Costco uses virtualization technology from Microsoft to consolidate servers, reduce costs, and increase flexibility. They have virtualized over 50% of servers in their data center, reducing hardware costs and energy usage. Virtualization allows Costco to more easily perform testing and deploy new applications. It also improves management by increasing server density on host machines. Overall virtualization has helped Costco control IT spending while improving responsiveness.
Costco uses virtualization technology from Microsoft to consolidate servers, reduce costs, and increase flexibility. They have virtualized over 50% of servers in their data center, reducing hardware costs and energy usage. Virtualization allows Costco to more easily perform testing and deploy new applications. It also improves management by increasing server density on host machines. Overall virtualization has helped Costco control IT spending while improving responsiveness.
Costco uses virtualization technology from Microsoft to consolidate servers, reduce costs, and increase flexibility. They have virtualized over 50% of servers in their data center, reducing hardware costs and energy usage. Virtualization allows Costco to more easily perform testing and deploy new applications. It also improves management by increasing server density on host machines. Overall virtualization has helped Costco control IT spending while improving responsiveness.
"We love virtualization! We now ave te a!ility to set up test and develop"ent syste"s #uic$ly, and we can !e as ni"!le as te !usiness needs%& 'iz de (icele, (anager o) Server Tecnologies*Corporate Applications, Costco Wolesale Corporation Costco Wholesale Corporation is a major international wholesale distributor with revenues approaching U.S.$70 billion. Costco began using virtualization technology in 00! and has e"panded its investment to include Windows Server# 00$ %nterprise with &yper'() and *icroso+t# System Center (irtual *achine *anager 00$. With these tools, Costco can control -. spending, increase -. +le"ibility, and manage its virtualized server assets more e++iciently. +usiness ,eeds Costco Wolesale Corporation, !ased in Issa#ua, Wasington, operates "e"!er wareouses were -.%/ "illion !usiness and individual cardolders can purcase !rand0na"e "ercandise at prices su!stantially lower tan tose )ound at traditional retail and wolesale outlets% Since opening te )irst Costco wareouse in .1/2, te cain as grown to acieve annual revenues o) U%S%345 !illion, wit .25,555 e"ployees and -21 outlets trougout te United States, 6apan, 7orea, Taiwan, (e8ico, Canada, and te United 7ingdo"% Te co"ple8ity o) te Costco IT in)rastructure as grown along wit te !usiness% In addition to te wareouses, te co"pany "aintains eigt do"estic and seven international o))ices, and te co"pany9s worldwide networ$ includes .2,555 :; ,eoware tin client co"puters and nearly 1,555 end0user co"puters% Te corporate data center in Issa#ua is o"e to .,<55 servers and a series o) AS*=55 "ain)ra"e co"puters% +y <55>, Costco realized tat it needed to control te proli)eration o) servers in te data center% ?ollowing an initial invest"ent in (icroso)t@ Virtual Server <55-, Costco consolidated servers and ena!led its application groups to "ore easily per)or" testing and validation !e)ore rolling out new so)tware solutions% AAt )irst, virtualization was "ostly to reduce te server )ootprint,& says 'iz de (icele, (anager o) Server Tecnologies*Corporate Applications at Costco Wolesale Corporation% A+ut over ti"e it as !eco"e "uc "ore a!out utilizing our assets as )ully as we can%& Costco as "ade signi)icant e))orts to develop a virtualization strategy and is interested in continuing to e8plore oter options tat will e8pand its invest"ent% Solution Costco as a signi)icant invest"ent in (icroso)t productsB1- percent o) its data center co"puters run versions o) te Windows@ operating syste"% So wen te co"pany eard a!out te Windows Server@ <55/ operating syste" wit :yper0VC virtualization tecnology and (icroso)t Syste" Center Virtual (acine (anager <55/, it enrolled in te (icroso)t Customer: Costco Wolesale Corporation Web Site: www%costco%co" Customer Size: .25,555 Country or Region: United States Industry: RetailBWolesale and distri!ution Customer Profile Costco Wolesale Corporation is an international wolesale distri!utor !ased in Issa#ua, Wasington% Costco as -21 "e"!er wareouses and .25,555 e"ployees% Software and Services (icroso)t Server ;roduct ;ort)oliio Windows Server <55/ Dnterprise Windows Server <55/ :yper0V (icroso)t Syste" Center Virtual (acine (anager <55/ Services (icroso)t Services Hardware :; ;ro'iant E'2/5 F- servers Guad0Core Intel Heon processors ?or "ore in)or"ation a!out oter (icroso)t custo"er successes, please visitI www%"icroso)t%co"*casestudies
