Stanchester Academy
Stanchester Academy provides comprehensive education for students aged 11-16 from Stoke-sub-Hamdon in Somerset and its surrounding villages. The School offers an excellent environment in which all students can excel, and caters for 800 pupils and over 100 teaching and support staff. The Stanchester Academy site is surrounded by open countryside which provides excellent opportunities for environmental studies and fieldwork.
Challenge
When the Stanchester Academy ICT team began reviewing their backup strategy following a VMware vSphere server virtualisation, they noticed their distinct need for a backup solution to efficiently restore newly-created VMs on demand.
They had adopted a phased approach to server virtualisation, which began with replacing the Academy’s SQL/SIMS server in early 2012. They were operating 3 VMware vSphere ESX hosts, managing 8 VMs. All their critical infrastructure and applications, including email and communications would require efficient and effective backup.
Solution
Stanchester Academy approached SysGroup for a consultation to review their backup and replication options, and find the most-effective solution. After a successful evaluation, their ICT team chose the Veeam Backup and Replication solution.
When we spoke to SysGroup, they were fantastic—they explained the educational discounts available, the most appropriate licensing model for the School, how the software worked, and pointed us in the right direction. Compared to other suppliers, they were eager to help, weren’t pushy, and provided the consultative approach we wanted. It’s so easy to use—I simply click on the backup I want and press restore. What used to be a 2-day job is now a 3-click process.
Scott Quilter Senior ICT Technician
