Dell-Netlog

Vendor: Dell (NYSE: DELL)
Customer: Netlog http://en.netlog.com    
Vertical Markets: IT
State: International – Belgium

Technology Used: Dell PowerEdge 2950 servers with Intel Xeon processors, Dell PowerEdge 1950 servers, Dell PowerVault MD1000 SAN, Dell PowerVault MD3000i SAN, Dell OpenManage Systems Management

Solution: Social networking sites are extremely popular right now, and Netlog is the leading networking Web site in six European countries, including Belgium and Italy. There are currently more than 40 million members around the world, and that number is constantly growing. Members can reconnect with friends, publish play lists, upload blog posts, and join groups that reflect their personal passions and interests.

The challenge the company was facing was that their existing infrastructure was outdated. After its founding in 2003, Netlog established an in-house data center in Ghent, Belgium. The limitations of the system soon became apparent. The servers consumed an excessive amount of power, and there were a number of system failures. Netlog needed to find an affordable, reliable, and highly available system to support their expansion, process billions of page views, and store huge volumes of data.

After thoroughly evaluating three technology providers, Netlog decided to work with Dell.  Following consultations with in-house experts and a Dell account manager, Dell PowerEdge 2950 and Dell Power Edge 1950 servers were deployed. A new storage solution consisting of a Dell PowerVault MD 1000 storage area network (SAN) and a Dell PowerVault MD2000i SAN was also implemented.

The speed with which the solutions were put into operation was a major benefit of Netlog’s partnership with Dell. More than 1,000 servers were up and running in a matter of hours, and Dell delivered customized solutions to the company in just two weeks. The storage solution is capable of saving 58.5-TB of data, and has the capacity for further expansion. The new system consumes less power, saving the company money and making their IT environment greener. Overall, the Dell technologies have resulted in a highly available, fast, and reliable Web site, which will support the social networking site's continued growth and success. 

Further details: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/casestudies/1112_NetlogCS10006481%2020Jan09.pdf