Case Study

Modernizing Fleet Operations Through Azure VMware Solution

SUMMARY/OVERVIEW

Upgrading Without Downtime

Fleet management is all about keeping clients moving. When vehicles require maintenance, it’s up to the provider to make sure their customers are equipped with the transportation they need to continue normal operations. But what happens when the fleet manager needs an upgrade of its own? Facing rising costs and outdated data center infrastructure, one fleet management provider turned to our team to modernize their operating hardware without costly downtime that would impact the clients that rely on them.

Key Takeaways

Enhanced performance and scalability through a cloud-based infrastructure compared to on-premises hosting 

Greater operational resilience and upgrade capability with a foundation built on Microsoft Azure 

More predictable cost structure than on-premises hosting

Image of a car.
The Challenge

Moving From Fixed Hardware to a Cloud-Based Solution 

A global fleet management provider was struggling with operational pressure stemming from its aging data center infrastructure, increasing VMware costs, and growing demand for scalable performance across its core systems. With necessary upkeep, additional hardware investment, and limited flexibility, the client was looking to move away from its on-premises VMware environment to Microsoft’s Azure VMware Solution (AVS) for a more cost-effective, scalable, modernized platform that could grow with its business. 

Image of person in a parking lot.
The Approach

Migrating Operations Efficiently and Effectively 

Recognizing the need to avoid interrupting normal business, we implemented a phased migration program from their on-premises VMware to the cloud-based AVS. This approach offered the client several advantages, including allowing them to continue working in a familiar operating environment during the upgrade while greatly reducing disruptions to their operations. 

We executed the migration in structured phases, allowing our team to perform validation and performance testing during the process to address any issues in real time in a controlled environment. Throughout the transition, we worked with the client to tailor infrastructure size, host selection, and storage configurations to improve workload performance and availability. This also helped to promote cost savings by reviewing their business needs and cutting excess capacity to eliminate unnecessary expenses. Further, we designed the AVS environment to dynamically scale as demand changed, freeing the client from their previous fixed hardware investments. 

Aware of the project’s size and significance, Microsoft also stepped in to help offset costs by providing funding support to the client to promote a smooth transition. 

Image of an electric vehicle on a tablet.
The Results

Delivering a Modern, Scalable, Cost-Effective Platform Through AVS 

Our knowledge of AVS coupled with the platform’s scalable design and cloud-based structure delivered significant cost savings and greater agility to the fleet management provider. The client is no longer reliant on capital-intensive on-premises data center hardware and a rigid VMware licensing structure. 

AVS also delivered greater expense predictability through cloud-based consumption and reserved instance planning, allowing the fleet management company to secure computing capacity in advance at rates that are less expensive than on-demand pricing. 

Enhanced performance and reliability through the cloud have created enhanced operational resilience for the client through the backing of Microsoft’s infrastructure. This has been further magnified by AVS’s support for future updates, deeper analytics, and cutting-edge AI initiatives. 

The transition from on‑premises VMware to Azure VMware Solution and Azure Virtual Machines went smoothly and delivered on the project’s goals: flexibility and speed. The client can now scale resources much more easily, and their critical workloads are running noticeably faster. It’s a modern infrastructure that provides room to innovate without the prior limitations.
Stuart Nelsen
Managing Director, Cloud & Infrastructure