focus: BET cuts costs in half by migrating to Dell,
Windows servers

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* BET dumps Sun, adopts Dell, Microsoft
* Links related to Servers
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: BET cuts costs in half by migrating to Dell,
Windows servers

By Deni Connor

Navarrow Wright's IT budget was constrained, as was his IT
staffers' time. Wright, CTO for BET (Black Entertainment
Television) Interactive, which hosts the BET.com Web site, was
faced with refreshing his content management system. He had been
using Vignette's content software, but when he found out that
Vignette was overhauling its system, he decided to look for
something else.

Wright ran his Web, application and database servers on Sun
Solaris machines and the cost of those systems was eating up his
budget and the resources of his IT staff.

"We had two issues - the content management system we were using
wasn't going to work going forward, so we had to change that and
at the same time we had the issue of the high cost of
maintaining the infrastructure which ran on Sun Solaris
machines," Wright says.

Wright went looking for servers, an operating system and a new
content management system that would solve his needs and save
money in the process. He looked at systems from HP and Dell.

Wright chose Dell PowerEdge servers running Microsoft Windows
and Dell PowerVault storage to equip his shop. He replaced 45 to
50 Sun servers with some 30 Dell servers and after installing
the new equipment, he had enough money left over to buy new
desktop and laptop machines for his users.

He says: "When you go from spending $60,000 to $70,000 a box
from Sun to spending $8,000 to $15,000 for a faster box from
Dell, it's really hard to argue with those numbers."

Wright adds: "We were saving so much money that I found I could
migrate my internal desktops and laptops to Dell as well. We
literally made a company-wide migration to Dell and Microsoft."

Replacing his Vignette content management system with
Microsoft's Content Management Server also brought benefits to
Wright.

"I wanted to move to a platform that is more open and much more
current on technology," says Wright. "My developers were happy
because now [with Microsoft Content Management Server], I have
given them marketable skills again. They can program to .Net
instead of to a proprietary interface."

The challenge to Wright was moving the operating system, servers
and Web content to the new platform without disrupting everyday
business. He estimated that the migration, which began in July
2004, would be finished by the end of that year, but he was able
to completely relaunch the site by the end of September 2004.

Since that time, Wright has seen a 30% performance increase for
the BET.com site and a 50% savings in his cost to scale.

He says there are additional unexpected benefits of moving from
Sun to Dell and Microsoft.

"From an administration standpoint it is incredibly easier for
me to find competent admin resources," says Wright. "With Sun
Solaris, it was difficult to find admins because administering
Solaris is cryptic and difficult."

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Windows 2000 vulnerability could lead to new outbreak
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers8734>
2. Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine has serious bug
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers8534>
3. The ABCs of SOA <http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers8735>

4. Nortel's uphill battle
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers8124>
5. Bechtel says move to IPv6 is all about business
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers8736>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Deni Connor

Deni Connor is a Senior Editor at Network World covering
storage, Unix, Novell, Macintosh and IT in Healthcare. You can
reach her at <mailto:dconnor@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Tacit Networks
Download this Network World Executive Guide: Storage Trends and
Strategies

From simplicity to complexity, Storage has taken on more
responsibility involving security and many other top demands.
Explore the hottest trends in Storage today written by the
editors of Network World for IT professionals, in the following
Executive Guide and examine extended case studies of users and
advice from storage specialists. Register now and get your free
copy of Network Word's Storage Executive Guide.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=117438
_______________________________________________________________
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<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers7507>
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