Christchurch Airport gain performance boost through IaaS

Initially, the airport company needed efficient IT backup solutions and data protection for both business and airport operational systems. But as the business evolved, and the on-premises hardware reached the end of its lifecycle, it became clear that a full onsite infrastructure refresh was needed​.​ The solutions needed to be cost-effective and provide operational flexibility. They also needed to be implemented in a small-time window so it wouldn’t affect the business operations.

Solution

Back in 2011, the airport company engaged vBridge (now renamed Softsource vBridge) to streamline its data back-ups and protect the different systems from disasters or attacks. This was successfully done by moving all the production servers over to Softsource vBridge’s fast, secure and robust offsite servers, which freed up time to focus on other projects, adding value to the business. This was the start of a relationship that has blossomed over the years.

Using their ‘adapt and grow’ method, Softsource vBridge immersed itself in the needs and day to day running of Christchurch Airport, gaining an in-depth understanding of the importance of the services the airport delivered and the constraints that it operated in. This detailed knowledge of the business meant Softsource vBridge was able to evaluate and identify infrastructure systems that were perfectly suited to the airport company’s needs. This included moving the internally managed system over to Softsource vBridge’s newer, faster, more reliable Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform.

When the airport company was looking to improve the performance of its 450 CCTV camera operation and car parking, Softsource vBridge again turned to its IaaS platform. This not only gave a huge performance boost, but it also allowed the airport company to incrementally grow the number of cameras needed without making a large capital investment. CCTV data is quite large and capturing and storing it can be challenging. The size and scale of Softsource vBridge’s IaaS platform and dedicated CCTV storage tier made it easy to deal with the volume of data.

Key Benefits

• Improved performance of its 450 CCTV camera operation
• Freed up time to focus on other projects, adding value to the business
• Implemented solutions that are flexible, robust, cost-effective and easy to use

Results & Return

The success of the relationship is evident in the perfectly tailored solutions Softsource vBridge has provided for the South Island’s gateway airport. The keen understanding of the needs of the business has led to the airport considering Softsource vBridge as a partner, rather than a supplier.

Softsource vBridge has implemented solutions that are flexible, robust, cost-effective and easy to use, as well as offering a high-level of troubleshooting support. Any performance issues or bugs have been quickly dealt with, and then further steps have been taken to identify what strategies were needed to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

Softsource vBridge has even used some of the airport’s processes, including enrolling its staff in a simulated training module for emergency response. This level of customer care and personal engagement has given Christchurch’s airport company the confidence and peace of mind in knowing Softsource vBridge takes what it does, and its reputation, very seriously, and will always be ready to assist in, or improve on services moving forward together.