Cloud services provider IT Easy migrates Acrow Formwork & Scaffolding to the IBM cloud

Cloud services provider IT Easy and IBM have won a contract to implement a total infrastructure refresh built around IBM cloud, mobile and network technology to scaffolding supplier Acrow Formwork & Scaffolding.

Acrow operates from 12 locations in Australia and manages more than 50,000 tonnes of formwork and scaffolding equipment. The company is behind the redevelopment of the MCG, Kogan Creek Power Station, the Brisbane Airport Link Project and AAMI Park, Melbourne.

Acrow chose IBM because of its cloud platform "superior performance" and IBM's global partnerships with VMware and Oracle, according to Big Blue. Acrow was also impressed with the speed and quality of the customer service provided by Sydney-based IT Easy in engineering the solution.

The move could potentially save Acrow up to 30 percent on IT operating costs, accroding to the vendor.

Acrow general manager of human resources and safety Joe Cerritelli said: "No construction business can afford to wait years before seeing the dividends of their technology investment. IT Easy and IBM’s quality of care and expertise during the bidding and planning phase gave us the confidence that we could significantly reduce our IT costs and boost our infrastructural agility in just months, quickly laying the necessary groundwork for even greater growth Australia-wide.

"The speed and efficiency that both businesses brought to the table proved especially refreshing for our leadership and IT personnel alike."

Acrow's "aged hosted" environment will be replaced with IBM cloud including a pre-integration with VMware software on IBM’s bare-metal servers. The company was previously using a hosted desktop system "running in a competitive private cloud provider's data centre using a variety of network services," Anthone Withers, IBM Australia and New Zealand head of SaaS, told CRN.

"Digital transformation relies on close collaboration between numerous technology providers and systems to succeed," he said.

IT Easy will install 125 workstations with laptops and will also be responsible for updating Acrow's voice plans and the device management capabilities of MaaS360, IBM’s mobile device management platform. The solution will be supported by a range of IT Easy as-a-service offerings including backup, disaster recovery and desktop management.

IT Easy managing director Gavin Evans said: "We believe that IBM cloud, coupled with our mobility refresh and improved WAN-based network infrastructure, will give Acrow the seamless connectivity and performance that it needs to stay ahead of the construction game as demand continues to intensify."

The WAN rollout is in progress and is expected to be completed within 60 days. The whole process involving the migration to the IBM cloud took six weeks.