Large tech firm uses Red Hat OpenShift to modernize apps and infrastructure

A leading global technology company offering a broad range of solutions to multiple customer segments had more than 100 different departments running its IT environments. The platform that the teams were using was becoming expensive and limiting the development process. The company selected Red Hat Services and IBM Consulting to offer a guided migration to Red Hat OpenShift. Support was tailored for different tiers to meet varying needs, while internal champions encouraged buy-in. With more teams migrating to a reliable, cost-effective, cloud-ready platform, the technology company reduced operating costs while giving developers modern tools to work faster and more efficiently. This is expected to drive application modernization across the business.

Benefits

• Harmonized a fragmented IT environment
• Accelerated development and ensured consistency
• Reduced operational costs and increased efficiency

A leading global technology company providing a broad range of both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) services, across multiple sectors, needed to modernize its technology stack. Over the years, its IT environment had become decentralized, with more than 100 teams and departments working independently across over 200 environments and 21 software factories. There was a significant traditional virtual machine (VM) footprint within this environment, and after many years of use, some teams found that the technology was limiting their development processes.

Rising subscription costs with their existing virtualization provider significantly affected the company. Consequently, it issued a mandate for all internal departments to migrate to alternative technologies. At the same time, the company took the opportunity to look for alternative cloud-ready solutions that would prevent vendor lock-in.

While the company gave departments a choice over which technologies to use, its preferred replacement came from its strategic partner, Red Hat. It promoted shifting to Red Hat OpenShift to take advantage of the platform’s included virtualization feature, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, and worked with Red Hat Consulting to offer staff a supported pathway to migrate to the solution. IBM also offered consultancy with the option of an ongoing engagement with individual teams.

Red Hat Consulting conducted 10 proofs of concept and worked with a variety of stakeholders to understand their needs. The Red Hat team then tailored its offering for 3 groups within the company:

• For small to mid-sized VM operators who needed support around evaluating OpenShift Virtualization and getting started, the pathway focused on the decision and adoption phase. This included Red Hat Training and best practices defined by the internal project management office.
• For critical factory workload owners who access the platform as a service, the option included formal training and support from Red Hat Consulting around migration and VM handling.
• Large-scale datacenter operators received hands-on support to help them get started quickly.

The team also used Red Hat Training and Certification’s curriculum to upskill internal platform users and operators, as well as curated assets to speed up adoption. These were made available for smaller teams, together with ongoing advice and guidance on how to run the environment post-migration. While the project’s main focus was on migrating their virtual machines with OpenShift Virtualization, the company also had a strategic focus on application modernization. Some teams, therefore, had the option to adopt Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform as part of the project.

The technology company’s project management office worked closely with Red Hat to build trust and establish open lines of communication. This helped to keep the project on track, accelerated issue resolution, and fostered a culture of collaboration to achieve common goals. Teams that migrated to Red Hat OpenShift attended discovery workshops and training programs with Red Hat Services. During these sessions, the teams created a navigation plan tailored to their department using proven Red Hat methodologies, documentation, and education pathways. In addition, 3 Technical Account Managers (TAMs) supported the project by handling ticket escalation and proactively offered guidance to teams adopting the new platform.

Red Hat Consulting also provided mentorship and best practice throughout the migration, and each group had an internal sponsor from the technology company providing coaching to gain buy-in from their peers.

The company has a Red Hat Learning Subscription, which provides access to OpenShift Boot Camp. This virtual session includes a mix of instructor-led and self-learning tracks divided into 3 tiers: for admins with no experience, limited experience, or some knowledge of using containers, orchestrators, and Red Hat OpenShift.

Harmonized a fragmented IT environment

Migrating to a unified platform with the help of Red Hat Services will give the technology company a modern, cloud-ready solution to introduce more flexibility into its technology stack. The new environment is easier to manage while still allowing internal departments the freedom to operate independently.

Accelerated development and ensured consistency

Red Hat OpenShift is faster and more reliable than their previous environment, which will help developers to work faster. Containers and VMs running on the platform will also be more stable, helping the company to ensure consistency with technology at the edge and develop new products quickly while driving application modernization across the business.

Reduced operational costs and increased operational efficiency

If the company had renewed its agreement with the old provider, its costs would have increased significantly. Red Hat brings benefits such as scalability, cloud elasticity, and reduced operational costs. Red Hat Services then provides the necessary expertise, support, and training for a smooth transition.

By solving the near-term challenge of rising software costs, the company has invested in long-term value and return on investment (ROI). Teams choosing to migrate to Red Hat OpenShift have an accessible guided pathway, which will teach them best practices and how to use the platform to suit their needs.

The company can now direct more teams to its preferred solution and benefit from a more flexible, harmonized IT environment that fosters greater efficiency at a lower cost. Ultimately, this will allow multiple departments to deliver products tailored for a range of customer segments faster while modernizing apps to optimize the user experience, thereby helping them to exceed customer expectations and increase the business’s competitive edge.