Virtualization Rapid Eeploy"ent ;rogra" JRE;K as te ne8t step in its virtualization plan% +e)ore pysical0to0virtual J;<VK conversions !egan, Costco IT sta)) used te (icroso)t Assess"ent and ;lanning J(A;K Tool$it to evaluate server loads% AIt9s a good tool to ave to elp gauge wat you can virtualize,& says 6ason Fri))it, Analyst at Costco Wolesale Corporation% Using te tool$it, sta)) "e"!ers discovered tat, in "any cases, servers were running at only - percent utilization, "a$ing te" good candidates )or consolidation% Costco now runs :yper0V on )ive servers in te data center on :; ;ro'iant E'2/5 F- servers wit Guad0Core Intel Heon processors% Te server cluster as a core in)rastructure tat "i"ics te production Costco environ"ent, and te )ive pysical servers ost -5L>5 virtual "acines tat run do"ain controllers, (icroso)t D8cange Server, and in)rastructure applications% Wit e8pert elp )ro" (icroso)t Services, IT sta)) "e"!ers integrated :yper0V into teir internal application develop"ent and #uality assurance JGAK process to veri)y relia!ility and sta!ility !e)ore rolling out new syste"s to internal custo"ers and "e"!er wareouses% IT sta)) will also use :yper0V to do anti0virus testing on application servers witout co"pro"ising te security or sta!ility o) te pysical syste"s !y installing so)tware or agents on production "acines% Te ease o) doing ;<V conversions wit Syste" Center Virtual (acine (anager <55/ resulted in a s"oot evaluation process% AIt9s !een great,& says Fri))it% AMnce we were a!le to attac SA, storage and cluster te :yper0V ost servers, it ran very well%& +ene)its Wit :yper0V and Syste" Center Virtual (acine (anager <55/, Costco can consolidate servers, reduce costs, increase IT )le8i!ility, and "ore easily "anage virtualized syste"s% Decreased Server Footrint +y virtualizing e8isting servers instead o) purcasing new pysical "acines, Costco li"ited te proli)eration o) servers in its data center% Te IT sta)) ai"s to acieve <5 percent virtualization !y te end o) August <55/ and =5 to =- percent virtualization !y te end o) August <551% Reduced I! Costs Costco reduced spending on new pysical servers and e8pects to cut data center energy e8penses, wic cost te co"pany 34-,555 a "ont% :yper0V virtualization tecnology is also "uc "ore a))orda!le tan oter solutions% ATe solution allows us to deepen our partnersip wit (icroso)t and leverage our e8isting tecnology invest"ent ,& says Saron Wagner, Eirector o) Client*Server Tecnologies at Costco Wolesale Corporation% Tese savings elp Costco re"ain co"petitive in its industry% ATe !iggest way we9re set apart )ro" our co"petitors is tat we spend so "uc less on IT tan tey do,& says de (icele% AVirtualization ena!les us to do tis%& Increased I! Fle"ibility and Resonsiveness Costco uses virtualization to strea"line testing and develop"ent )or corporate applications% Tis redirects valua!le IT ti"e to !etter serve internal custo"ers, and te sta)) appreciates te increased )le8i!ility% AWe love virtualization!& says de (icele% AWe now ave te a!ility to set up test and develop"ent syste"s #uic$ly, and we can !e as ni"!le as te !usiness needs%& #asier $irtualization %anagement Costco runs its :yper0VL!ased server cluster at a ratio o) .5 virtual "acines per pysical ost and opes to increase tat nu"!er to .-L<5 virtual "acines% Tis ig0server density is a )eature te co"pany appreciates% AWe can acco""odate "ore guests per ost,& says de (icele% ATat gives us less overead and is easier to "anage%& Tis case study is )or in)or"ational purposes only% (ICRMSM?T (A7DS ,M WARRA,TIDS, DH;RDSS MR I(;'IDE, I, T:IS SU((ARN% Eocu"ent pu!lised Septe"!er <55/