MarketerNet and NEC
Effective prospecting depends on up-tothe- minute, accurate data. Prospecting lists for cold calling or direct mail campaigns must be highly accurate and targeted. Compiling such lists requires sophisticated data processing applications that rely on high-performance, scalable server solutions. As a premier provider of lead generation services to the home lending industries, MarketerNet needed a more reliable, faster solution for processing and maintaining the data its customers demanded. With data loads increasing and customers hungry for prospects, MarketerNet turned to NEC’s Itanium 2 servers and scalable storage solutions.
CHALLENGE
Founded in 1999, Chicago-based MarketerNet Prospect Marketing Solutions delivers creative and insightful marketing solutions. In addition to prospecting lists, they assist in campaign execution and data analysis. Additionally, its proprietary Intelidata platform allows users secure, online access to critical marketing data.
MarketerNet must manage and maintain extremely accurate cold call and mailing lists, a service that requires high-powered database applications, rapid data processing and a reliable, scalable storage solution. They must seamlessly integrate multiple sources of homeowner, demographic and credit data, and provide campaign tracking and response management, advanced analytics and predictive models based on the data. MarketerNet had been using an Oracle database solution running on a Sun 6800 12-way server to support these activities, but at 100% utilization, the server’s performance was waning. MarketerNet needed more processing power and throughput to keep up with customer requirements.
While MarketerNet evaluated alternative server solutions, testing conducted at the Microsoft Technology testing center in Chicago revealed that when running on an 8-way NEC Express 5800/1000 series Itanium® 2-based server, SQL delivered three times more throughput than it could when running on the 12-way Sun server. With an NEC Itanium 2-based server, MarketerNet could increase the speed at which it processed data, thereby improving customer satisfaction and turning revenue more rapidly.
SOLUTION
MarketerNet deployed three servers from the NEC Express5800/1000 series of Itanium 2 servers: the NEC Express5800/1320, Express5800/1160, and the Express5800/1080. MarketerNet also purchased NEC’s S2800, S2300, and S1300 storage solutions.
Ideal for large-scale mission-critical applications with highperformance requirements, the NEC Express5800/1000 series comes with the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system. These Itanium 2-based servers offer 8 to 32 CPU configurations which guarantees scalability as the business grows. The NEC Express5800/1000 series has access of up to 512 GB of shared main memory and offers unique softwarebased self-healing capability. With redundant hardware components like clocks, power, fans, service processors, hotswappable CPU memory boards, and I/O card rapid system recovery happens in the event of a failure.
Based on MarketerNet’s business needs, the NEC Itanium 2-based servers can be partitioned at the hardware level to run multiple operating systems and allow each subsystem to operate independently for more flexible configurations. MarketerNet took advantage of the high performance capability on NEC’s Express5800/1000 series by leveraging NEC’s innovative crossbar switch technology with transfer speeds at 102 GB/sec.
“NEC’s Express5800/1000 Itanium 2 servers provide MarketerNet with the high availability, performance and reliability it needs to service customers,” said Tim Hunnewell, Technology Officer of MarketerNet. “Because NEC’s servers are designed to incorporate future Itanium 2 processor families, they’ll allow us to take advantage of technology advancements without overhauling our infrastructure, and scale to meet customer needs rapidly and cost-effectively.”
MarketerNet also deployed NEC’s GlobalMaster software, which provides high availability and decreased TCO through automated control of multiple partitions within a single server. IT can manage multiple server partitions from a single terminal via an intuitive GUI, automatically scale out or up by simply adding partitions or cells, and set policies to automatically increase load processing, as needed. GlobalMaster’s provisioning and failover capabilities allow for reconfiguration of processing elements, so that operation continues despite failures, improving service levels and reducing overall operating costs.
In addition, MarketerNet also purchased NEC’s Storage solutions. For maximum investment protection NEC’s family of Storage Disk Array delivers a set of flexible options in high performance, high reliability, and high scalability. The NEC S2800, is ideal for heavy business applications. By connecting the S2800 to the Express5800/1000 MarketerNet can utilize their Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit) production databases. Their customers can now connect and retrieve data in a fast and efficient manner. NEC’s S1300 and S2300 storage arrays which offer effective support for servers and disk drives, MarketerNet utilized these solutions for multiple production and development data marts. NEC’s storage solutions include management software that simplifies logical disk, and controller configuration and monitoring.
BENEFITS
According to Hunnewell, after deploying the NEC combined server and storage solutions MarketerNet’s ability to service customers has increased, while reducing costs through better performance and throughput.
“Our customers’ businesses depend on reliable, up-to-date homeowner data; otherwise they cannot execute effective marketing campaigns that generate valid leads,” said Hunnewell. “With the increased processing power and reliability provided by NEC’s Itanium 2 servers, we are able to consistently and rapidly deliver the data our customers needs to prospect effectively and grow their businesses.”
