Hitachi Vantara revamps FarmaMondo's storage system

Hitachi Vantara has implemented a new storage infrastructure for FarmaMondo, aimed at enhancing the firm's capacity to supply specialty pharmaceuticals worldwide.

Hitachi Vantara, in collaboration with its partner Netability, introduced the Virtual Storage Platform One (VSP One) to address FarmaMondo's storage needs. This project is intended to support the Swiss pharmaceutical company's operations, which involve the provision of unlicensed medicines across more than 20 countries. Hitachi Vantara states that the VSP One platform is set to enhance FarmaMondo's operational efficiency, energy consumption, and data security.

FarmaMondo's growing business, with a 30 to 40% annual growth rate, had outstripped its existing IT infrastructure, which was reaching its capacity and efficiency limits. Antonio Adorno, IT Manager at FarmaMondo, highlighted the importance of the new system by stating, "Our offices around the world need to be able to access central IT systems around the clock; downtime is not an option for us. With the new infrastructure, we guarantee high performance, maximum scalability and continuous availability - all with lower energy consumption. This not only makes our IT more efficient, but also more sustainable." Adorno also praised the partnership with Hitachi Vantara and Netability for managing a smooth migration process.

The migration to the VSP One platform involved the transition of VMware and SAP applications and databases from the old storage arrangements to the updated VSP One Block array. The deployment included advances such as the adoption of NVMe flash technology which accelerates and provides consistent performance for various applications and batch processes. This approach also allows for flexible and cost-effective dynamic storage expansion.

Energy efficiency was a key focus of the upgrade. The VSP One platform is noted for its energy efficiency, being certified by ENERGY STAR, which significantly reduces energy consumption per terabyte of storage. It also occupies less rack space, contributing to a smaller physical footprint compared to previous storage solutions. Batch processes have achieved notable improvements, with some tasks now completing three times faster than before; an example cited includes an SAP task reduced from 20 minutes to just six minutes.

The platform's enhanced security features, such as immutable snapshots, provide robust protection against ransomware threats. Mike Roth, Managing Director for Switzerland and Austria at Hitachi Vantara, commented on the project saying, "We are delighted to support FarmaMondo in modernizing their IT infrastructure with VSP One and are proud that our technology is helping FarmaMondo to deliver vital medicines to patients worldwide." He also remarked on the significance of collaborations in addressing IT challenges, "The successful collaboration with our partner Netability on this project demonstrates the importance of strong partnerships to help companies overcome their IT challenges and provide the most robust solutions."

The successful implementation of VSP One by Hitachi Vantara and Netability aligns with FarmaMondo's goal to reinforce its IT infrastructure, ensuring continuous availability and scalability to meet increasing business demands.