GigaSpaces-Virgin Mobile UK

Vendor: GigaSpaces

Channel Partner: PSJ Solutions www.psjsolutions.com
Customer: Virgin Mobile UK www.virginmobile.com/vm         
Vertical Markets: Telecommunications
State: International – United Kingdom

Technology Used: GigaSpaces XAP Space-Based Architecture (SBA)

Solution: Virgin Mobile is the largest mobile virtual network operator in the United Kingdom. A user of the T-Mobile network, Virgin Mobile has the distinction of being the first company to offer mobile and fixed line phone service, broadband Internet, and television service to its customers. The company employs about 1,700 individuals, and has an ever-growing customer base.

The challenge that was being faced by Virgin Mobile UK was one that most companies would welcome: skyrocketing growth. They realized that their traditional server-based architecture would need to be replaced to avoid system outages and accommodate fluctuating changes in demand. The company needed to maintain continuous availability, especially during critical sales periods like the weeks leading up to Christmas.

In 2006, Virgin's Web site was completely revamped and re-launched on a new, more resilient platform. Point-to-point and message-oriented middleware infrastructure was replaced with the GigaSpaces XAP Space-Based Architecture (SBA), and a new content management system was introduced. Design changes were also implemented. GigaSpaces partner, PSJ Solutions, assisted with the overhaul by developing several important additions for Virgin’s improved Order Management System.

Virgin's decision to overhaul its Web site has proven to be a wise one. Their new Order Management System is more resilient, performs better, and has better scalability thanks to the advantageous features of the GigaSpaces architecture. The system easily accommodated a tripling of daily orders, allowing the company to increase core direct sales by more than 40 percent. The Web site's "Error Hospital," a feature developed by PSJ, allows transactions to be saved even in the event of a back-office outage, while the inherent resiliency of the system safeguards against such an outage occurring. Fluctuations in demand can be handled through the system’s dynamic scaling, with daily transaction increases of up to 600 percent posing no problem. All of these factors allowed Virgin Mobile’s Web site powered by GigaSpaces to be named best Web site of the year in the telco category in 2006.

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Further details: http://www.gigaspaces.com/files/main/CustomerCaseStudies/VirginMobile_CaseStudy.pdf