DTW Research's Path to Robust Infrastructure with TierPoint
DTW Research transformed its infrastructure post-Hurricane Sandy, partnering with TierPoint for resilience and other benefits.
“You can’t serve up a website without internet, and TierPoint’s very good at keeping their connections both on and redundant.”
David Gower
Executive Director of Information Technology at DTW Research
Introduction
DTW Research is a 25+ year company that specializes in providing categorized, curated pharmaceutical marketing materials for companies and their agencies. They are currently headquartered on Amelia Island, Florida.
Challenges
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, exposing critical vulnerabilities in DTW Research's infrastructure. The company's Pennsylvania presence was severely impacted, leaving customers without reliable access to their crucial database. This natural disaster brought to the forefront issues that DTW Research had been grappling with for some time:
- Inconsistent network connections
- High latency
- Frequent downtime
- Inability to meet client expectations for reliability and availability
David Gower, Executive Director of Information Technology at DTW Research, reflected on this pivotal moment: "Hurricane Sandy hit our home office and woke us up.”
Prior to the hurricane, DTW Research relied on an on-premises data center, which proved inadequate in the face of such a catastrophic event. The storm's devastation prompted a critical reassessment of their approach to data management and network infrastructure.
In response to this wake-up call, DTW Research initiated a strategic shift towards more resilient and disaster-resistant infrastructure. The company began exploring external data center providers that could offer:
- Geographic diversity
- Greater redundancy
- Improved uptime for customer data access
This decision marked the beginning of DTW Research's journey towards enhanced network reliability and a renewed commitment to delivering on their promises to clients.
Solution
DTW Research initially partnered with a data center colocation provider in Lehigh Valley to address their infrastructure needs. This strategic move marked the beginning of their transition to more reliable external data centers. As the industry landscape evolved, TierPoint acquired the original data center operator, presenting new opportunities for DTW Research. Following a comprehensive review of their data center strategy with TierPoint, DTW Research made the decision to relocate their operations to TierPoint's facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. This relocation offered dual advantages: it positioned DTW Research geographically closer to their main office in Florida while maintaining the benefits of an external data center solution. The move to Charlotte represented a significant step in optimizing DTW Research's infrastructure for improved performance and reliability.
Customers access DTW Research’s database through the TierPoint site in Charlotte, where the production environment is hosted. The client’s home office serves as their disaster recovery replication site, and if needed, TierPoint can spin up a third environment in their Jacksonville facility, leaving DTW Research with robust backup options. They have also used remote hands services when they are occasionally unable to reach the data center in a timely manner.
One thing DTW Research appreciates about working with TierPoint is the level of flexibility they have to bring their own hardware to the data center. Gower noted that he has been comfortable trusting members of TierPoint’s team in Charlotte for hands-on assistance when needed. “I've had the chance to meet the entire team—from sales and security to the site manager and technicians. During my last visit, we worked closely together to switch out some power components, and everyone was fantastic to work with. It’s been a great experience.”
While clients may choose to have services and equipment fully managed, DTW Research enjoys having hands-on control over hardware purchases, hardware management, and vendor selection while taking advantage of space, power, and redundancy features available at TierPoint data centers.
“You can’t serve up a website without internet, and TierPoint’s very good at keeping their connections both on and redundant,” Gower said.
Results
If David Gower were to sum up the relationship with TierPoint over the last decade-plus, he would say he’s experienced “exemplary customer service and really rock-solid foundations for where I put my equipment.” While other IT issues may cause him to lose sleep, TierPoint isn’t on that list. DTW Research knows that TierPoint is available for the big and the small things that may arise, “down to a power cord.” That is the reliability and flexibility the client has been seeking.
If you’re a business looking for colocation services, reach out to a member of our team today. We can tailor our solutions to fit your precise needs.
At A Glance
Industry
Research / Market Intelligence
Technology
Colocation
Challenges
DTW Research, a 25+ year company specializing in pharmaceutical marketing materials, sought a more resilient solution after Hurricane Sandy disrupted their northeast operations. Internal discussions about colocation, combined with the disaster, led them to explore options that offered geographic diversity, redundancy, and improved uptime for their customers.
Solution
After adding colocation services from TierPoint shortly after Hurricane Sandy, DTW Research has enjoyed the reliability of power, space, and redundancies while having the flexibility to bring and manage their own equipment.
Results
Other IT issues may cause DTW Research to lose sleep, but not TierPoint’s colocation services, which offer “rock-solid foundations” and “exemplary customer service” for the company.
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