Background
Two data centers, high operating costs
An IT service provider for the automotive industry and car dealerships operated two data centers at different locations. The goal was to reduce administrative overhead and operating costs.
In-house operation was labor-intensive, expensive, and tied up capital on an ongoing basis. The staff responsible for data center operations was limited, and the company was dependent on individual experts. Operations, security, updates, and compliance required significant coordination and maintenance efforts. As requirements increased, availability and reliability reached their limits, and resources could not be scaled efficiently to meet growing demand.
The company was looking for a partner that could enable low-downtime, reliable IT operations while also providing a platform for its own range of services.
Our Areas of Expertise
- Colocation Services: High-Availability Space for Data Center Operations
- Cloud Services: Scalable Cloud Platforms
- Managed Backup: Data Backup as a Service
- Hybrid Operations: Colocation and Cloud in a Single Solution
- Sustainable Infrastructure: Efficient Energy Use and Transparent Carbon Footprint
- Certifiable Operations: Aligned with ISO and TISAX Standards
Your Added Value
- Economies of scale: Shared infrastructure and platforms reduce costs
- Predictable costs: Pay-per-use instead of fixed investments
- More resilient operational structure: Greater reliability for the IT environment
- Trust among customers and partners: Compliance and security as the foundation
- ESG foundation: Reliable energy data for sustainability goals and customer requirements
Solution
Data Center, Cloud, and Backup—All from a Single Source
GRASS-MERKUR provides the IT service provider with colocation space at the Hannover data center, thereby laying the foundation for reliable operations. The Hannover data center is certified to ISO 27001 and TISAX and provides the energy data for the service provider’s carbon footprint.
On this platform, GRASS-MERKUR operates a cloud platform—including orchestration—which the service provider uses without incurring its own operational costs. Licenses are provided and managed as an integrated service.
Managed Backup handles the operation, monitoring, and restoration of data backups.
A hybrid data center concept creates room to maneuver: the customer focuses on its business, while GRASS-MERKUR ensures reliable operations underneath.
Results
Colocation reduces the burden on in-house operations and decreases the amount of capital tied up long-term in proprietary infrastructure.
GRASS-MERKUR is responsible for the platform's operation and maintenance, reducing the team's reliance on individual experts.
The cloud platform scales with demand, and the pay-per-use model aligns costs with actual usage.
With this platform, the IT service provider is expanding its portfolio for end customers without incurring any operating costs itself.
Managed backup with monitoring, recovery, and defined recovery times protects business-critical data without requiring additional internal effort.
Contact
Let’s Talk About Your IT Operations
Tell us about your project — we will get back to you with a concrete assessment.
Direct Line
GRASS-MERKUR GmbH & Co. KG
Rothwiese 5
30559 Hannover
