Key highlights
12%
Reduction in infrastructure spending
3 phases
Discovery, deployment, and documentation delivered end-to-end
$500K/month
Delay penalty risk eliminated through on-time execution
Summary
One of the largest US city administrations faced rapid growth in data volumes and workload demand that its aging Vblock-based infrastructure struggled to support reliably, putting the performance and resilience of critical city services at risk. Zensar modernized the city's data center through a structured, three-phase approach: discovery, deployment, and documentation, migrating workloads to VMware Cloud on AWS, upgrading the network virtualization layer to NSX-T, and modernizing legacy Oracle and WebLogic systems. The result is a scalable, hybrid cloud foundation that reduced infrastructure spending by 12%, established reliable disaster recovery for mission-critical applications, and positions the city to expand its digital services with confidence.
Client overview
Becoming future-ready
The administration of one of the largest US cities, experiencing meteoric growth in data generation, found that its legacy infrastructure was inadequate to reliably and sustainably support city services. Much of the client's infrastructure was not on supported and bug-free versions. Zensar's brief was to plan and deploy a roadmap for data center transformation to enhance performance, cost efficiency, and disaster recovery capabilities, working closely with the client's team to enable a seamless transition without disrupting city services.
Challenges
High on Complexity and Low on Performance
Complex application footprint running on legacy Vblock infrastructure
A traditional approach to managing connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and VMware Cloud (VMC) on AWS
Databases and WebLogic applications running on legacy Solaris servers using a 1G network
Lack of documentation compounded these issues, resulting in unsatisfactory timelines and a penalty of $500K/month for delays
Solution
Modernizing IT infrastructure
Zensar transformed the client's legacy data center across three phases. Discovery built a deep understanding of their IT ecosystem, including on-prem legacy Vblock infrastructure, VCF/HCX/NSX-T on HP GreenLake, and outdated Oracle 9i and WebLogic 8.x. Deployment executed a strategic plan spanning network and connectivity modernization, a complex NSX-V to NSX-T migration, workload migration to VMC on AWS, and disaster recovery testing. The documentation phase captured high-level and low-level design details of the updated infrastructure, migrations, testing, and modernization initiatives.
Network and connectivity modernization
Removed the direct connect link and VPN from VMware Transit Connect, and established peering between AWS Transit Gateway and VMware Transit Connect.
VCF upgrade and NSX-T migration
Upgraded VCF with a complex migration from NSX-V to NSX-T and implemented NSX-T micro-segmentation.
Workload migration
Migrated workloads from VMware x86 servers hosted on legacy Vblock infrastructure to the on-prem environment and VMC on AWS.
DR and database modernization
Conducted VCDR testing for mission-critical applications and enabled modernization for Oracle hosted on Solaris.
Solution enablers
Deep discovery
Assessed the client's full IT ecosystem, including legacy Vblock infrastructure, VCF/HCX/NSX-T on HP GreenLake, and outdated Oracle 9i and WebLogic 8.x.
Comprehensive documentation
Created high-level and low-level design documentation capturing the updated infrastructure, migrations, testing, and modernization initiatives.
Collaborative execution
Worked closely with the client's team through meticulous planning and execution to avoid disrupting city services.
SAP HANA migration expertise
Managed complex solution components, including migrating critical SAP HANA production workloads.
Business outcome
The modernization gave the city a resilient, cost-efficient, and future-ready data center foundation for the services its residents depend on:
Lower infrastructure costs: Optimized infrastructure spending delivered 12% cost savings, freeing budget for other city priorities.
Faster, more reliable network: AWS Transit Gateway and VMware Transit Connect improved network performance, reduced latency, and increased reliability across hybrid workloads.
Stronger business continuity: Successful disaster recovery testing of mission-critical applications strengthened the city's readiness to keep essential services running through disruptions.
Scalability for growth: A hybrid cloud platform on VMware Cloud on AWS lets the city scale capacity as data volumes and workload demand continue to grow.
Better resource management and efficiency: Modernized infrastructure and upgraded legacy platforms improved resource management and drove greater operational efficiency for the city's IT team.
