IT Solutions Helps P.J. Fitzpatrick Eliminate Server Sprawl; Modernize IT Equipment and Gain Flexibility for Growth

Since 1980, P.J. Fitzpatrick has been providing the highest quality products and services to homeowners in the Delaware Valley and beyond. With a primary focus on taking care of its customers, P.J. Fitzpatrick has grown its business throughout the years largely with repeat and referral business. The firm’s superior service enabled it to grow and thrive, providing an opportunity not only to capture new business but also to grow the firm’s technology stack and undergo beneficial IT infrastructure upgrades.

• Server Sprawl. Over the years, P.J. Fitzpatrick’s operating efficiency had become bogged down by server sprawl — where the number of servers expands over time with little to no proactive management.
• Outdated On-Premise Servers. P.J. Fitzpatrick’s current server environment consisted of three aging physical blade ESXi hosts that would be reaching end of support and warranty in late 2021.
• Aging, Outmoded Back-End Storage. The firm’s efficiency was also hampered by a serial-attached chassis with 19 10K disks.
• Desire to Transition Out of On-Premise IT. The firm’s future technology model was to migrate to the cloud to gain flexibility for growth, which would necessitate a complete shift in the firm’s IT operating model.
• Support for Corporate Expansion. P.J. Fitzpatrick was building out a new Harrisburg location and would need to support it with robust IT and network infrastructure. 

Before beginning the project, the IT Solutions team created a detailed project plan and performed an onsite walkthrough with the client to discuss the project, timeline and impact. With all parties in accord, the effort was ready to launch.

• Virtual Storage. To achieve the client’s goals, the IT Solutions team configured and installed a Dell ME4024 Disk Shelf for Virtual Server storage. They also configured and installed two new VMware ESXi host servers, thoroughly stress-tested the new hardware for stability and conducted a performance analysis.
• System Integration, Testing and Migration. The next step was to integrate the VMware physical servers with vCenter in the client environment, then create test virtual servers. Once the process was complete, IT solutions experts migrated all production virtual servers to the new ESXi hosts and SAS Storage.  To improve resource utilization, the VM Load was split across the hosts.
• Decommissioning One Environment; Ramping Up More. After providing on-site support following the cutover, the IT Solutions team decommissioned the existing ESXi blade servers and chassis.  The final configuration was eight servers in a hybrid (on-premise and cloud-based) environment. The Harrisburg site was spun up in early 2021, and in February 2021, Microsoft Exchange Online was launched.

• The effort of the IT Solutions team not only met Marino’s goals; it also enabled standardization of P.J. Fitzpatrick’s infrastructure with impressive cost savings as a result.
• The number of servers, both physical and virtual, has been reduced from 18 to 8.
• Outdated technologies, such as a Maxwell software server, a domain controller, a Vue server and utility servers, have been decommissioned.
• The final configuration reduced IT overhead costs and complexity.
• The project delivered an 88% reduction in support costs alone.
• The resulting hybrid on-premise/cloud environment has given P. J Fitzpatrick the operating flexibility the firm needs now and to accommodate future growth.