By minimizing downtime, NEC’s server and storage solutions will help MarketerNet cut operational overhead and increase profitability. “There is no doubt that purchasing NEC’s server and storage solutions is the smartest technology investment we’ll make in 2005,” said Hunnewell.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. NEC is a registered trademark and Empowered by Innovation is a trademark of NEC Corporation and/or one or more of its subsidiaries. All are used under license. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel and Itanium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2005 NEC Solutions (America), Inc. All rights reserved.
CHALLENGE
Founded in 1999, Chicago-based MarketerNet Prospect Marketing Solutions delivers creative and insightful marketing solutions. In addition to prospecting lists, they assist in campaign execution and data analysis. Additionally, its proprietary Intelidata platform allows users secure, online access to critical marketing data.
MarketerNet must manage and maintain extremely accurate cold call and mailing lists, a service that requires high-powered database applications, rapid data processing and a reliable, scalable storage solution. They must seamlessly integrate multiple sources of homeowner, demographic and credit data, and provide campaign tracking and response management, advanced analytics and predictive models based on the data. MarketerNet had been using an Oracle database solution running on a Sun 6800 12-way server to support these activities, but at 100% utilization, the server’s performance was waning. MarketerNet needed more processing power and throughput to keep up with customer requirements.
While MarketerNet evaluated alternative server solutions, testing conducted at the Microsoft Technology testing center in Chicago revealed that when running on an 8-way NEC Express 5800/1000 series Itanium® 2-based server, SQL delivered three times more throughput than it could when running on the 12-way Sun server. With an NEC Itanium 2-based server, MarketerNet could increase the speed at which it processed data, thereby improving customer satisfaction and turning revenue more rapidly.
SOLUTION
MarketerNet deployed three servers from the NEC Express5800/1000 series of Itanium 2 servers: the NEC Express5800/1320, Express5800/1160, and the Express5800/1080. MarketerNet also purchased NEC’s S2800, S2300, and S1300 storage solutions.
Ideal for large-scale mission-critical applications with highperformance requirements, the NEC Express5800/1000 series comes with the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system. These Itanium 2-based servers offer 8 to 32 CPU configurations which guarantees scalability as the business grows. The NEC Express5800/1000 series has access of up to 512 GB of shared main memory and offers unique softwarebased self-healing capability. With redundant hardware components like clocks, power, fans, service processors, hotswappable CPU memory boards, and I/O card rapid system recovery happens in the event of a failure.
Based on MarketerNet’s business needs, the NEC Itanium 2-based servers can be partitioned at the hardware level to run multiple operating systems and allow each subsystem to operate independently for more flexible configurations. MarketerNet took advantage of the high performance capability on NEC’s Express5800/1000 series by leveraging NEC’s innovative crossbar switch technology with transfer speeds at 102 GB/sec.
“NEC’s Express5800/1000 Itanium 2 servers provide MarketerNet with the high availability, performance and reliability it needs to service customers,” said Tim Hunnewell, Technology Officer of MarketerNet. “Because NEC’s servers are designed to incorporate future Itanium 2 processor families, they’ll allow us to take advantage of technology advancements without overhauling our infrastructure, and scale to meet customer needs rapidly and cost-effectively.”
MarketerNet also deployed NEC’s GlobalMaster software, which provides high availability and decreased TCO through automated control of multiple partitions within a single server. IT can manage multiple server partitions from a single terminal via an intuitive GUI, automatically scale out or up by simply adding partitions or cells, and set policies to automatically increase load processing, as needed. GlobalMaster’s provisioning and failover capabilities allow for reconfiguration of processing elements, so that operation continues despite failures, improving service levels and reducing overall operating costs.
In addition, MarketerNet also purchased NEC’s Storage solutions. For maximum investment protection NEC’s family of Storage Disk Array delivers a set of flexible options in high performance, high reliability, and high scalability. The NEC S2800, is ideal for heavy business applications. By connecting the S2800 to the Express5800/1000 MarketerNet can utilize their Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit) production databases. Their customers can now connect and retrieve data in a fast and efficient manner. NEC’s S1300 and S2300 storage arrays which offer effective support for servers and disk drives, MarketerNet utilized these solutions for multiple production and development data marts. NEC’s storage solutions include management software that simplifies logical disk, and controller configuration and monitoring.
BENEFITS
According to Hunnewell, after deploying the NEC combined server and storage solutions MarketerNet’s ability to service customers has increased, while reducing costs through better performance and throughput.
“Our customers’ businesses depend on reliable, up-to-date homeowner data; otherwise they cannot execute effective marketing campaigns that generate valid leads,” said Hunnewell. “With the increased processing power and reliability provided by NEC’s Itanium 2 servers, we are able to consistently and rapidly deliver the data our customers needs to prospect effectively and grow their businesses.”
By minimizing downtime, NEC’s server and storage solutions will help MarketerNet cut operational overhead and increase profitability. “There is no doubt that purchasing NEC’s server and storage solutions is the smartest technology investment we’ll make in 2005,” said Hunnewell.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. NEC is a registered trademark and Empowered by Innovation is a trademark of NEC Corporation and/or one or more of its subsidiaries. All are used under license. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel and Itanium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2005 NEC Solutions (America), Inc. All rights reserved.
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